FortWhyte Alive

Almost one hundred years ago, a Canada Cement employee hitched his team of Belgian horses to a broad, freshly sharpened scraper, yelled: “Giddy-up!”, and slowly began carving at the quality clay bed that lay beneath bluffs of aspen near the tiny company town of Fort Whyte. The clay had a clear purpose: an essential ingredient in the manufacture of Portland cement. The ever-deepening pit was making it harder and harder on the horses and eventually served its purpose ... or had it?

The last “Giddy-up!” flushed a covey of sharp-tailed grouse from an adjacent bush, briefly spooked the horses, and marked the beginning of “Winnipeg’s Lake District”. Over the ensuing decades and through several advances in steam shovel then drag-line technology, the cluster of large clay pits filled with water, and the water attracted people from nearby Winnipeg. Canada Cement employee picnics and fish derbies were common, and so too was trespassing for forest hikes, fishing, skinny dipping, and bush parties.

Water is an essential element for life, and when it accumulates in any permanent and substantial volume, it becomes a magnet for wildlife and people. So it should be no surprise that the five deep lakes of FortWhyte Alive serve as the foundation of our education and recreation programs … offering an incredible variety of ways in which
humans can reconnect with nature and their souls—without even leaving the city.
Try to think of any urban centre that offers a place so beautifully diverse in its landscape where one can experience the limitless surprises and subtle inspirations of nature while kayaking, canoeing, rowing, sailing, fishing, dip-netting with the kids, or just picnicking in a cool onshore breeze watching a kingfisher plunge from an aerial hover for an unsuspecting minnow. If you can’t think of one, it’s because there isn’t one. What we have here in our community is a sliver of lake country right under our collective noses.
So “Giddy-up!” and take advantage of FortWhyte’s great line-up of summer public programs that offer a variety of ways for you to enjoy the outdoors. Awaken the sailor or kayaker within you ... introductory lessons are provided for all ages.