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Winnipeg Free Press

Church's Rooster Town tour seeks to make amends

In 1930, when Harrow United Church was built at the corner of Mulvey Ave. and Harrow St., on what was then the southwest fringe of the city of Winnipeg, its neighbours included people who lived in Rooster Town. That community, made up of mostly Métis residents, was founded in 1901 and lasted until the late 1950s when residents were pressured to leave so the growing city could sell lots for new houses. Today, the church is honouring Rooster Town and recalling the injustice of the past through a self-guided walking tour of the former community. JOHN LONGHURST / FREE PRESS Rooster Town tour committee members Susan Ketchen (from left), Virginia Platt, Rae Leaden, Teresa Moysey, Jacquie Corrigan and Marc Whitehead at Harrow United Church. The 5-km tour, which takes about 75 minutes, is happening from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the church at 955 Mulvey Ave. The event will also feature a celebration of Métis and Indigenous heritage in the neighbourhood. The church's interest in Rooster Town goes back to the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, said Harrow's former minister, Teresa Moysey. 'It became part of our fabric here,' she said of how the church sought to incorporate the findings of the commission into its congregational life. The discovery of potential unmarked graves of children at former residential schools in Canada prompted the congregation to want to do more, as did the publication of the book Rooster Town: The History of an Urban Métis Community, 1901–1961 by Evelyn Peters. Recognizing the church's historical connection, the congregation wanted to memorialize Rooster Town, known to its residents as Pakan, the Michif word for the hazelnut bushes in the area. They also wanted to counter the negative stereotypes about Rooster Town that might still linger from newspaper reports at that time that characterized residents as poor, filthy and disease-ridden people. 'It was a healthy community,' Virginia Platt said of Rooster Town, which once had about 250 residents in 59 residences. Men in Rooster Town mostly worked as labourers, and the women as domestics, she said, adding they paid taxes even though they didn't have access to services such as water, sewer and electricity. 'They were hardworking, doing the best they could to look out for their families,' Platt said. 'They were very resilient.' The tour is an effort to make amends, Platt said, adding she would like to see the City of Winnipeg formally apologize for how the residents of Rooster Town were maligned and mistreated. During the tour, participants can see some original Rooster Town houses that still exist, along with sites of historical significance to the community, such as Rockwood school and the locations of a former greenhouse, stable and dairy where Rooster Town residents worked. 'We hope it will increase interest among Winnipeggers about the Indigenous and Métis people who once lived in this area,' Moysey said. Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. Jackie Corrigan, who wrote the script for the walking tour, said she hopes it will 'expose government ignorance and neglect and show the resilience of Rooster Town.' For Harrow church minister Marc Whitehead, the tour can be a 'reminder of what used to be here … we can be witnesses to an effort to remove that history.' In addition to the tour, visitors can learn about the medicinal plants in the church's healing garden, and view a reconciliation mural painted on the front of the church by Indigenous artist Jeannie White Bird and a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth. More information, and a tour map, click here. faith@ The Free Press is committed to covering faith in Manitoba. If you appreciate that coverage, help us do more! Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow us to deepen our reporting about faith in the province. Thanks! BECOME A FAITH JOURNALISM SUPPORTER John LonghurstFaith reporter John Longhurst has been writing for Winnipeg's faith pages since 2003. He also writes for Religion News Service in the U.S., and blogs about the media, marketing and communications at Making the News. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.