Selkirk travel guide

Selkirk is a city in the western Canadian province of Manitoba, located about 22 km northeast of the provincial capital Winnipeg on the Red River, near . As of the 2006 census (9,515), Selkirk had a decrease in population of 237 from the 2001 census. Tourism, the Gerdau AmeriSteel Steel Mill (MRM or "The Manitoba Rolling Mills"), and the Selkirk Mental Health Centre (SMHC) are the mainstays of the local economy. A vertical lift bridge over the Red River connects Selkirk with the smaller town of East Selkirk. The city is connected to Winnipeg via Highway 9 and is served by the Canadian Pacific Railway. Like all places in Manitoba, Selkirk has telephone Area code 204, and the city has the postal code prefix R1A.
The city was named in honour of Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk who obtained the grant to first establish a colony in the Red River area.
Selkirk is home to Chuck the Channel Cat, a 25 foot fiberglass channel catfish. The name Chuck was chosen to honour local sport fisherman, Chuck Norquay, who drowned while doing what he loved best - fishing in the Red River. After Chuck was built in 1986, the town council decided to place Chuck in front of Smitty's Restaurant on Main Street.
Selkirk is advertised as the "Catfish Capital of the World", due to the large amounts of catfish in the Red River, which runs next to Selkirk. This was part of an advertising campaign to entice American anglers, who travel to Manitoba to fish for trophy-sized catfish.
Selkirk is also home to the Marine Museum of Manitoba, a collection of historical marine artifacts of Lake Winnipeg and the Red River area. Selkirk is also the site of a Canadian Coast Guard base. (...) more....