Gimli is located on the west shore of Lake Winnipeg, the 10th largest lake in the world.
Often called ‘The Prairie Ocean’, today Lake Winnipeg and Gimli’s harbour support a thriving commercial fishery as it has for more than a century.
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Commercial fishing boats waiting to be towed out of Gimli Harbour, 1956.
Early freeze-up at Gimli. November 1, 1952.
Gimli dock and fish plant, circa 1952.
Aerial view of Gimli, 1958.
Tergesen Store, Gimli, 1898.
View NW from Betel Home, Gimli, 1920s.

Welcome

Exploring Gimli’s Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee’s website is a great way to discover our community’s rich culture and history and the pride we share in our collection of heritage buildings and sites.

Whether you are a visitor, an historic building owner, or researching your family’s history, here you will find the story of the settlement of New Iceland, the wave of immigration from Eastern Europe that followed and the legacy of artifacts and buildings left for us to enjoy and preserve for future generations.

The next few years will be an exciting time for the Rural Municipality of Gimli as the community celebrates the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the first Icelandic settlers who landed on the west shore of Lake Winnipeg in 1875. 

The Tergesen store in Gimli was constructed in 1898 by Hans Pjetur Tergesen and opened for business on 1 January 1899. It has been owned and operated by three generations of his descendants. It is the oldest operating general store in Manitoba and an excellent example of a rural community store. It originally was a two storey structure. The interior possesses most of its original furnishings.


The 1899 general store was a two-storey structure clad in pressed tin to resemble brick. In 1912–13, a two-storey addition provided more space for Tergesen’s dry goods and clothing sales, and room for a drug store, dentist’s office, ice-cream parlour, and a barber shop. A second floor that had first served as the Tergesen family living quarters was removed in the 1920s.


A plaque beside the store was unveiled in 1999 by the Manitoba Heritage Council. In the 2000s, the building was part of the Manitoba Prairie Icons Program.


(Information courtesy of The Manitoba Historical Society)

Our Publications

Gimli’s Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee (MHAC) has worked hard to create books that celebrate our community’s history as well as other publications that provide practical details and information for owners of historic properties and those with an interest in built heritage.

Notable People from Gimli - Post 1945

NEW BOOK RELEASED BY GIMLI’S MUNICIPAL HERITAGE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The historic Rural Municipality of Gimli, on the west shore of Lake Winnipeg, has produced many extraordinary citizens. A new book called Notable People From Gimli Post 1945 captures the compelling stories of some of the great and the not so well known citizens who have shared their talents and their time with their town and their country. They have all embraced one thing - a passion for Gimli – the community that they have continued to proudly call home, or their home away from home.

Book Cover Gimli Harbour & Fishery

Gimli Harbour & Fishery

An Illustrated History By Andy Blicq & Ed Ledohowski, 2017
Gimli Harbour & Fishery: An illustrated History is a book project initiated and funded by Gimli’s Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee.  It is a 165 pages long, with 65 colour pictures and 150 black and white images that, with accompanying text, tell the story of the men and women who - over the last 140s - have ventured out onto wild Lake Winnipeg in search of a living and a future.  The book celebrates their lives and contains many pictures of the contemporary fishery.

Fresh Air Unlimited - The Fresh-Air Camps of Lake Winnipeg

Developed by David Butterfield, former Architectural Historian for the Province of Manitoba and co-author of the best-selling book If Walls Could Talk, Fresh Air Unlimited is a 160-page full-colour book that highlights all 19 camps, five of which are still in operation. $25.00 Contact: Wally Johannson 204-642-9182 johannso@mts.net Copies are also available at Tergesen’s and Pharmasave.

berlo-cover

Berlo

A Gimli Heritage Community - A project of the Gimli Heritage Advisory Committee, Year?

loni Beach - A Gimli Heritage Neighbourhood

A project of the Gimli Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee

Gimli Saga

Gimli’s local history, Gimli Saga, was published in 1974. It is available at the Evergreen Regional Library on First Avenue. It is a condensed version of the original three leather-bound volumes of over 1200 pages, which is located in the rare book section of the library.

History books are available and can be purchased at The New Iceland Heritage Museum and the H.P. Tergesen and Sons Store in Gimli.

 Here is the contact information:

P. Tergesen and Sons:  (204) 642-5958

New Iceland Heritage Museum: (204) 642-4001    executive@nihm.ca

Some other publications can be downloaded directly from this site. 

Self Guided Heritage Tours

Gimli Heritage Harbour Tour
Old Town Gimli
Rural Gimli
Gimli Cottage Country

We acknowledge we are gathered on Treaty 1 Territory and that Manitoba is located on the Treaty Territories and ancestral lands of the Anishinaabeg, Anishininewuk, Dakota Oyate, Denesuline and Nehethowuk Nations. 

We acknowledge Manitoba is located on the Homeland of the Red River Métis.

We respect the spirit and intent of Treaties and Treaty Making and remain committed to working in partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in the spirit of truth, reconciliation and collaboration.

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