A Brief History
of the
Old Pinawa Dam Heritage Park
-- Part VI --
Why the Pinawa Generating Station Closed
As the City and Province continued to develop, other hydroelectric dams were
constructed on the Winnipeg River. On October 25, 1951, the Pinawa Hydroelectric
Dam was retired from service to allow the Seven Sisters Hydroelectric Dam to
raise water levels for it's increased power production One turbine at the
Seven Sisters Dam could produce as much power as all of the turbines at the
Pinawa Dam. Because the Seven Sisters dam needed the water, the Pinawa Channel
Control Dam was filled in. It became a diversion dam directing the water to the
Seven Sisters Dam.
Some workers transferred to other power stations, others retired. Lumber
homes were sold and moved to the Lac du Bonnet area by dragging them over the
ice in winter. The weirs were blown up, and the equipment in the Powerhouse
dismantled. The town was abandoned.
In the mid 1950's the townsite was used as a training site by the Canadian
army. The last of the brick buildings were demolished in the 1970's and in the
mid 1980's the Manitoba Government declared it the Pinawa Dam Heritage Park.
Demolition of the Control Dam in 1951-52
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In 1996, the Manitoba Department of Natural Resources and a group of
volunteers formed a non-profit co-operating committee of called "The Friends of
Old Pinawa". This group is striving to preserve the heritage of the park and to
make the park safe and accessible for all to enjoy.
Working with Conservation Manitoba the Friends actively promote the historic
Old Pinawa Dam Heritage Park. Improvements like the Heritage Walk and Nature
Trials reflect our commitment to a long-term vision of the park.
Appendix
Acknowledgements |
The Friends of Old Pinawa wish to thank all those who have contributed to this
project. Special thanks go to:
Ruth Dobbin
Herb Kristofferson
Olga Urban
Florence Waite |
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Additional Links
For related information about our dam, you may wish to see both the
Old Pinawa Self-guiding Trail
and the
Old Pinawa Dam Walk
pages.
Why not visit our neighbouring communities?