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Portage and Main

In 1862 Henry McKenney opened a dry goods store at the junction of two fur trading trails north of the original settlement at The Forks; one following the Assiniboine River to the western plains, the other the Red River to Hudson Bay. Soon other merchants followed and today this corner is known as Portage and Main, the most famous intersection in Canada. It is the heart of Winnipeg’s business district, with office towers on all four corners. Last summer the first panels on Winnipeg’s Downtown Hall of Fame were installed. Running along Portage Ave from Spence St to Main St, the panels commemorate politician and financier Sir Donald A. Smith, as well as the Hudson’s Bay Company, the Paris Building, and Portage Avenue. There will eventually be 140 panels.