Vignettes /Greater Winnipeg / Adelaide-Forks
Vaughan Street Jailhouse
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Built in 1881, the Vaughan Street jail is the oldest and last remaining public building in the city from that year still standing.When the population in the Red River Colony was low there was not a high demand or incarceration. Crimes were dealt with in time spent in makeshift jailhouses.
Prior to Winnipeg’s incorporation, criminals were housed in a section of Lower Fort Garry or in the jail just outside of the walls of Upper Fort Garry. In 1873, a combined courthouse and jail was built on Main Street at William Avenue. It began to do brisk business as the city’s first economic boom brought an increase in both population and crime. In 1881 land was selling at a premium and the Main Street jail and courthouse was sold for $65,200, the highest sale to date in Winnipeg.
