A fieldstone monument on Centrale Avenue in Ste. Anne, adjacent to the former municipal office, commemorates the Dawson Road. Surveyed in 1858, begun in 1868 by Simon James Dawson for whom it was named, and completed in 1871, this 530-mile land and water route from Fort William to Red River was Canada’s first attempt to provide an all-Canadian highway linking the east with the prairies.
The monument was erected by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada and was unveiled on 3 August 1940 at a ceremony attended by Manitoba Historical Society President Roderick Oliver MacFarlane, Premier John Bracken, Reverend Antoine d'Eschambault, MLA Sauveur Marcoux, Roger Teillet of the Metisse Society, Assistant Deputy of Public Works Manson Ainslie Lyons, and Paul l'Heureux of the St. Boniface Kiwanis Club.
Dawson Road commemorative monument beside Ste. Anne municipal office (no date)
Source: Margaret Carter
Dawson Road commemorative monument (March 2012)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Dawson Road commemorative monument (August 2021)
Source: George Penner
Dawson Road commemorative monument (June 2025)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Plaque on Dawson Road commemorative monument (June 2023)
Source: Glen ToewsSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.66992, W96.64711
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Ste. Anne Courthouse and Municipal Office (Centrale Avenue, Ste. Anne)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Dawson Trailhead (Southeastern Manitoba)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Dawson Road Signs (Lagimodiere Boulevard, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Dawson Road Plaque (Whiteshell Provincial Park)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Plaques for Persons, Events and Sites of National Historic Significance
Memorable Manitobans: Simon James Dawson (1820-1902)
“Cairn to mark historic road,” Winnipeg Tribune, 3 August 1940, page 15.
We thank Margaret Carter, George Penner, Norm Lavack, and Glen Toews for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 17 January 2026
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