Most of the following timelines for Manitoba's history is taken from either the Manitoba Historical Society,[1] or from the Heritage Manitoba and the Gimli Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee, as adapted from a three-volume history of Manitoba published in 1993 titled Manitoba: 125.[2]
May 2, 1670 —
King Charles II issues a Charter to
Prince Rupert and the Company of Adventurers of England Trading into
Hudson's Bay thereby creating
Rupert's Land. The Charter included "all territory draining into the rivers flowing into Hudson Bay."
June 12, 1690 —
Henry Kelsey undertakes an expedition to the country of the
Assiniboines, and becomes the first European man to see the
prairies.
September 4, 1812 — Near the Red River,
Miles Macdonnell proclaimed to the local inhabitants
Lord Selkirk's ownership of the 185,000 km2 (71,000 sq mi) that constitute
Assiniboia.
November 27, 1869 — A
Provisional Government, incorporating most elements of Red River Colony, is formed.
December 7, 1869 — Louis Riel arrested 56 people at Dr. Schultz's store.
December 27, 1869 — Louis Riel elected President of the Provisional Government.
January 19, 1870 — Canadian negotiator
Donald A. Smith addressed a crowd of over 1,000 in Fort Garry, regarding the Canadian Government's intentions of the Northwest.
March 4, 1870 —
Thomas Scott is executed by order of Louis Riel.
July 15, 1870 — Province of Manitoba officially admitted into
Confederation, with Winnipeg becoming capital of both Manitoba and the
Northwest Territories.
August 1870 — The
Red River Expedition led by Col.
Garnet J. Wolseley, arrived at Fort Garry and took possession of the fort. Riel fled to the United States. Wolseley asked HBC Commissioner Donald A. Smith to administer the government pending the arrival of the lieutenant-governor.
September 2, 1870 — Lieutenant-Governor A.G. Archibald arrived at Fort Garry.
October 5, 1871 —
Fenians from the United States entered Manitoba and
seized the HBC post at Pembina. Later they were captured by a corps of United States troops whom Lieutenant-Governor Archibald had given permission to cross the border.
October 10, 1874 — Ambroise Lepine found guilty of aiding Riel in the murder of Thomas Scott and sentenced to hang on January 29, 1875. His sentence was later commuted to two years' imprisonment.
October 10, 1877 — Manitoba's first railway locomotive, the
Countess of Dufferin, arrived in St. Boniface via streamer.
1878 —
John Norquay becomes Manitoba's first Metis Premier.
November 2, 1878 — John McBeth, last member of the first group of Selkirk settlers, dies at
Kildonan.
December 24, 1878 — First freight by rail reached St. Boniface. Two days later, the first freight for export was shipped by rail from St. Boniface via steamer.
March 21, 1881 — Manitoba Boundaries Act passed in Parliament, providing for an extension of the province's borders.
December 11, 1883 —
Standard time adopted throughout the province.
August 11, 1884 — Boundary dispute between Manitoba and Ontario settled by a decision of the judicial committee of the
Privy Council.
March 17, 1885 — Louis Riel elected president of the Provisional Government in the Northwest Territories, launching the
North-West Rebellion.
May 9–12, 1885 —
Battle of Batoche: Louis Riel's last stand, after which he was taken prisoner on May 15, and executed on November 16 at
Regina.
March 1890 —
Denominational (separate) school system abolished in Manitoba.
October, 1892 — First
Ukrainians reached Winnipeg.
20th century
Pre-World War II
1906 — Manitoba enacted legislation for a government-run telephone system. By January 15, 1908,
Manitoba Government Telephones was operating as the first such
public utility in North America.
May 10, 1910 — The steamer Victoria passed through the New St. Andrews Locks. The locks were formally opened July 15.
February 26, 1912 — Manitoba's new boundaries announced, increasing its size to present-day borders.
January 27, 1916 —
Women's Suffrage Bill is adopted by the Manitoba Legislature, making Manitoba the first province to grant women the right to vote and hold provincial office.
March 13, 1916 —
Prohibition introduced and bars banished under the Manitoba Temperance Act.
August 1916 — Compulsory Education Act came into effect.
October 11, 1918 — Ban placed on all public gatherings due to the
Spanish Influenza epidemic.
May 15, 1919 — Winnipeg General Strike began as street car workers walked off the job.
June 21, 1919 — Winnipeg General Strike culminated as
Mounties charge a crowd of strikers and shots are fired. Two men die as a result of the struggle.
June 25, 1919 — Winnipeg General Strike leaders who have not been taken into custody vote to end the strike. Serviced restored throughout the city.
1946 — The federal government cancelled half of the province's Depression-era debt and paid a subsidy to Manitoba in return for it giving up the right to levy income and corporate taxes.
April–May 1950 —
1950 Red River flood:
Southern Manitoba was gripped by severe flooding, forcing thousands of evacuations and causing millions of dollars worth of property damages.
February 1951 — Manitoba's first commercial oil well was tapped in the
Virden area.
1952 — Legislation passed allowing women to sit on juried in the Virden area.
1952 — Manitoba aboriginals were given the right to vote provincially.
1977 — The Northern Flood Agreement was prepared, an offer of compensation for northern Métis and native communities who were flooded during the re-routing of the
Nelson and
Churchill Rivers for
hydro-electric projects.
December 13, 1979 — The
Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) declared Manitoba's Official Languages Act (1890) to be invalid. After more court battles, the province eventually agreed it would restore French language serviced, as provided for in Section 23 of the 1870 Manitoba Act.
October 23, 1981 —
Pearl McGonigal, deputy mayor of Winnipeg, was sworn in as Manitoba's 19th
Lieutenant-Governor, the province's first woman LG.
Autumn 1983 — In a series of municipal
plebiscites, Manitoba voters overwhelmingly rejected the provincial entrenchment of French language rights and services.
June 1985 — The
SCC declared all of Manitoba's English-only laws invalid and gave the provincial government three years to translate them into French.
March 8, 1988 — NDP Speaker
Jim Walding, still angry with the Premier
Howard Pawley for having refused him a cabinet post, toppled his own government by voting with the Progressive Conservatives against the budget.
December 18, 1988 —
Gary Filmon presented the federal government's
Meech Lake Accord to the Manitoba legislature for ratification.
June 22, 1990 — NDP MLA
Elijah Harper's seventh and final refusal to allow debate to proceed in the Manitoba legislature in the Meech Lake constitutional accord effectively killing the federal government's constitutional deal.
July 23, 1989 — Province declared a state of emergency due to the large due to the large number of forest fires ranging throughout the north and the forced evacuation of thousands of northern residents.
August 29, 1991 — Two-volume report of the
Aboriginal Justice Inquiry was released. The report stated natives were generally not treated equally in the justice system and called for
aboriginal self-government.
October 9, 1991 — Approximately 10,000 Manitoba farmers and their supporters demonstrated in Winnipeg against low grain prices and high production costs, the next, the federal government responded with $800 million of various levels of prices.
October 26, 1992 — Around 61.7% of Manitobans voted against the federal government's newest constitutional offering, the
Charlottetown Accord, one of the highest NO votes in Canada.
January 23, 1993 — Métis leader
Yvon Dumont was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba.
August 15, 1995 —
Spirit of Manitoba, a group organized to try to save the Winnipeg Jets franchise, announced that it cannot raise enough funds to keep the team in Manitoba. The team moves to
Arizona and is renamed the
Arizona Coyotes.
Most of the following timelines for Manitoba's history is taken from either the Manitoba Historical Society,[1] or from the Heritage Manitoba and the Gimli Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee, as adapted from a three-volume history of Manitoba published in 1993 titled Manitoba: 125.[2]
May 2, 1670 —
King Charles II issues a Charter to
Prince Rupert and the Company of Adventurers of England Trading into
Hudson's Bay thereby creating
Rupert's Land. The Charter included "all territory draining into the rivers flowing into Hudson Bay."
June 12, 1690 —
Henry Kelsey undertakes an expedition to the country of the
Assiniboines, and becomes the first European man to see the
prairies.
September 4, 1812 — Near the Red River,
Miles Macdonnell proclaimed to the local inhabitants
Lord Selkirk's ownership of the 185,000 km2 (71,000 sq mi) that constitute
Assiniboia.
November 27, 1869 — A
Provisional Government, incorporating most elements of Red River Colony, is formed.
December 7, 1869 — Louis Riel arrested 56 people at Dr. Schultz's store.
December 27, 1869 — Louis Riel elected President of the Provisional Government.
January 19, 1870 — Canadian negotiator
Donald A. Smith addressed a crowd of over 1,000 in Fort Garry, regarding the Canadian Government's intentions of the Northwest.
March 4, 1870 —
Thomas Scott is executed by order of Louis Riel.
July 15, 1870 — Province of Manitoba officially admitted into
Confederation, with Winnipeg becoming capital of both Manitoba and the
Northwest Territories.
August 1870 — The
Red River Expedition led by Col.
Garnet J. Wolseley, arrived at Fort Garry and took possession of the fort. Riel fled to the United States. Wolseley asked HBC Commissioner Donald A. Smith to administer the government pending the arrival of the lieutenant-governor.
September 2, 1870 — Lieutenant-Governor A.G. Archibald arrived at Fort Garry.
October 5, 1871 —
Fenians from the United States entered Manitoba and
seized the HBC post at Pembina. Later they were captured by a corps of United States troops whom Lieutenant-Governor Archibald had given permission to cross the border.
October 10, 1874 — Ambroise Lepine found guilty of aiding Riel in the murder of Thomas Scott and sentenced to hang on January 29, 1875. His sentence was later commuted to two years' imprisonment.
October 10, 1877 — Manitoba's first railway locomotive, the
Countess of Dufferin, arrived in St. Boniface via streamer.
1878 —
John Norquay becomes Manitoba's first Metis Premier.
November 2, 1878 — John McBeth, last member of the first group of Selkirk settlers, dies at
Kildonan.
December 24, 1878 — First freight by rail reached St. Boniface. Two days later, the first freight for export was shipped by rail from St. Boniface via steamer.
March 21, 1881 — Manitoba Boundaries Act passed in Parliament, providing for an extension of the province's borders.
December 11, 1883 —
Standard time adopted throughout the province.
August 11, 1884 — Boundary dispute between Manitoba and Ontario settled by a decision of the judicial committee of the
Privy Council.
March 17, 1885 — Louis Riel elected president of the Provisional Government in the Northwest Territories, launching the
North-West Rebellion.
May 9–12, 1885 —
Battle of Batoche: Louis Riel's last stand, after which he was taken prisoner on May 15, and executed on November 16 at
Regina.
March 1890 —
Denominational (separate) school system abolished in Manitoba.
October, 1892 — First
Ukrainians reached Winnipeg.
20th century
Pre-World War II
1906 — Manitoba enacted legislation for a government-run telephone system. By January 15, 1908,
Manitoba Government Telephones was operating as the first such
public utility in North America.
May 10, 1910 — The steamer Victoria passed through the New St. Andrews Locks. The locks were formally opened July 15.
February 26, 1912 — Manitoba's new boundaries announced, increasing its size to present-day borders.
January 27, 1916 —
Women's Suffrage Bill is adopted by the Manitoba Legislature, making Manitoba the first province to grant women the right to vote and hold provincial office.
March 13, 1916 —
Prohibition introduced and bars banished under the Manitoba Temperance Act.
August 1916 — Compulsory Education Act came into effect.
October 11, 1918 — Ban placed on all public gatherings due to the
Spanish Influenza epidemic.
May 15, 1919 — Winnipeg General Strike began as street car workers walked off the job.
June 21, 1919 — Winnipeg General Strike culminated as
Mounties charge a crowd of strikers and shots are fired. Two men die as a result of the struggle.
June 25, 1919 — Winnipeg General Strike leaders who have not been taken into custody vote to end the strike. Serviced restored throughout the city.
1946 — The federal government cancelled half of the province's Depression-era debt and paid a subsidy to Manitoba in return for it giving up the right to levy income and corporate taxes.
April–May 1950 —
1950 Red River flood:
Southern Manitoba was gripped by severe flooding, forcing thousands of evacuations and causing millions of dollars worth of property damages.
February 1951 — Manitoba's first commercial oil well was tapped in the
Virden area.
1952 — Legislation passed allowing women to sit on juried in the Virden area.
1952 — Manitoba aboriginals were given the right to vote provincially.
1977 — The Northern Flood Agreement was prepared, an offer of compensation for northern Métis and native communities who were flooded during the re-routing of the
Nelson and
Churchill Rivers for
hydro-electric projects.
December 13, 1979 — The
Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) declared Manitoba's Official Languages Act (1890) to be invalid. After more court battles, the province eventually agreed it would restore French language serviced, as provided for in Section 23 of the 1870 Manitoba Act.
October 23, 1981 —
Pearl McGonigal, deputy mayor of Winnipeg, was sworn in as Manitoba's 19th
Lieutenant-Governor, the province's first woman LG.
Autumn 1983 — In a series of municipal
plebiscites, Manitoba voters overwhelmingly rejected the provincial entrenchment of French language rights and services.
June 1985 — The
SCC declared all of Manitoba's English-only laws invalid and gave the provincial government three years to translate them into French.
March 8, 1988 — NDP Speaker
Jim Walding, still angry with the Premier
Howard Pawley for having refused him a cabinet post, toppled his own government by voting with the Progressive Conservatives against the budget.
December 18, 1988 —
Gary Filmon presented the federal government's
Meech Lake Accord to the Manitoba legislature for ratification.
June 22, 1990 — NDP MLA
Elijah Harper's seventh and final refusal to allow debate to proceed in the Manitoba legislature in the Meech Lake constitutional accord effectively killing the federal government's constitutional deal.
July 23, 1989 — Province declared a state of emergency due to the large due to the large number of forest fires ranging throughout the north and the forced evacuation of thousands of northern residents.
August 29, 1991 — Two-volume report of the
Aboriginal Justice Inquiry was released. The report stated natives were generally not treated equally in the justice system and called for
aboriginal self-government.
October 9, 1991 — Approximately 10,000 Manitoba farmers and their supporters demonstrated in Winnipeg against low grain prices and high production costs, the next, the federal government responded with $800 million of various levels of prices.
October 26, 1992 — Around 61.7% of Manitobans voted against the federal government's newest constitutional offering, the
Charlottetown Accord, one of the highest NO votes in Canada.
January 23, 1993 — Métis leader
Yvon Dumont was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba.
August 15, 1995 —
Spirit of Manitoba, a group organized to try to save the Winnipeg Jets franchise, announced that it cannot raise enough funds to keep the team in Manitoba. The team moves to
Arizona and is renamed the
Arizona Coyotes.