Winnipeg Free Press Newspaper Archives May 30 2015, Page 42

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 30, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE B4 You Can Do It Awards: Supporting the dreams of promising students For many youth in Winnipeg’s inner- city, post- secondary education is far beyond their economic means. The You Can Do It Awards act as learning accounts that help make university or college an option for promising students, encouraging them to complete high school and plan for the future. A gift to the You Can Do It Awards Fund sends a message that students have the support, encouragement and confidence of the larger community For Good. Forever. For more on the Foundation, visit www. wpgfdn. org or call 204.944.9474. PHILANTHROPY WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2015 EDITOR: SHANE MINKIN Fax: 204- 697- 7412 / Phone: 204- 697- 7292 shane. minkin@ freepress. mb. ca B 4 winnipegfreepress. com J UST a stone’s throw from Portage Avenue in St. James, on the banks of Sturgeon Creek, is a flour mill that looks as if it has been there since before the province was founded. In a sense, it has, even though it is actually celebrating the 40th anniversary of its creation this year. Grant’s Old Mill was a reconstruction project by the St. James- Assiniboia Pioneer Association to commemorate the water mill originally constructed by Cuthbert James Grant on Sturgeon Creek in 1829. Nancy Fluto, the association’s current president, said the present, working flour mill was constructed in 1975, and the association, with the city’s funding to maintain the facility, has been running it ever since. Fluto said while no one today knows exactly where Grant built his mill ( it only lasted three years because the dam needed to raise the water level so the large wheel outside could turn kept failing), there’s no question there was a mill on the tributary. “ A map in 1858 even noted there was a water mill on Sturgeon Creek,” she said. The mill is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a. m. to 6 p. m., from the May long weekend to the Labour Day long weekend. Admission is by donation. Grant’s Old Mill is also open today and Sunday as part of Doors Open Winnipeg. Fluto said visitors to the mill learn two things. “ There is the history of milling flour and also the history of Cuthbert Grant. Everyone has heard of Louis Riel, but Cuthbert Grant was the first leader of the Métis nation,” she said. “ Here, you can learn more about him.” Grant, who was born in 1793 and died in 1854, was the son of a Scottish father and aboriginal mother. He worked with the North West Company, which named him “ captain- general of the Métis” in 1816. Grant was the leader at the Battle of the Seven Oaks that same year and was later tried, and acquitted, of murder charges. He was later hired by the Hudson’s Bay Company but quit in 1824 to found a settlement, called Grantown, where present- day St. François Xavier is located. After Grant died, he was buried at the church there. The mill’s log walls were constructed with Tamarack logs harvested in Whiteshell Provincial Park. Reg Sims, vice- president of the organization, said the builders also used hand tools where possible. “ They brought in artisans using the tools of the mid- 1800s,” Sims said. “ Everything was cut with axes. That’s why, when you look at them, the logs have a rough appearance. And, if you look at the stairs, they didn’t use nails. We did use nails in the safety rail. Health and Safety made us put up rails — I’m sure Cuthbert Grant didn’t have railings. “ It’s a 40- year- old building which looks like it is 200 years old.” Fluto said volunteers have planted wheat in the park outside the doors of the mill. “ That way the students and tourists can see where the flour comes from,” she said. Paterson Grain annually donates the 362 kilograms of red spring wheat that is turned into flour each season. The association’s website states the mill was originally conceived after a citizen group came together and received a $ 7,900 grant in 1973. The grant paid for research and an architectural consultant. Later that same year, the Winnipeg Centennial Committee accepted the project as a centennial project. The next year, the Rotary Clubs of Winnipeg contributed $ 50,000 to built the mill, a donation by the National Grain Co. Ltd. was used for landscaping and beautification of the area, and the City of Winnipeg agreed to pay $ 20,000 to construct a dam at the site. Sims said Ogilvie Flour Mills donated the two large millstones needed to grind the flour, as well as the working parts of the mill. “ The mill shows how the whole livelihood of the Red River Valley was changing,” he said. “ It had been aboriginal people and hunters and trappers, but then the settlers began coming in. Cuthbert Grant founded a settlement, and he knew people were now doing agriculture to feed themselves. They needed flour to be produced, so he built the mill to be a good leader for his people — and because he was an entrepreneur.” The mill was officially opened on July 3, 1975, by premier Ed Schreyer. Three years later, the association officially turned the mill over to the city in return for an agreement the association would be the entity to run the mill. Fluto said visitors used to be able to buy the flour produced at the mill, but that hasn’t been available for some time. She said they soon hope to be able to produce and sell souvenir bags of flour such as the ones produced by the windpowered flour mill in Steinbach. Volunteer Ken Fluto said one of the most rewarding things of the site is when people who are descended from Grant show up to look around. “ Two years ago, there was a couple who drove by, and they saw the sign for the mill and they came in,” he said. “ They said they thought they had a Grant in the family and we checked — turns out they were descendants.” Nancy Fluto said the City of Winnipeg plays a vital part in the continued operation of the mill. “ The City of Winnipeg treats us very well,” Fluto said. “ All maintenance is paid by them, and they pay all the utility bills. The City of Winnipeg is our best friend.” Coun. Scott Gillingham ( St. James — Brooklands — Weston) said the mill is a jewel for St. James and the city. “ It is picturesque, in an idyllic setting,” Gillingham said. “ The creek runs through, and the paths are great for cycling and walking. It is also great for the patients and their families at the Grace Hospital. And it has such a historic significance for St. James.” Gillingham credits the hard- working citizen volunteers for keeping the mill going. “ It is important for our history to be told. This is an important site. It’s just such a wonderful spot,” he said. kevin. rollason@ freepress. mb. ca YOU’LL hear the rumble of hundreds of motorcycles today. More than 1,600 motorcyclists will rev their engines at 10 a. m. for the seventh annual Manitoba Motorcycle Ride for Dad. The event, which raises funds for prostate cancer research and education, starts at Polo Park mall and heads to Gimli after a stop at Assiniboia Downs. Go to ridefordad. ca/ manitoba for more information. . . . YOU can’t roll up the rim, but this Wednesday you can help a kid go to summer camp. It’s the annual Camp Day at Tim Hortons locations, where restaurant owners donate all coffee proceeds to the Tim Hortons Children’s Foundation. The chain, which operates seven camps across North America — with the latest one opening in Manitoba in June — will help 18,000 kids go to camp this year. Last year, the event raised $ 12 million. . . . A gluten- free information forum and food exhibition will take place June 6. The Manitoba chapter of the Canadian Celiac Association is holding the event at Canad Inns Polo Park from 8: 30 a. m. to 4: 30 p. m. The exhibition, with new and popular gluten- free products for sample and purchase, is open to the public from 11 a. m. to 5 p. m., for a $ 5 fee at the door. For more information, go to manitobaceliac. com or call 204- 772- 6979. . . . BILINGUAL volunteer ambassadors are being sought by Tourisme Riel. The ambassadors are needed to help visitors and participants at special events, celebrations and festivals throughout the year. Past activities have included the French Canadian pavilion at Folklorama, Christmas in St. Boniface, the St. Boniface Hospital Foundation’s Radiothon of Hope and Healing, Nuit de Art and Saint- Jean- Baptiste celebrations. To register, call Tourisme Riel at 204- 233- 8343 or info@ tourismeriel. com. . . . FOUR events are being held in June to support Huntington disease programs and research. The Run2Finish HD is being held in Assiniboine Park on June 6, with five- kilometre and 10- km fun run routes. Registration begins at 8 a. m., and the run/ walk starts at 9: 30 a. m. Go to http:// wfp. to/ Rn6 for more information. Pierson is holding its third annual Sprint into Summer the same day beginning at 5 p. m., with the 6 p. m. run/ walk followed by a barbecue and family dance. Go to http:// wfp. to/ Rnj for more info. The 20th annual golf tournament for HD is being held in Brandon on June 7. Email Sandy at sandson10@ hotmail. com for more information. And Bert Blackbird will run from Regina to Brandon from June 12 to 14 to raise money for HD. Go to http:// wfp. to/ Rny for more info. . . . THE Walk to Fight Arthritis is being held at Assiniboine Park on June 7. The one- or five- km walk, presented by Vickar Automotive Group and its employees, starts at 10 a. m. Registration starts at 8: 30 a. m., or you can register online at walktofightarthritis. ca. For more information, call 204- 942- 4892. . . . TEN children living with special needs will soon be riding a specialized bike thanks to a senior bicycling from Vancouver to Winnipeg. John’s Excellent Bike Adventure will see 78- yearold John Wichers — who worked at the Rehabilitation Centre for Children before retiring — leave Winnipeg for Vancouver on June 10, where he will bike back here solo for 28 days through the mountains and prairies. Sponsorship levels range from $ 100 to $ 3,500. The bikes cost up to $ 6,000 apiece. For more information, call the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation at 204- 475- 5073. . . . THE first annual National RV Weekend is being held at three Manitoba campgrounds on June 13 and 14 to raise funds for Make- A- Wish Canada. Campers can buy a Wish lantern at the campgrounds — with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to Make- A- Wish — and then release them together at 10 p. m. The three campgrounds are Lilac Resort, Rubber Ducky Resort and Campground and Arrowhead RV Park. . . . NEW members of the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba’s Endowment Book of Life will take part in an official signing on June 14. The event, which signifies signers will contribute to the foundation in their wills, is being held at the Asper Jewish Community Campus. It will feature live entertainment from Richard Yaffe, Shayla Fink and Kinzey Posen, along with sandwiches and special party treats. It starts at 6 p. m. Tickets must be purchased in advance ($ 36 for adults, $ 18 for children 12 and under) from Katarina Kliman at 204- 477- 7520 or kkliman@ jewishfoundation. org. . . . THE Winnipeg Goldeyes’ Field of Dreams Foundation is holding its annual golf tournament June 18. The tournament, which supports children’s charities, costs $ 300 per player or $ 1,200 per team, and is being held at Bel Acres Golf and Country Club. Teeoff time is at noon, and dinner will be served after golf. Call 204- 982- 2273 for more info, or go to goldeyes. com. . . . THE 16th annual Walk for ALS is being held at Assiniboine Park June 20. The walk will see many of the participants wearing shirts to honour loved ones they have lost to the disease. Last year’s walk raised more than $ 210,000, and this year’s goal is $ 250,000. Registration for the 5- km walk starts at the Conservatory tent at 9 a. m. To sign up, contact the ALS Society at 204- 831- 1510 or hope@ alsmb. ca. PHILANTHROPY Briefs How to help TO help the St. James- Assiniboia Pioneer Association: . Visit Grant’s Old Mill and leave a donation. . Send a donation to the association at P. O. Box 48065, RPO Lakewood, Winnipeg, MB, R2J 4A3. . Attend the association’s two major events: Cuthbert Grant Day, held on the second Saturday in July, and the Pioneer Picnic, held the second Saturday in August. Big wheel keeps on turning in St. James Reconstructed mill turns 40 this year KEVIN ROLLASON RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Grant’s Old Mill is open today and Sunday as part of Doors Open Winnipeg. B_ 04_ May- 30- 15_ FP_ 01. indd B4 5/ 29/ 15 4: 10: 05 PM