WINNIPEG, MB - September 7, 2012 - Today Mayor Sam Katz presented the Key to the City to Lord Selkirk of Douglas, who is visiting Winnipeg to mark the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the Lord Selkirk Settlers.
The historic Lord Selkirk, the 5th Earl of Selkirk, used his personal fortune to help tenant farmers from the north of Scotland find a new home in the Red River Valley.
Known as Selkirk settlers, these families established permanent residence along the banks of the Red River, in what is now part of the City of Winnipeg.
These early settlers would have faced immense struggles without the wisdom and experience of the First Nation, Metis and francophone communities. Soon after the Selkirk settlers began farming, more immigrants followed.
“Winnipeg owes its cultural diversity to the fact that people from all over the world have looked to this land as a place of hope and opportunity,” said Mayor Sam Katz.
“I am proud to call Winnipeg home and I am delighted to present the City’s highest honour, the Key to the City, to Lord Selkirk.”