Transcona Information

Transcona was founded in 1909 as the site of the repair shops for the Grand Trunk Pacific and National Transcontinental Railways. The name "Transcona" was chosen to commemorate the railway to which the town owed its existence. It is claimed that the name "Transcona" was chosen from thousands of contest entries and was a combination of "Transcontinental" and "Strathcona". "Transcontinental" either for the CPR Transcontinental trains that passed through the area or for the National Transcontinental Railway who constructed the shops in cooperation with the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. "Strathcona" was for Donald Alexander Smith, also known as Lord Strathcona. He headed one of the groups responsible for constructing the Canadian Pacific Railway. Soon after this, prospect of steady employment brought hundreds of men to the area. The area was quickly covered with the tents of construction gangs and hurriedly constructed shacks. Some permanent homes were built by the railwaymen who came from Rivers, Melville, and other railway points. For those intent on making Transcona their home, men brought their families only after they were established. In 1910, the Transcona post office opened and the town population was reported at 1,600 people. There were two boarding houses, a bakery, butcher shop, bank, two churches (Methodist and Presbyterian), and a two room school in the Saunders Block. The first three-storey house was built in 1910 by Joseph Maranda who owned a lumberyard, and for many years, operated the jitney service (a car transportation service that ran prior to bus lines) between Transcona and Winnipeg. The Town of Transcona was officially incorporated by Charter on April 6, 1912. Transcona's first Mayor was elected in May of 1912, Mr. C.J.E. Maxwell. He was the only candidate running for the position. 1912 also saw the construction of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches, the opening of the Transcona Municipal Offices, construction of the Fire Hall, and the installation of the first electric lights and ...