Forks National Historic Site

"The Forks" is a historically significant place located in Downtown Winnipeg where the Red River meets with the Assiniboine River. It is the point of confluence of the two rivers. Both the rivers were part of larger continent-wide waterways. This site has always been a highly important origin and destination point for river transportation as well as for commerce and settlements. Fort Rouge, Fort Gibraltar and the two Forts' Garry were all historically located in The Forks.

A huge number of tourists throng the Forks during festivals, celebrations, events due to the soothing views. Aboriginal people came to the Forks as far as 6000 years ago. This was confirmed byarchaeological digs in 1989 and 1994 which discovered many ancient camps. The Aboriginal people (Nakoda (Assiniboins), Cree, Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) and Sioux (Dakota)) fished and hunted bisons. So the place is very historical.

Post European settlements between 1738 and 1880, the Forks became a great meeting place for place for fur traders, buffalo hunters, Scottish settlers, riverboat laborers, railway tycoons and many immigrants. They came on canoes over the rivers and erected Fort Rouge the first fort and trading post. The area continued to be the dominant center for commerce and especially fur trade until the 1880s.

Today the famous Forks Market trades in everything. Food shops, a huge craft store, fresh fruit and vegetable shops, antique & ethnic shops, a ballet conservatory are among a huge array of items on sale. Even today flooding is a constant problem and the walkways are underwater during spring.