Selkirk

Selkirk, Manitoba, incorporated as a town in 1882 and as a city in 1998, population 9834 (2011c), 9515 (2006c). The City of Selkirk is located on the west bank of the RED RIVER, 29 km north of Winnipeg. In the mid-1800s the area was a Native agricultural settlement. Land speculation and frenzied building began in 1875 with proposals to route the Canadian Pacific Railway across the Red River here. Winnipeg gained the rail crossing, but Selkirk went on to become a river port and centre for shipbuilding, lumber, fish exports and agricultural services.

Manitoba Rolling Mills (Canada) Ltd (now Gerdau Ameristeel Manitoba), producer of steel products and the town's major employer, was established here in 1913. Steel, light manufacturing, the service sector and government administration are key parts of Selkirk's economy today. The city has an industrial park, a shipyard, a regional mental health centre and a regional secondary school.

Selkirk - named for Lord SELKIRK - is near 2 national historic sites, LOWER FORT GARRY (designated in 1950), and the St Andrews Locks on the Red River (designated in 1990). Also nearby is the Oak Hammock Marsh, a Ramsar site (designated in 1987) and one of the premiere BIRD WATCHING areas in North America. The city has a marine museum and celebrates its Scottish heritage in July with the Manitoba Highland Gathering.