Larsen's Memorials Ltd
1801 Notre Dame Avenue R3E 3E5 Winnipeg, MB, Canada

From the Winnipeg Archives: The Golden Boy (Manitoba Legislative Building) "The Golden Boy, a magnificently gilded 5.25M (17.2-foot) figure, is probably Manitoba's best known symbol. Embodying the spirit of enterprise and eternal youth, he is poised atop the dome of the building. He faces the north, with its mineral resources, fish, forest, furs, hydroelectric power and seaport, where his province's future lies. The boy is a runner, like the messengers in Greek mythology. He ...carries a sheaf of golden grain in his left arm, while his right hand holds high a torch, calling youth to enter the race. The top of his torch is 77 metres (255 feet) above ground and before the more recent construction of high-rise buildings that today form Winnipeg's skyline, it was the highest point in the city. The figure was sculpted by Georges Gardet of Paris, and cast in 1918 at the Barbidienne foundry in France. The foundry was partially destroyed by bombs during the First World War, but the Golden Boy emerged unharmed. The figure was rushed to a seaport and put aboard a French ship carrying wheat. Before the ship could put out to sea, it was commandeered for the transport of troops. Golden BoyThe boy lay in the hold of the ship, travelling many miles, constantly in danger. When the war was over, the figure arrived at Halifax and was shipped to Winnipeg and finally hoisted to the top of Manitoba's then-new Legislative Building. The Golden Boy was in place for the official opening of the Legislative Building in 1920. Except for several months during 2002, when workers lowered the Golden Boy from the dome for repair and refurbishing, he has stood proud as a symbol for all Manitobans." (Source: the Province of Manitoba website) (Photo sources: 1. Larry Trupp, 2-3. CTV News Winnipeg, 4. ARCHIVES OF MANITOBA)

From the Winnipeg Archives: Oodena Celebration Circle (The Forks) "The Forks, situated at the junction of waterbased travel routes that bisect the continent in all compass directions, has been a gathering place for thousands of years. It is perhaps the most important historic site in Western Canada. In late 1992, The Forks Renewal Corporation called for proposals to design a ‘spiritual heart’ among the commercial and recreational developments proliferating there. Now called O...odena Celebration Circle, after the Ojibwa word meaning heart of the city, this new site was to be a rallying place, identifiable as the centre of The Forks development, and invoking the spirit that has drawn people here for the past eight millennia. The design challenge was to identify appropriate uses for the site and imbue a sense of spirituality within the burgeoning commercial and recreational activity. One aspect of the challenge was the diversity of cultural groups that had a stake in the heritage of The Forks. Early in the design process, Hilderman Thomas Frank Cram gathered archaeologists, historians, aboriginal representatives, designers and administrators in a workshop to discuss the source of spirituality in the landscape. The forces of nature, celestial patterns and mythologies were common themes running through the discussion. Oodena Celebration Circle was, therefore, conceived as an opportunity to demonstrate our reverence for the long cultural history of the site, and to put us back in touch with the natural elements of earth, fire, water and sky. The 3 metre deep excavation unearthed what archaeologists call the archaic horizon a 3,000 year old layer of soil rich in artefacts. The resulting bowl became a gathering place that evokes spirituality without reference to culture-specific symbols, by directing our attention to the beauty of the sun on the horizon, the wonder of starry nights, the serenity of winter bonfires and the drama of spring flooding experiences, and presumably responses, which we share and thus, experiences which unite us as human beings. The gaps between the monoliths align with solstice and equinox sunrises and sunsets. Steel armatures mounted on the monoliths define precise sightlines for visitors to view specific stars. Stories and images from various cultures are presented on interpretive panels and sandblasted into the monoliths." (Source: HILDERMAN, THOMAS, FRANK, CRAM) (Photo Sources: 1/2-Winnipeg Architecture Foundation, 3-HTFC Planning and Design, 4-TrekEarth, 5-The Forks)

From the Winnipeg Archives: Waddell Fountain (410 Cumberland Avenue, Winnipeg) "This fountain was installed to commemorate Emily Margaret Waddell. Mrs. Waddell died in 1908 and stipulated in her will that if her husband Thomas, a local temperance leader, remarried, he donate $10,000 to the City for construction of a fountain. Mr. Waddell, who did remarry, was able to raise the funds and in 1914 met his obligation." Local architect John Manuel was selected to design the founta...in. Manuel also designed structures at the University of Manitoba and was active in the Manitoba Association of Architects before relocating to Alberta in 1927 to direct construction of Canadian Pacific Railway hotels at Banff and Lake Louise. The Waddell Fountain is a rare example of High Victorian style in Manitoba and is based on the 1844 Gothic Revival monument in Edinburgh to Romantic poet Sir Walter Scott." (Source: Government of MB Historic Research Branch) In 2010, the Waddell Fountain was restored. Later that year, the project received a Heritage Winnipeg Preservation Award. Designation Date: November 30, 1993 Designation Authority: Honourable Harold Gilleshammer, Minister of Culture, Heritage and Citizenship Present Owner: The City of Winnipeg Designation Date: November 30, 1993 Designation Authority: Honourable Harold Gilleshammer, Minister of Culture, Heritage and Citizenship Present Owner: The City of Winnipeg (Image Sources: Gordon Goldsborough, Historic Resources Branch, Alpha Masonry, Manitoba Historical Society)

From the Winnipeg Archives: Winnipeg the Bear Statue at Assiniboine Park Zoo "William Epp was the sculptor and it was dedicated on 6 August 1992"... "One of the worlds best-known series of children’s books, the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, was inspired by a teddy bear owned by A.A. Milne’s son Christopher Robin Milne. First published in 1926, what many people don’t know is that the much-loved character was based on an actual bear, who had an enthralling journey through the First World War. Lieutenant Harry Colebourn of the Fort Garry Horse was part of the 3rd Canadian Division. Along with tens of thousands of other young Canadians, Colebourn answered the call to Empire to fight the Germans on the Western Front. Colebourn, who had emigrated from England to Canada at age 18, served as the company veterinarian; he and the fellow members of his regiment were traveling eastward by train for embarkation to Europe. During a stop en route in the town of White River, Ontario, Colebourn came across an orphaned female bear cub. The cub’s mother had been killed by a trapper, from whom Colebourn bought the cub for $20. The tiny cub quickly became the regiment’s unofficial mascot. Like all pets, the cub needed a name, so Colebourn called her Winnipeg, after his new hometown, or Winnie for short. The regiment, with its pet bear cub, made its way to the training camp at Valcartier outside Quebec City. When the regiment embarked on the liner SS Manitou in late September 1914, Winnie began her journey down the Saint Lawrence River, with a brief stopover in Gaspe Bay, and final departure for England on October 3rd. In early 1915, prior to deployment in France, Winnie was left in the care of London Zoo, and it was there that Christopher Robin fell in love with her, and decided to name his own toy teddy bear in her honor. Colebourn survived the war and returned to Winnipeg, where he died in 1947. He donated Winnie to London Zoo where she lived until 1934. Today, Winnie-the-Pooh is remembered the world over through A.A.Milne’s books and the Walt Disney cartoons and also by visitors to Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Zoo, where a statue marks the chance meeting of a young soldier and his much-loved bear cub." (Source: Luke J Spencer & editors on Atlas Obscura) (Photo 1: Winnipeg Free Press. Photo 2: Manitoba Provincial Archives. Photo 3: Gordon Goldsborough, Manitoba Historical Society)

From the Winnipeg Archives: "Photograph showing an arch built near the C.P.R. Station in honour of a visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall & York, George V and Queen Mary. 1901 (Creation)" Winnipeg (Man.). City Clerk's Department. Archives and Records Control Branch

Weekly Manitoba Cemetery Spotlight: St. Jude’s Anglican Church and Cemetery (Grand Marais, RM of St. Clements) Interesting PDF on this cemeteries Church (built in 1896): http://heritagemanitoba.ca//St_Judes_Church_Heritage_Desig... "This Anglican church, located at the corner of Sunset Avenue and Grey Avenue in Grand Marais, in the Rural Municipality of St. Clements, was built in 1896 on land donated by George Rupert and Alex Knott. The structure is architecturally significant because of the materials used in its construction: black poplar logs with dovetailed ends and local fieldstone with mortar. The pews, holy table and shelf were made by Jim Raven, a one-armed carpenter from nearby Scanterbury. Canon George Smith of St. Peter’s helped to raise the money to buy the first organ in 1914. The church underwent several changes after 1930. In 1931, a chancel sanctuary and two vestry rooms were added. The old tower and porch were disassembled and a square belfry and front porch were built on a concrete foundation. A bell inside the belfry is said to have come originally from the first Winnipeg fire hall, and was later used in the Grand Marais School No. 1825. Surrounding the church building is a small cemetery containing the graves of local settlers. The congregation moved to a new church nearby in 1963. The original church was reopened as a community museum in 1970. It remained open for three years, later being opened on request, and was eventually closed. Recent initiatives have raised funds to reshingle the roof and repaint the exterior. Further restoration work is planned." (Source: Manitoba Historical Society) (Photo source: 1. Gordon Goldsborough, 2-3. PeterMc on Find a Grave)

COVID-19 Pandemic Update: Larsen's Memorials showroom, office and shop will remain OPEN during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are following strict COVID procedures with constant hand washing, sanitizing, social distancing and making sure customers are distanced from other customers and employees. Please wear a mask if you feel more comfortable.... Our summer hours remain: M-F (8:00 am-5:00 pm) and Saturday's 9:00 am-1:00 pm If you have any questions or would like to visit our showroom, please feel free to call us at (204) 633-5053 or come in to 1801 Notre Dame Ave. Thank you, stay healthy! Larsen's Memorials

Great idea for something local to do while still social distancing! https://www.tourismwinnipeg.com//1094/explore-winnipeg-s-m

From the Winnipeg Archives: Holocaust Monument ( Legislative Building,Southwest Grounds) "In remembrance of victims of the Holocaust in the Second World War, this memorial, in the shape of a broken Star of David, was erected in 1990. The walls also reflect the sunlight, a sign of hope for rebirth and rebuilding. The 3,700 victims, who are memorialized on its wall, had surviving family members in Manitoba. The monument is a symbolic resting place for the lost. The names are of... those whose ultimate resting place is unknown." (Source: Self Guided Walking Tour: MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE BUILDING, GROUNDS, MEMORIAL PARK AND MEMORIAL BOULVARD) Blog post by Destination Winnipeg: https://destinationwinnipeg.wordpress.com//holocaust-memo/ "I was biking past the Manitoba Legislative Buildings and saw a monument I’d never noticed before. It was in the shape of a broken Star of David. Taking a closer look I discovered it was a monument built in remembrance of victims of the Holocaust. It was dedicated in 1990. The walls were designed to reflect the sunlight since the monument was to be a sign of hope, rebirth and the rebuilding of lives. The names of the 3,700 victims, memorialized on the monument’s walls, all had surviving family members living in Manitoba. The legislature of Manitoba was the first in Canada to provide a designated space for a Holocaust Memorial. Philip Weiss, an award-winning Winnipeg furniture maker and craftsman, led the campaign to have the memorial built. Weiss was a Holocaust survivor who was seized from his parents home in Poland by the Nazis when he was just 15 years old and sent to two different concentration camps. The names of various concentration camps are engraved at the base of the monument. The monument also includes a menorah and the words These we do remember and our hearts are grieved. Some people had left memory candles in the space below the menorah. I’ve learned that each year on Yom Hashoah or Holocaust Memorial Day there is a service of remembrance at this monument during which each name inscribed on it is read aloud. (Photo Source: 1- Gordon Goldsborough, 2-4 Destination Winnipeg, 5-In My Own Words Blog)

From the Manitoba Archives: Giant Viking Statue (Gimli, RM of Gimli) "A 4.6 metre (15 feet) fibreglass statue of a Viking in Gimli was created as a Canadian centennial project by the Gimli Chamber of Commerce. Designed by Gissur Eliasson of the University of Manitoba, it was constructed by sculptor George Barone at a cost of $15,000. It was unveiled in 1967 by then-President of Iceland Asgeir Asgeirsson. A new Viking Park around the statue was unveiled on 5 August 2017 in rec...ognition of the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba’s 125th anniversary and in honour of Canada’s 150th birthday. Around the pathways are stelae of various Icelandic persons and families from the area." (Source: Manitoba Historical Society) 2015 Refurbish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FahNfbcpUsg (Photo Source: 1-Jeff Stapleton/CBC, 2-Wandering Wagers, 3-George Penner, 4-Nordic Green Travel, 5-The Weather Network)

From the Manitoba Archives: Betsey Ramsay Gravesite (Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton) "John Ramsay, a prominent member of a Saulteaux Aboriginal band in the Lake Winnipeg region, and his family, were instrumental in assisting the first Icelandic immigrants who arrived in Manitoba in 1875. The Ramsays provided the settlers with meat and instructed them in local survival skills: the building of warm log cabins and local fishing and hunting techniques. A smallpox epidemic that ...struck the settlement in 1876-1877 also affected local Aboriginals, including the Ramsay family. John lost his wife Betsey and four of his five children. They were buried here at Sandy Bar. In 1880 he went to Lower Fort Garry where he traded furs and purchased a marble gravestone for Betsey’s grave. He hauled the stone back to this site (which is now in the Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton), set it on the grave, and built a fence around it. Local lore holds that, in 1908, settler Trausti Vigfusson had an unusually vivid dream in which a tall stranger, who identified himself as John Ramsay, emerged from the woods near Vigfusson’s home (now preserved at the Arborg and District Multicultural Heritage Village) and asked him to repair the fence around the Ramsay grave, which was in deteriorated condition. Vigfusson, a skilled carpenter, carried out the work. In 1998, the fence was rebuilt again by local residents Elizabeth and Joan Hibbert, and a plaque commemorating John Ramsay was added by Ruth Christie, a great-granddaughter of John Ramsay." (Source: Manitoba Historical Society) (Photo Source: 1-2: Canada's Historic Places, 3-5: Manitoba Historical Society)

World famous monuments being constructed

From the Winnipeg Archives: The Angel of Victory or Winged Victory - Canadian Pacific Railway Employees Memorial Winnipeg (Deer Lodge Hospital) "Located on the front grounds of Deer Lodge Hospital at 2109 Portage Avenue in Winnipeg, this monument was created by Montreal sculptor Coeur de Lion McCarthy and dedicated to employees of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). Originally unveiled on 28 April 1922 in front of the CPR Station on Higgins Avenue (along with similar monumen...ts in Montreal and Vancouver), it was moved in 1989 to the CPR office building on Martha Street. The Intrepid Society donated a new base and moved the monument to its present location in June 2003." (Source: Gordon Goldsborough, Manitoba Historical Society) "The statue's plaque reads, "To commemorate those in the service of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company who, at the call of King and Country, left all that was dear to them, endured hardship, faced danger and finally passed out of sight of men by the path of duty and self sacrifice, giving up their own lives that others might live in freedom. Let those who come after see to it that their names be not forgotten. 1914-1918"." (Source: PastForward, Winnipeg Public Library) (Photo sources: 1. PastForward, 2-3. CP Rail Manitoba & Minnesota Subdivision, 4. Winnipeg Free Press)

From the Winnipeg Archives: The Bears on Broadway (2005) "You just can’t drop off 62 four-ton polar bears in the center of a major city in the middle of the night and expect to get away with it. But that’s probably just fine with the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, which exceeded all goals including their $500,000 fundraising objective with their Bears On Broadway project. CancerCare Manitoba Foundation's Bears on Broadway, Presented by the Winnipeg FoundationDesigned as a fu...Continue reading