Portage and Main

File:Crowds of Winnipeggers wave at His Majesty King George VI and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.jpg

The land upon which Portage and Main sits was originally purchased by Henry McKenney on 2 June 1862. He chose land where the north-south and east-west ox cart paths crossed, in order to build a general store with his half-brother John Christian Schultz.{{cite web|title=Things you might not know about Portage and Main|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/things-you-might-not-know-about-portage-and-main-1.1262369|publisher=CBC News|accessdate=22 January 2014|date=1 June 2012}}{{cite web|title=The Man Who Created the Corner of Portage and Main|url=http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/transactions/3/portageandmain.shtml|publisher=Manitoba Historical Society|accessdate=22 January 2014|author=George F. Reynolds|date=2 June 2012}}

Portage and Main is now the hub of some of Winnipeg's main transportation routes. It was once the centre for the banking industry in Western Canada. The national banks have branches accessible from beneath Portage and Main. It has served as a temporary city square and meeting place for parades and events, including the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

In 1974, the intersection was featured on an 8-cent stamp.

File:Head concrete wpg.jpg

In 1976, the City of Winnipeg signed an agreement with private developers to open an underground concourse linking shopping malls under the four corner properties.[http://www.winnipegsquare.com/ Winnipeg Square] This included a 40-year deal to permanently close the pedestrian crossings at the intersection, which street works were completed around 1978."The city agrees that it will not consent to any application for the construction of a pedestrian crossing over or under any street, avenue or other roadway within that portion of the city [within a block of Portage and Main] unless the applicant for such a crossing provides a direct connection between the proposed crossing and the Concourse." Agreement quoted in [http://leeraito.com/download/Dec20-1976.pdf Consideration of the Report of the Committee on Works and Operations] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713194858/http://leeraito.com/download/Dec20-1976.pdf |date=2011-07-13 }}, December 16, 1976, p 290. The concourse and walkways are currently connected through the Winnipeg Skywalk.[http://www.winnipegsquare.com/images/pdfs/map.pdf maps at Winnipeg Square] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319175221/http://www.winnipegsquare.com/images/pdfs/map.pdf |date=2012-03-19 }} and [http://www.mtscentre.ca/location/directions.php at MTS Centre] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004051851/http://www.mtscentre.ca/location/directions.php |date=2009-10-04 }} The Portage and Main Circus houses a concrete sculptural wall created by Bruce Head.[http://www.kensegalgallery.com/bhead_bio.html Bruce Head's biography at Ken Segal Gallery] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820105136/http://www.kensegalgallery.com/bhead_bio.html |date=2008-08-20 }}

On 13 August 1981, Portage and Main was the place where Dale Hawerchuk signed his contract with the Winnipeg Jets and later was the location of the "Save the Jets" rallies in 1995 and 1996.{{cite news|last=VANDERHART|first=TESSA|title=Best intersection in Canada? Portage and Main nominated as one of Canada's Greatest Places|url=http://www.winnipegsun.com/2013/08/13/best-intersection-in-canada--portage-and-main-nominated-as-one-of-canadas-greatest-places|accessdate=22 January 2014|newspaper=Winnipeg Sun|date=13 August 2013}}

In 2016, with the deal to close the intersection set to expire, city officials were contemplating re-opening of the intersection to pedestrians.{{cite news|last1=Kives|first1=Bartley|title=Mayor wants Portage and Main open before Canada Summer Games|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/mayor-brian-bowman-portage-main-1.3615162|accessdate=7 December 2016|work=CBC News|date=3 June 2016}} However, in a non-binding plebiscite in 2018, 65% of voters voted in favour of keeping the intersection closed to pedestrians, with many concerned about traffic congestion. The mayor agreed to accept the results of that plebiscite.{{cite news |last1=Kives |first1=Bartley |title=Would have been a step backwards': Winnipeggers vote to keep Portage and Main closed |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeggers-vote-portage-main-1.4872867 |accessdate=October 17, 2020 |agency=CBC |date=October 24, 2018}}

In March 2024, the city council voted to eliminate the barricades and reopen the intersection to pedestrians. Works has commenced (Nov 2024)

More recently, Portage and Main has served as an anchor point for occasional street festivals and the winter lighting of holiday street decorations.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

{{Unreferenced section|date=June 2021}}

Portage and Main is the brunt of popular jokes referring to it as the coldest and windiest intersection in Canada. The phrase Portage and Main has come to refer to the city of Winnipeg as a whole. The long-standing cold weather legend is unproven, because there are no official temperature measurements at any street corner in Canada to confirm the coldest intersection. Winnipeg's city centre is usually 3–4 °C warmer than the airport, owing to the urban heat island effect.

Portage and Main is the site several significant buildings:

• 201 Portage
• Richardson Building
• 360 Main
• Winnipeg Square

File:Portage and Main as seen from Portage Ave Eastbound.JPG

There are numerous cultural references to the intersection, including the 1992 Randy Bachman and Neil Young song "Prairie Town", with the chorus repeating the line "Portage and Main, 50 below."Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/iVgjD8wdNzo Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20120226035738/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVgjD8wdNzo&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVgjD8wdNzo| title = Neil Young & Randy Backman - Prairie Town.mpg | website=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} The British band Blurt have a song named "Portage & Main" on their album Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hit. It is also the setting for the Stompin' Tom Connors song "Red River Jane". In his song "Free in the Harbour," Canadian folk singer Stan Rogers referenced Portage and Main as a stop for fishermen from Hermitage Bay, Newfoundland on their way to find oil field work in "the hills of Alberta."

Portage and Main is a property on the Canadian Monopoly board, and was the inspiration for Fort Garry Brewing Company's "Portage and Main" India Pale Ale.

{{reflist}}

{{commonscat}}

• [http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/transactions/3/portageandmain.shtml The Man Who Created the Corner of Portage and Main], Manitoba Historical Society Transactions

{{Roads in Winnipeg}}{{WinnipegNeighbourhoods}}

Category:History of Winnipeg

Category:Streets and squares in Winnipeg

Category:Road junctions in Canada

Category:Downtown Winnipeg