A 112 Year Old Wooden Train Car with quite The Story!
My dad was an IMMIGRANT. He came to Canada in 1929 as a 19 year old with less than 20 dollars to make a new life. Despite not knowing the language and having to find work he soon found Canada to be home. His story is one that most in Winnipeg can appreciate. Other than First Nations, all of Canada has been populated by Immigrants.
In the late 19th and early 20th century Canada offered Free land and opportunity. Millions came to start a new life on the Prairies and this week The Manitoba Museum on Main street tells the Immigrants’ special story with JOURNEY of a LIFETIME ; a play depicting their journey on a colonist railway car. As many as 60 or 70 immigrants would have crammed into these railway cars for the week-long journey while sleeping on wooden benches, having only two shared toilets and a single stove to cook the food that they brought with them.
Characters act the parts on board as they travel out west to the “Promised” land. Their stories brought back to life , travelling for many days to destinations like Winnipeg , Regina , Calgary and B.C. An actual mock-up portion of the 112 year old wooden passenger car is also part of the Exhibit which runs until Sunday November 5th. If you’ve ever wondered what’s makes Canada so wonderful , you’ll discover the roots of that nature in Journey of a Lifetime. Here’s the link. https://manitobamuseum.ca/main/exhibition/journey-of-a-lifetime/
