Exploring Ghost Creeks of Winnipeg, Nature Manitoba Grey Hares tour lead by Charles Burchill
A Brief Summary
Before the 1870s Colony Creek was a significant, although intermittent, watercourse that ran from the northwest of the city, into a series of discontinuous wetlands covering what is now much of the West End and North End areas of the city (including: Daniel McIntyre, William Whyte, Dufferin, Centennial, West Alexander, Jefferson, Spence, and St. John’s neighbourhoods). Colony Creek drained south from the wetlands into the Assiniboine River near the current Granite Curling Club. Five additional creeks (Brown’s, Logan’s, Pritchard’s, St. John’s, and Inkster Creeks) also drained the wetlands east into the Red River.
During the early development of the city, before the mid 1870s, the creek provided water, sanitation, and irrigation to the growing community, but it also caused a number of problems – including flooding, standing water, erosion, and being used as a ‘dumping ground’. Early roads and rail lines with insufficient drainage under bridges and through culverts created constrictions that limited the natural flow, compounding issues with drainage. After a long dry spell, floods in 1877 and 1878 sparked the need for improved water management around the city, including diverting Colony Creek.
During the 1870s fragmented attempts were made by individuals and land owners to divert the flow of the creek. The early drainage works were piecemeal, fragmented, and had little thought for up or downstream consequences. Recognizing these issues the city took a more systematic approach by draining water down the Alexander and Logan ditches, and into Omand’s Creek. These early solutions were insufficient to carry the necessary flow of water during the wet periods of 1880 and 1882; embankments failed, culverts collapsed, roads washed out, and there was wide spread flooding of downtown Winnipeg. The city government stepped in to upgrade the Colony-Omand’s Creek Diversion in 1883/84.
After Colony Creek was diverted, the primary source of water into the wetlands was cut off; the Winnipeg creeks dried up, were filled in, drained into sewers, and covered by developing neighbourhoods. Even after the primary diversion was completed further flood mitigations were taken: a portion of East Colony Creek was diverted into the Grassmere Drain (possibly as early as 1890), West Colony Creek was diverted into Sturgeon Creek (1966), and a dam for further flood protection was built in the Brookside Cemetery (late 1970s). Only a portion of East Colony Creek and the Gordon Drain still flow out of the RM of Rosser and then drain into Omand’s Creek. At it’s peak Colony Creek drained almost 200km2; the Omand’s Creek basin is now less than 75km2.
By 1913 the city had enclosed the remaining open segments of Colony Creek, east of Omand’s Ceek, into underground culverts to facilitate urban development. There are no visible remains of Colony Creek except for a remnant coulee along Broadway at Colony.
Points of Interest
Catfish Creek (Omand’s Creek)
Catfish Creek appeared on maps near Winnipeg at least as early as 1816. The drainage basin was very small, almost inconsequential. It was renamed sometime after 1858 when John Omand bought the land on either side of the outflow. John Omand lived near the mouth of the creek until at least 1882 when he built a brick house, which was demolished in 1910. The creek likely continued to be called Catfish Creek for some time after 1860, but by the time of the Colony-Omand’s Creek Diversion, in the late 1870s, the creek had taken on the new name, including the upper reaches of the old West Colony Creek.
Because of its location between St. James and Winnipeg, and proximity to Colony Creek, Catfish Creek rose in prominence and became a critical component of Winnipeg’s flood protection during the late 1870s. During the 1980s work was done to protect and re-naturalize the lower section of Omand’s Creek, Douglas Collicut reported on the Wildlife of Omand’s Creek in Nature North (http://www.naturenorth.com/winter/omandck/Fomck.html) along the old Catfish Creek section.
Westview Park
In the late 1880s, the City of Winnipeg purchased a ten-acre parcel of land at what is now Westview Park for a garbage dump (including dead animals, manure, and sewage). An incinerator was built onsite in 1907 because of concerns over contaminating Omand’s Creek.
The dump was closed in 1948 and landscaping commenced in the early 1950s with the park dedicated in 1961.The 18m high pile of ash and garbage provides a broad view of the city. To the east is the almost table-top flat expanse of Sargent Park, Daniel McIntyre, and the West End where Colony Creek meandered through wetlands in search of the Assiniboine River. To the north and north west you can just see the line of Omand’s Creek to the original diversion.
Development along this section leaves the area susceptible to flooding (even with the upstream mitigation in 1966 and 1970s), although several studies have been completed to consider alternative options, the extensive encroachments complicate possible solutions.
Colony-Omand’s Creek Diversion
During the late 1870s and early 1880s a number of diversions and ditches were built by local land owners to control flooding and water access. In the late 1870s, in conjunction with the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) development, the government constructed drains from Colony Creek to Omand’s Creek. In 1880 the city, provincial, and federal governments stepped in to create the first viable diversion of Colony Creek into Omand’s Creek near Orange St. (west of Notre Dame and Dublin). Further upgrades to the diversion were made in 1883/84 after significant flooding in 1880 and 1882.
Brookside Diverson
Originally Colony Creek split into two channels (north and south forks) near Brookside Cemetery (established 1878). The northern fork was redirected into [the south fork of] Colony Creek. The ditch embankments were overwhelmed in 1882 and water flooded east to the CPR rail lines. The breach was repaired later in 1882 and again directed south to the Omand’s Creek Diversion. The repairs in 1882 effectively blocked the source of the six major creeks and streams in the Winnipeg area. The small dam and pond in Brookside Cemetery were created in the late 1970s to provide further downstream flood protection.
CPR Cut
The CPR Rail embankments played an important role in constraining Colony Creek — if the earth works diverting Colony Creek broke, the rail lines would continue to protect the city. During the wet spring of 1880 the railroad grade backed up water west of the city, and the rudimentary diversion to Omand’s Creek was not sufficient to carry the water away. In 1882 the water broke through the diversion banks again and the city was obliged to cut through the CPR embankment to let water drain down the former [northern?] fork of Colony Creek. The flood water also found its way down the Alexander Ditch (Flume); unfortunately, there was still significant flooding downtown.
The CPR Southwestern Branch was built in 1882 and what became the CPR Pembina Mtn Branch was well under by 1881. Midland Railway (built in the early 1900’s) ran a line immediately to the east of the CPR line, including a separate bridge over the Assiniboine River (you can still see the old pier locations). The two lines are clearly identified on both the 1912 Chataway and 1911 Hathaway’s Winnipeg street maps. The abandoned Canadian National Railway (CN) line just to the west (CN Oak Point Subdivision) was constructed in 1907/08.
Alexander Flume
This was an early attempt to protect downtown from Colony Creek flood waters . The idea was to send water down the ditches along Alexander and Logan. A Flume (a 6×6’ closed wooden culvert) was constructed along Alexander Avenue in 1878 to carry water to the outflow of Logan’s Creek on the Red River. The wooden flumewas used to minimize the risk of erosion from large amounts of water, and the wooden top served as a sidewalk. The flume was already too small for the potential amount of spring flow, then frost heaving in winter of 1878/79 caused considerable damage, further limiting its capacity. The ditch was extended to the city limits in 1879. The flume was insufficient to carry the amount of flood water in both 1880 and 1882. Floodwaters breached the Colony Creek banks near Brookside and flowed down the Alexander Flume and broke out at the old Brown’s Creek bed near Princess St. It was reported that the city northwest of Princess was like an inland sea or lake as far as the eye could see.
[1] The ‘Brookside Diversion’ name was used as a convenience in this write-up and was not an official name for the earthworks and ditches used to dam the northern flow of Colony Creek.
[2] North and south were used for convenience to distinguish the forks of Colony Creek that split near Brookside Cemetery. These designations were not used in any of the literature.
[3] The Alexander Flume and extended ditch also captured water from other creeks and wetlands northwest of the city.
Brown’s Creek, City Hall and Market Flooding
The 1860s and early 1870s were dryer than average and new development encroached on the coulees and wetlands throughout the growing city – the largest encroachments were around the first City Hall and Market buildings. Issues started to appear in the late 1870s, which were the start of a series of wet years; the streams and wetlands started to refill. What remained of the creeks provided insufficient drainage, and new roads meant further constriction points with inadequate space under bridges or through culverts. In 1882 there was a significant flood and the Alexander Flume was unable to hold the rising water; it spilled out near Princess Street. Water levels on the west side of Main Street rose to depth in excess of 3 feet (1m). The decision was made to dig a ditch across Main Street at James to relieve the flooding (which it failed to do).
The first City Hall was built in 1876 on the banks of Brown’s Creek. It suffered from structural problems immediately due to unstable ground conditions next to the creek; it got to the point where the walls had to be propped up. The flooding was likely the final straw and the building was eventually deemed unsound and demolished, only seven years after it opened.
Colony and Broadway
The dip along Broadway at Colony Street is pretty much all that remains of Colony Creek inside the old city limits. By the early 1880s, Colony Creek had been diverted down Omand’s Creek and the remnants through Winnipeg were ‘dry’. Even so there were still occasional issues with water management throughout the area. With the return of a wet cycle in 1939 through 1942 there was wide spread flooding of basements and streets in the area. There is still groundwater flow near the UofW campus and other places following what would have been the creek bed.
There are a number of historically important sites that were located downtown along the old Colony Creek ravine. After the diversion there were still sections of the creek channel through the neighbourhoods, but by 1913 they had all been filled, covered, and redirected into sewers.
• The Winnipeg Brewery was built in 1873 on the banks of the creek (where Canada Life building is now); water and ice were pulled from the creek until it became too polluted for use in the early 1880s.
• Blackwoods opened a soda water and brewery plant on dry Colony Creek bank at Portage in 1882.
• In 1881/2 the Vaughan Street Jail was built near the creek bank with wooden piles and oak planks going into the wet creek soil during construction.
• The current All Saints Anglican Church was built in 1926 to replace the original church (built in 1883) located to the east of the old creek bed, where Osborne Street runs now.
• Just to the north of the old church was the University of Manitoba Broadway Campus, constructed in 1900 and demolished in 1962. An aerial photo from 1920 shows shows the old creek bed near the new construction. The land is now Memorial Park.
• The Winnipeg Amphitheatre was built on the east bank in 1908 where the parking lot of The Great-West Life Assurance Building (Canada Life) is now.
• The Granite Curling Club was built on what would have been the east bank in 1912/13. The club has had ongoing issues with ground stability because of the old creek and proximity to the Assiniboine River. The pump house and storm sewer outlet just to the west of the club mark the former mouth of the creek.
• Wilson House (Rainbow Resource Centre) was built overlooking the dry creek in 1904.
• St. Elmo Apartments (177 Colony) was built on the west bank in 1910.
[4] Where the breach actually happened is ambiguous in the literature, the context makes most sense for the earth works neare the Brookside Diversion. It could have been a wide spread failure, or even the diversion near Orange Street.
Video at Sites
• Omand’s Creek sties – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uczvyGRvepY
• Catfish Creek – https://youtu.be/b2B1KVWr0iI
• Colony Creek Diversion (Orange St) – https://youtu.be/QpYKo9nybkc
• Westview Park – https://youtu.be/sOppGW1B3Uw
• CPR Cut – https://youtu.be/Snrrnl57PWc
• Alexander Ditch and Flume – https://youtu.be/qq77M8M_2eo
• Brown’s Creek – https://youtu.be/0LCWwGKhEGg
• Colony Creek on Broadway – https://youtu.be/V2XVTaAMUJ8
Sources
• CBC Manitoba, Ghost creeks: Winnipeg buried many waterways that could have changed city’s shape, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/creeks-streams-winnipeg-history-1.4641823
• Graham, Robert Michael W., The Surface Waters of Winnipeg, Rivers, Streams, Ponds and Wetlands 1874~1984. University of Manitoba, 1984. http://hdl.handle.net/1993/29507
• Cunningham, Neil R., Rethinking the urban epidermis, a study of the viability of extensive green roof systems in the Manitoba capital with an emphasis on regional case studies and stormwater management, University of Manitoba, 2001, http://hdl.handle.net/1993/2727
• Collicutt, Doug. The Wildlife of Omand’s Creek, Nature North, accessed August 10, 2026, http://www.naturenorth.com/winter/omandck/Fomck.html
• Mariner, Cosmos, Recalling Brown’s Creek, The Historical Marker Database, accessed August 10, 2006, https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=215695
• CBC Manitoba, Glass treasures from Winnipeg’s brewing past exposed by historically low river level, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/river-levels-glass-beach-blackwoods-bottling-plant-history-winnipeg-1.6016719
• Manitoba Historical Society Website pages on Colony Creek, Wilson House, Vaughn Street Jail, Granite Curling Club, All Saints Anglican Church, University of Manitoba Broadway Campus, Winnipeg Amphitheatre, St. Elmo Apartments, Winnipeg Brewery. Accessed August 2026, https://www.mhs.ca/
• Government of Manitoba, Water Resources Division, Plan of Sturgeon Creek and Adjacent Area, showing Designations of Drains. Accessed August 10, 2026, https://www.gov.mb.ca/sd/eal/registries/5908.00livestockreg/26.pdf
• Wikipedia. Omand’s Creek. Accessed August 10, 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omand%27s_Creek
• A number of news paper archives, CPR archive documents, and several municipal, Manitoba, and Canada sources to confirm the dates for the CPR Branch Line construction.
• Historical maps of Winnipeg from the UofM Archives, and online sites (https://www.flickr.com/photos/manitobamaps/collections/72157603367125513/, https://www.newpghs.com/historical-maps). Accessed July & August, 2026
Maps
City of Winnipeg 1882 showing Colony and Brown’s Creeks
LiDAR Elevation with Colony Creek
Route with points of interest
Omand’s Creek Drainage Basin
Written and compiled by Charles Burchill