August 2, 2024

Old Stones, New Tricks: Edison Park Receives Historic New Name

The small park at the corner of Edison Avenue and Henderson Highway now has a new name. Once called Edison Park, its new name honours the historical significance of its location and contents: Matheson Millstones Park.

Scottish settler Alexander Matheson came to the Red River Colony in 1823, and established the Matheson Grist Mill shortly thereafter. Located at what is now 1025 Henderson Highway, Matheson’s was the only mill on the east side of the river, and one of the first mills in the Canadian Northwest to harness energy from flowing water. The mill was powered by McLeod’s Creek (also known as Water Mill Creek), which was slowly filled in due to land development.

The Matheson Grist Mill, like most mills of the era, consisted of two large circular stones sitting side by side with one slightly higher and overlapping the other. Used to grind seed kernels into flour, mills were necessary tools for survival and development in the Red River Settlement. Matheson’s family continued to operate their mill until around 1870.

After their dismantling, the stones from the mill circulated in the neighbourhood with their history unbeknownst to those who used them for flood prevention and patio tables. By 1965, the stones had been tracked down and the North Kildonan Parks Board decided to give them a permanent home.

In 1966, the Matheson Millstones moved into their current home at 1257 Henderson Highway, accompanied by a commemorative plaque. The park remained nameless until receiving its “Edison Park” title in 2014. While upgrading the park in 2019, the City commissioned artist Ursula Neufeld to create a mosaic piece surrounding the millstones that paid homage to the neighbourhood’s history.

In 2020, President of the North East Winnipeg Historical Society, and Heritage Winnipeg Board Member Jim Smith applied to have the park renamed. The application was approved by the East Kildonan-Transcona Community Committee, but the process was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In March of 2024, the majority of the Winnipeg City Council voted to approve the renaming of the park. As of July, 2024, the park has received a lovely new sign sporting its brand new name: Matheson Millstones Park. A small ceremony will be held on August 15th, 2024 at noon at the park (1257 Henderson Highway) to commemorate the parks renaming, with refreshments at Donwood South (1245 Henderson Highway) immediately to follow.

Congratulations to the North East Winnipeg Historical Society for successfully changing the park’s name to reflect its area history. An effort that is sure to bring more attention to the importance of the millstones!

Click here to read more about the history of Matheson Millstones Park.

Click here to read our 2022 blog post about the history of North East Winnipeg.

Click here to learn more about the North East Winnipeg Historical Society