Exploring the Interlake

It’s been awhile since I’ve written about something Manitoba-related, so I want to take a moment and rave about the Interlake area. More specifically, I want to talk about both Winnipeg Beach and Gimli.

Both of these areas are lovely, and are only about an hour away from Winnipeg. One could easily get up early, drive in, spend the day at the beach, wander the piers, check out the marinas, and be home for dinner. Who wouldn’t want to take a day trip away from the city?

The lake has a long history of public use in Manitoba, and it was a major tourist destination in the past. Development of Winnipeg Beach, situated on the west side of the lake, began in 1900. At its peak, it boasted a train station, dance pavilion, roller coaster and boardwalk. The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) began transporting passengers to the town in 1903. Cottage communities expanded, and before long, Lake Winnipeg was one of the most popular places to spend time in Manitoba.

Does anyone remember the Moonlight Express?

Unfortunately, it’s virtually impossible to get to the Interlake without access to a car. The trains that were so popular back in the day no longer travel to Winnipeg Beach. As soon as people began to drive motor vehicles regularly, the need for a train was significantly diminished. Which is too bad, because I would love to hop on a train and come out to Winnipeg Beach for the weekend. Trains are romantic. Cars, not so much.

Last weekend, two of my friends – Tiffany and Jen – agreed to come to the Interlake with me. Our initial plan was to spend some much-needed time at the beach, but the weather had other ideas. A constant threat of a downpour meant that we needed to find something else to do, so I decided to take the ladies on a drive.

And, what a drive it was.

The great thing about CreComm’s is that they’re always willing to jump out of a car to take pictures of things. I first stopped at Dunnottar Station, which used to be one of the many train stations where cabin-goers could disembark and head to their cottages. It’s not used anymore, and has been turned into a museum, but is still a pretty neat place to visit.

It was initially the large group of cows behind the station that attracted our attention, but we took a collection of photos of the entire area. There is a community centre adjacent to the station, and I’m pretty sure a few people were looking at us strangely as we excitedly ran around and composed shots.

Oh well. We’re tourists. Technically.

Next, we drove the short distance to Gimli. Our afternoon was spent both driving and wandering around the town, and we discovered a variety of interesting things.

First, Tiffany directed us to a chess board at Gimli Public School. It was a photographers dream, because there were full, blooming shrubs and gorgeous trees surrounding the area. We briefly stopped at the Gimli Movie Theatre, but it was closed. They only show one film at a time, and the business hours are very specific. We couldn’t leave without stopping at H.P Tergusen & Sons (which had been continuously operated by the same family since 1899) and the dollar store, where Tiffany scored the most inexpensive pool noodle/chair combination in the history of flotation devices. Naturally, we needed lunch, and Chicken Chef was on the menu.

We also did quite a bit of walking after the weather cleared up. The Gimli Marina is very popular, and the locally painted murals on one of the walls are always worth a look. The giant Viking statue is also well-known, and we had to wait for about 10 minutes for another group to finish taking photos before we could get close. We managed to effectively “photo bomb” a wedding photo shoot while we waited... but more on that later.

Our day didn’t end there, and we returned to Winnipeg Beach to participate in the Boardwalk Days celebration. A number of rides and games had been set up on Main Street, and a variety of local vendors had arranged booths. Tiffany and I both scored some old-school Winnipeg Beach magnets that featured the roller coaster and the dance pavilion before they were demolished. Before heading back to the cabin, we hopped onto the Ferris Wheel, which provided beautiful aerial views of the town.

If this area is so cool, why don’t more people check it out?

I hate to report it, but the condition of Lake Winnipeg has been deteriorating for years. There are major concerns that it will one day be deemed “un-swimmable.” Lake Winnipeg suffers from eutrophication, a condition that occurs when nutrients accumulate and begin affecting a fresh water lake. In some advanced cases, blooms of algae begin to grow. Beyond being dangerous to marine life, algae blooms are unappealing and potentially hazardous to humans.

Simply put, many people think the water is “icky.” And, it can be. But scientists are working hard to ensure that a way to slow down the eutrophication process is discovered and implemented. I still swim in the lake, and so did Tiffany and Jen. It really isn’t that bad, and there are so many interesting things to explore in the area.

Below, I have attached an excerpt from a past interview with a woman named Veronica Kitt. I interviewed her when I was working on an article for Canada’s History magazine about Lake Winnipeg and eutrophication. Unfortunately, her part didn’t make it into the final draft. I had to go from 1500 words to 500 words, so if you’re reading this Veronica, I’m very sorry I had to cut you out.

I found her story fascinating, and the below excerpt illustrates that Winnipeg Beach was a magical place to spend the summers when the trains were running. It still is, and I suggest you check it out.

A lake in peril: the breakdown of Lake Winnipeg

Veronica Kitt spent the summers of her childhood at Winnipeg Beach. Initially, her parents rented a cottage. In 1946, the family purchased a vacant lot in the Sandy Hook area for $35, and built their own.

Kitt’s family would move out to the lake as soon as school finished for the summer in June, and would stay until August long weekend. Many families followed the same procedure, which meant there were many friends for Kitt and her siblings to play with.

“We had lots of friends we grew up with. Every family did the same thing,” Kitt explained. “You went for the summer, you had summer friends, and you never saw them in the winter even though they lived in Winnipeg.”

The only mode of practical transportation from the city to Winnipeg Beach was the train. There were numerous stops along the route, and Kitt remembers getting off at the 1st Avenue train station in Sandy Hook.

Families brought necessary items from home, but everything else could be purchased at the lake. An Eaton’s catalogue provided everything a family needed, including food, clothing, and household items.

A transfer company could be hired to move all a family’s belongings from Winnipeg to the lake, and another company would pick up, wash, and drop off laundry.

“Everything was at your fingertips,” Kitt said with a smile. “It was wonderful.”

Some of Kitt’s fondest memories include walking into downtown Winnipeg Beach, going on the roller coaster’s and other rides, walking along the boardwalk, and visiting the dance pavilion. She also remembers visiting the community centre every night, and it was always bustling with activity.

“We didn’t need caregivers or anything, you just went,” she said.

Kitt is disheartened by the fact that the trains no longer run to Winnipeg Beach.

“One day there’s a train, the next day there’s no train,” Kitt explained. “It used to come in about seven p.m., and would leave at about midnight. It’s too bad it isn’t there anymore.”