Manitoba Historical Society
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Memorable Manitobans: Albert William Austin (1857-1934)

Businessman.

Born in Toronto, the son of the founder of the Dominion Bank, Toronto, he came to Winnipeg in 1880 and founded the Winnipeg Street Railway Company in 1881, opening the line with horse-drawn cars in 1882. The cars were operated on runners in the winter. Austin electrified the system in 1891 to produce the first commercial electric transit system in Canada. He returned to Toronto in 1894. He is commemorated by Austin Street in Winnipeg.

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Havergal College / Rupert’s Land Girls School (122 Carlton Avenue, Winnipeg)

Winnipeg’s Horse-Car Service
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 4, Number 3, April 1959

Sources:

Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.

We thank Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 9 November 2014

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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