St. Boniface Quarter and Louis Riel in Winnipeg, MB

The Grey Nuns' Room at the Saint Boniface Museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada).

Who would have thought that the little district of St. Boniface in Winnipeg, Manitoba would have one of the largest communities of French Canadians west of the Great Lakes, the largest collection of Louis Riel artefacts in Canada, the largest oak log structure in North America and house the oldest building in Winnipeg?

This little community of St. Boniface, once a city, was integrated into Winnipeg in 1971. Now, it thrives as a French district just across the bridge from the downtown core. Cute boutiques and one off stores line the main street and the residential streets are quiet.

My first stop was the Saint-Boniface Museum and the largest collection of Louis Riel artefacts in Canada. Pretty impressive for a small space. The building is also the oldest in the city and the largest log oak structure in North America. It has received a Heritage Canada Foundation award for the restoration work done on it from 1993-1995.

Saint Boniface Cathedral in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada).

Philippe Maihot took me on a tour of the exhibits (including Louis Riel’s coffin, his moccasins and his toque, Gabrielle Roy’s mother’s quilt, Archbishop Alexandre Taché’s bookcase, Andy De Jarlis’ violin, Pauline Boutal’s paintings and Victor A. Long’s portraits of St. Boniface mayors) that give a nice account of the Métis and French history in the area.

The way the museum is set up, you can walk through quite quickly and see the highlights (most people come for the Louis Riel story and artefacts) or take your time and spend hours reading all of the info boards and artefact tags.

You can also learn about the fire that swept through the St. Boniface Cathedral (190 avenue de la Cathedrale) in 1968 and then head next door to see what the new building looks like. It’s fascinating: make sure to go inside to see the quirky architecture.

Outside in the cemetery is Louis Riel’s grave, where most tourists stop for a photo. I followed a small group but realized that they were all taking their picture at the Louis Riel monument, thinking it was his grave. Philippe brought me to his grave, quietly placed at the northern side on avenue de la Cathedrale.

Métis Leader Louis Riel's Grave in St. Boniface in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada).

What I Liked:

• The St. Boniface Museum is a little gem. The building itself is worth the trip to the “other side” of the river. On top of that, there’s an almost limitless amount of Louis Riel information and enough Métis and French history of the area to make for many hours of reading (as well as watching videos).
• The St. Boniface Cathedral is quite a marvel, mixing the old site with contemporary architecture and the unusual rendering of Jesus.
• The St. Boniface quarter is worth spending some time walking around. I would have planned for more time here had I known it was so unique. I also discovered that you can just walk to the area from downtown across the Esplanade Riel bridge, a pedestrian walkway (with a controversial restaurant on it) that gives lovely views of the river and city.