Discussions

Oct 12, 1957  
Lester B Pearson wins the Nobel Prize. As described by the CBC Archives:  
 
“A cable is sent from Oslo to inform Liberal Member of Parliament Lester B. Pearson that he has won the Nobel Peace Prize. It arrives, but at the wrong house. Four hours later a reporter calls Pearson for an interview and unknowingly becomes the bearer of marvellous news. Pearson is shocked and honoured. The prize honours Pearson's creation of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF), deployed the previous year to help bring peace in Egypt, following the Suez Crisis”.  
 
For a CBC Radio Story:  
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-71-340-1849-11/on_this_day/conflict_war/pearson_nobel  
 
Oct. 13, 1969  
Red River Floodway, a.k.a. Duff’s Ditch, is officially opened. The 47 km channel took 6 years to build, cost $63 and was at the time said to be the largest earth moving construction project in history. In the 20 times it has been used it’s estimated to have saved over $10b in direct damages.  
 
Some links:  
CBC TV Report form the day:  
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-75-167-790-11/on_this_day/science_technology/duffs_ditch  
 
“Duff’s Ditch”: The Origins, Construction, and Impact of the Red River Floodway (Manitoba Historical Society) http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/42/duffsditch.shtml  
 
October 13, 1956  
Bombers’ Bob McNamara sets a CFL regular season record with 36 points in one game they defeat the B.C. 40-8. McNamara would also tie the record for most touchdowns scored in one game – six.  
 
October 16 1951 Official visit of Their Royal Highnesses the Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh to Winnipeg on a cost to coast tour of Canada. They would leave three days later by train to Regina.  
 
October 16 1882 the first four permanent street lamps (on Main Street, from Broadway Avenue to the CPR crossing) were turned on in Winnipeg.  
 
October 18, 1929 Canadian women were legally recognized as "persons" as a result of a ruling by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in England. The Privy Council decided that Section 24 of the BNA Act included women as well as men, so Canadian women could no longer be excluded from sitting in the Senate because of their sex. October 18 has been declared Persons Days in Canada to mark this victory for equal rights.  
 
Oct. 18, 1899 Capt. John Buchanan appointed Fire Chief of Winnipeg Fired Department and would have the longest tour of duty.  
 
October 19, 1884 The Cachon Block / Assiniboine Block / Empire Hotel opens on Main Street in Winnipeg.  
 
Joseph Cauchon, then Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba, built “The new Cauchon Block, one of the handsomest and most substantial in the city ... contains eight stores, 6 on Main Street and two on York Street. Each store is 25 by 80 with plate glass fronts. There are some fifty offices in the upper flats. The building is to be heated with steam. There is an elevator ... and altogether the edifice is a decided acquisition to the city. The shops are adapted to either a wholesale or retail business” Manitoba Free Press, February 7, 1883  
 
Originally intended to be a commercial building, it opened during a slowdown in Winnipeg’s economy and there were troubles filling it. After a couple of years Cauchon was forced to sell. The new owner reduced rates and began rentin the offices as apartments in an attempt to fill the building.  
 
In 1896, extensive renovations were done and it re-opened as Winnipeg’s first apartment block.  
 
In 1904, another major renovation took place to convert the building into a hotel. The Empire Hotel opened in February 1905 as Winnipeg’s first class hotel. It was demolished in 1981 to make way for the Via Rail Station parking lot.  
 
The façade of the building was saved and has rested in a city warehouse for many decades. Parts have been put on display in the Trizec Building (See remnants below)  
 
As the Cauchon block: http://bbhilda.topcities.com/JohnSteelCollection/AssiniboineBlock_405x301.jpg  
 
As the Empire Hotel (Note Union Station beside it) http://www.virtual.heritagewinnipeg.com/photogallery/01Main2/01-104.jpg  
 
Remnants http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/hrb/prov/p008.html  
http://apollo.lib.umanitoba.ca:8080/WinnipegBuildings/viewBuilding.action?id=369  
 
Written History http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/pageant/21/cauchonblock.shtml  
 
October 20,1873 Nelly Letitia McClung (1873-1951) born www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/mcclung_nl.shtml  
 
October 21 1881 The first horse-drawn streetcar appears in Winnipeg operated by the by the WINNIPEG STREET RAILWAY COMPANY.  
 
October 22 1954 Manitoba Power Corporation connects its 100,000th customer in rural Manitoba marking the Farm Electrification program virtually complete. About 75 per cent of all farms in Manitoba had electrical service.  
 
22 October 1844 Louis “David” Riel was born at St. Boniface in the Red River Settlement on, the eldest child of Louis Riel, Sr., and Julie Lagimodière  
 
October 25, 1951 Pinawa hydro generating station was retired from service on, after 45 years service.  
 
Oct 26, 1974 Elim Chapel Fire, Portage and York, Winnipeg. The church was rebuilt.  
http://www.winnipegfiremuseum.ca/archives/elim_chapel01.jpg  
http://www.winnipegfiremuseum.ca/archives/elim_chapel02.jpg  
 
28 October 1830: Henson— "Uncle Tom"—Escapes to Canada. Josiah Henson, considered by many the inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom, reached Canada with his family after escaping from Kentucky. A natural leader, Josiah Henson began to help other escaped slaves adapt to life in Upper Canada. He joined the anti-slavery movement and spoke publicly about his experiences.  
 
31 October 1829 Born Andrew G. B. Bannatyne (1829-1889) born, Orkney Islands http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/bannatyne_agb.shtml