Historic Sites of Manitoba: Elma Pool Hall and Residence (Elma, RM of Whitemouth)

The Elma Pool Hall, a municipally-designated historic site (2005) at Elma in the Rural Municipality of Whitemouth, was built in the 1920s by owner Peter Kolega (c1885-1960). It had a games room on the main floor and a lunch counter in the basement. A residence building behind it had boarding rooms upstairs and a crawlspace connected to a network of concrete-lined tunnels. The latter were probably constructed around 1916 when Prohibition made the sale and consumption of alcohol illegal in Manitoba.

Elma Pool Hall

Elma Pool Hall (October 2013)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

Elma Pool Hall

Elma Pool Hall (July 2020)
Source: George Penner

Elma Pool Hall

Elma Pool Hall (August 2024)
Source: Jordan Sawatzky

Residence behind the Elma Pool Hall

Residence behind the Elma Pool Hall (October 2013)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.87455, W95.90890
denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Abandoned Manitoba

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites

Sources:

Obituary [Peter Kolega], Winnipeg Free Press, 2 August 1960, page 20.

Elma Pool Hall and Residence, Railway Avenue, Elma, Manitoba Historic Resources Branch.

We thank Robert Porth, George Penner, and Jordan Sawatzky for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 3 September 2024

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