This is part one of a three-part series on the history of Burnell Street in Winnipeg. I am looking at the section from Portage Avenue north to Ellice.
1874 map (click for source)
The area of the city west of Maryland Street, the Parish of St. James, became part of the city of Winnipeg in 1882.
On the lots south of Portage Avenue to the Assiniboine River, the land was cultivated and had settlement but north of Portage the area was little more than bush and pasture lands.
For the better part of two decades the area retained much of this character with a couple of exceptions. There was a small aboriginal settlement along Home Street that was moved there from Sherbrook Street when the boundary shifted. Also, as Portage developed into a major road, industrial sites such as scrap yards, carriage repair shops, lumber yards, dairy operations, commercial stables and an abattoir set up along it.
Burnell Street was created in 1895-96. According to the Manitoba Historical Society it is named for Colin H. Burnell. He was an Oak Lake farmer who rose to become head of the United Farmers of Manitoba then the first president of the Manitoba Wheat Pool. Colin, however, would have been about 15 and living near Oak Lake at the time the street was named. I can't find any newspaper references to his father Henry at all. This makes the Colin reference a little unlikely.
There were other prominent Burnells around, though none appear to have a connection to the St. James area or with land development. Edward Burnell of the Westbourne area served on a number of area councils and was a justice of the peace. Going back further, Martin E. Burnell from the Portage area fought under Major Boulton in the North West Rebellion. Mrs. Burnell was the postmaster for St. Andrews. I lean toward Edward the likeliest namesake.
Burnell between Sargent and Notre Dame was part of that boom, though from Ellice to Portage it developed very differently. Here, land was sold off in one, two and three acre lots, and once bought up was leased out as pasture land or commercial garden space on a yearly basis.
By the end of the decade the street grid had matured into what exists today and neighbouring streets like Home and Simcoe were crammed with middle class homes. On Burnell, however, there was a only a cluster of seven homes near Portage on the east side of the street and another 17 from St. Paul Avenue north to Ellice.
In 1909 we learn more about the man who had been buying up much of this Burnell Street land and his big plans !
1897 Henderson Directory of Winnipeg
By 1897 Burnell Street was a mud road with only five households between Portage Avenue and Notre Dame.
The cluster near Portage Avenue was Icelandic. The Einarssons owned an acreage with a dairy operation on it. Though Helki is listed in Henderson's, I have found reference to Gunnar Einarsson at the site as well. The Johnsons, Gisli and Sigriour Jonsson and daughters Ina and Elin also lived off Burnell and Einarson Street.
City services such as sewer, graded roads and sidewalks came to the area in 1905 - 1906 and real estate boom for subdivided lots and new houses was triggered.
1904 - 1909 ads
Burnell between Sargent and Notre Dame was part of that boom, though from Ellice to Portage it developed very differently. Here, land was sold off in one, two and three acre lots, and once bought up was leased out as pasture land or commercial garden space on a yearly basis.
1910 map (click image for source)
By the end of the decade the street grid had matured into what exists today and neighbouring streets like Home and Simcoe were crammed with middle class homes. On Burnell, however, there was a only a cluster of seven homes near Portage on the east side of the street and another 17 from St. Paul Avenue north to Ellice.
In 1909 we learn more about the man who had been buying up much of this Burnell Street land and his big plans !
See part 2: Thorsteinn Oddson's Burnell Street (1909 - 1914)
No comments:
Post a Comment