French photojournalist Philippe Renault with one of Fort Gibraltar's heritage interpreters
(Originally published in TOURISM)
While the 18th- and 19th-century epoch of the fur trade and voyageurs in western Canada is steeped in adventure, discovery and a hint of romanticism, few communities have been as successful as Franco-Manitobans at using this colourful epoch to create tourist experiences.
In the heart of Winnipeg, in the French quarter of Saint-Boniface, stands a wooden fort just like the ones you see in western movies and at various North American historic sites. The structure at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers is actually an exact replica of a North West Company fort that was erected on the opposite shore in 1809. The replica was built in 1979 by Festival du Voyageur Inc.
“Historically, the fort was comprised of the palisades with a few cabins in the enclosure,” says Josée Vaillancourt, director of marketing and communications with the Festival du Voyageur. For two weeks every February, the fort comes alive as thousands of visitors flock there during the Festival du Voyageur, western Canada’s largest heritage-themed winter festival.
“In 2001, the Festival constructed the Governor’s House, a spacious building used as a reception and conference centre. Revenue generated by it since then has enabled us not only to finance Fort Gibraltar but also, this past May 24, to open the fort as a tourist site with a 2006 summer program.”
Where Magazine recently named Fort Gibraltar as one of ten must-see Canadian attractions for this summer, so Festival du Voyageur officials hope the summer opening of the interpretation centre will generate new visits to the fort and the emerging tourist destination of Saint-Boniface. Indeed, the fort’s success reflects the vitality of an entire community.
“At Fort Gibraltar, we have four resident interpreters and a staffer who oversees heritage programs,” Vaillancourt explains. “You see them working in the smithy, sewing in the workers’ quarters, and arranging the displays in the store, which doubles as a trading centre. We also have a Métis woman who cooks over a fire. People who come to Fort Gibraltar can see how bannock, the Métis bread, was made. Everything is cooked over an open fire. The comments we get confirm that visitors take away good memories.”
The interpreters encourage visitors to try some of the games the voyageurs used to play, like axe- or post-throwing. It’s as though these bygone traditions were waiting for an appropriate setting to find expression and make their mark on the entire Winnipeg tourism industry.
“People here are very aware that our ancestors built the community, and it’s thanks to them we have a francophone community in Manitoba. There exists among Franco-Manitobans a desire to honour these people, and that’s why the public wants to invest in its history for the future. The community is very supportive of Fort Gibraltar, and if it wasn’t for its participation, the fort would never have seen the light of day.”
Today, when the City of Winnipeg wants to attract a convention or major event, Fort Gibraltar is often cited as a don’t-miss attraction. Vaillancourt admits she relies a great deal on industry partnerships to ensure the fort’s long-term prosperity.
“By working with Travel Manitoba and Destination Winnipeg, we are able to target more distant markets, because the reality is we are a non-profit community organization. Our promotional budget is small; as a result, we depend greatly on their support to target niches like northwest Ontario, North Dakota, Minnesota and Saskatchewan.”
The dream of Vaillancourt and her colleagues is that one day Fort Gibraltar will become an interpretive centre that’s open year-round, evidence of a cultural vitality that has been relegated to the shadows of the past for far too long. It appears this dream is well within reach.
