Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/201279
Nowadays, interpreters in 1850s-era costumes lead visitors through a day in a life at the fort. And if you want to see a little more, sign up for a behind-the-scenes tour. You'll crawl into a root cellar, journey into the attic of the warehouse and descend into the basement of the fur loft. In other words, you'll get a little closer to life as it was during the heyday of the fur trade. You can also get your fur trade fix in the heart of Winnipeg. Fort Gibraltar – first built by the North West Company in 1809 – sits on the Red River, a stone's throw from downtown. Costumed guides relive the era circa 1815 throughout the summer in this third incarnation of the encampment, which also serves as the hub of activities during the annual Festival du Voyageur. (clockwise from top left) Artifact trays at the Manitoba Museum; wood-frame snowshoe, with babiche (strips of sinew), from northern Quebec; crystal decanter set from England presented to John Rae when he stepped down as chief factor of the Mackenzie River District in 1852. p18-23_MadeinMan.indd 22 child's jacket made of loon feathers, beaded tobacco pouches and some of the first point blankets to be traded. These artifacts represent only five per cent of the collection. To see more, you'll have to go behind the scenes. A quick elevator trip to the second floor leads to a maze of climate-controlled rooms, each housing bits and pieces of HBC history. 13-10-16 9:23 AM Courtesy Manitoba Museum In 1994, the Hudson's Bay Company offered a very nice gift to the people of Canada. It donated its entire collection of artifacts – some 10,000 of them – to the Manitoba Museum for safekeeping. When the permanent Hudson's Bay Company Gallery opened at the museum in 2000, the finest pieces were put on display. They included a Shel Zolkewich HBC Gallery at Manitoba Museum