This site, on the east side of Osborne Street between Broadway and Assiniboine Avenue, was the original location of Fort Osborne Barracks. Built in 1873 on about 13 acres of land, the military training facility was named for Lieutenant-Colonel William Osborne Smith, Commander of Military District Number 10. It was used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Battalion, Lord Strathcona’s Horse, and Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.
In 1912, all but one of the buildings on the property were new, including the commanding officer’s quarters, a building set aside for others officers, and a garrison hospital. During the First World War, from September 1914 to July 1916, it served as Winnipeg’s only receiving station to process “enemy aliens”, defined as immigrants from enemy nations who were slated for internment.
The facility was relocated, in 1916, to the former campus of the Manitoba Agricultural College in Tuxedo and its garrison hospital became part of the Deer Lodge Convalescent Hospital. All the buildings here were demolished to make way for construction of the present-day Legislative Building.
Sketch of Fort Osborne Barracks (no date)
Source: Toronto Public Library
Military training at Fort Osborne Barracks (May 1906)
Source: Rob McInnesSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.87177, W97.20952
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: William Osborne Smith (1831-1887)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Winnipeg Receiving Station Monument (Osborne Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Agricultural College (Tuxedo Avenue, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Fort Osborne Barracks / Kapyong Barracks (Kenaston Boulevard, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Legislative Building (450 Broadway, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Deer Lodge Hospital (2109 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg)
We thank Rob McInnes for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Milan Lukes and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 7 June 2025
Historic Sites of Manitoba
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