2014 PoW Wagon Tours

Back by Popular Demand! I can now confirm the return of the "From North Africa to the North Woods" wagon tour in Riding Mountain National Park.

Loaded onto four wagons, visitors become new prisoners heading out to the former site of the Riding Mountain Park Labour Project (also known as the Whitewater Lake PoW Camp) under the strict supervision of the guards. Learn what life was like at the camp as the guards and prisoners (interpretative staff) bring history to life through stories and photographs. Once at the camp, enjoy a traditional German meal, similar to that served to the prisoners at the worksites. After lunch, explore the site of the former camp with the aid of a GPS and myself.

Tour date is August 31.

Tickets are $62.00 each or $55.80 for Friends members and are available at the Nature Shop (RMNP Visitor Centre) or by calling (204) 848-4037.

For more information, please visit the Friends of Riding Mountain National Park's website.

The wagons depart from the north end of the Bison enclosure in Riding Mountain National Park at 9:15am and we return at 2:30pm.

Tickets are already selling and they will fill up a few weeks in advance!

2013 PoW Wagon Tours

As summer rolls around once more, it is once again time for our "From North Africa to the North Woods" wagon tours here in Riding Mountain National Park.

Loaded onto four wagons, visitors become new prisoners heading out to the former site of the Riding Mountain Park Labour Project (also known as the Whitewater Lake PoW Camp) under the strict supervision of the guards. Learn what life was like at the camp as the guards and prisoners (interpretative staff) bring history to life through stories and photographs. Once at the camp, enjoy a traditional German meal, similar to that served to the prisoners at the worksites. After lunch, explore the site of the former camp with the aid of a GPS and myself.

Tour dates are July 20th and September 1st.

Tickets are $62.00 each or $55.80 for Friends members and are available at the Nature Shop (RMNP Visitor Centre) or by calling (204) 848-4037.  If you have any questions, feel free to phone that number or ask me.

The wagons depart from the north end of the Bison enclosure in Riding Mountain National Park at 9:15am and we return at 2:30pm.

Tickets are already selling and they will fill up a few weeks in advance!

Summing Up

Well the last two weeks seem to have flown by very quickly so I thought I should give an update about what has been going on!

First, I'd like to thank the Parkland Regional Library in Dauphin for hosting my presentation on August 30 and thank you to all who came out! It is always great to share the story of PoWs in Manitoba and am looking forward to doing some more presentations in the future.

The next event was the Friends of Riding Mountain National Park's "From North Africa to the North Woods Wagon Tour which was a great success! About forty people in total came out for the tour to the site of the Whitewater Lake Prisoner of War Camp. With perfect weather, few bugs, no rain, great food and a great crowd, I couldn't have asked for more! Thank you to all those who participated in the tours this year, they were really great. Made some more contacts who shared their stories with me but that is another story to come later. We should be offering the tours next year so if you missed out, get in touch with Friends of RMNP or me, and we'll add you to the list.

This past week I've relocated to London, Ontario, where I'm starting my Masters Degree at the University of Western Ontario. I'm looking forward to it but most of all, looking forward to doing some more research about PoWs in Canada. Hopefully this means that I'll be updating this more regularly as I get into more of a schedule.

July Wagon Tour

I just wanted to take the time to thank everyone who came out to this year's wagon tour! The weather cooperated beautifully this year as we took three wagons out to the former camp site. Met some great people and found a few more leads on guards and prisoners!

Thanks to all of the participants!

Wagon Tour

Just a quick reminder that the July 21 "From North Africa to the North Woods" Wagon tour is quickly approaching! It's a great opportunity to learn more about the history of PoWs in Riding Mountain National Park and a chance to visit the provinces' largest semi-permanent PoW camp!

Tickets are available at the Nature Shop (RMNP Visitor Centre) or by calling (204) 848-4037. For more information you can visit the Friends of RMNP website at www.friendsofridingmountain.ca.  If you have any questions, feel free to phone that number or to ask me!

The tour will also be running on September 2nd, 2012.

From North Africa to the North Woods

Interested in learning what life was like in a Manitoba PoW camp during the Second World War? Then the “from North Africa to the North Woods” is the trip for you!

Loaded onto four wagons, the visitors become new prisoners heading out to the former site of the Riding Mountain Park Labour Project under the strict supervision of the guards. Learn what life was like at the camp as the guards and prisoners (interpretative staff) bring history to life through stories and photographs. Once at the camp, enjoy a traditional German meal, similar to that served to the prisoners at the worksites. After lunch, explore the site of the former camp with the aid of a GPS and myself.

Since the summer of 2008, Friends of Riding Mountain National Park, in cooperation with Parks Canada and the Riding Mountain Biosphere Reserve has been offering these interpretative wagon tours to the site of the Riding Mountain Park Labour Project on the shore of Whitewater Lake.  I have been fortunate to be involved with this since the start and it has become a favourite program of mine. If anyone is looking for a true PoW experience, this is definitely worth the trip!

Tour dates are July 21st and September 2nd

Tickets are $59.00 each or $53.10 for Friends members and are available at the Nature Shop (RMNP Visitor Centre) or by calling (204) 848-4037.  If you have any questions, feel free to phone that number or feel free to ask me.

The wagons depart from the north end of the Bison enclosure in Riding Mountain National Park at 9:15am and we return at 2:30pm.

Tickets are already selling and they usually fill up a few weeks in advance!