Dawson Trail Art & Heritage Tours

> HOME

Dawson Trail Heritage Tour Saint-Boniface Lagimodière Boulevard Prairie Grove Red River Ox Cart Exhibit Notre Dame de Lorette Church Lorette: “Petite-Pointe-des-Chênes” Lorette Community Complex Dufresne Grain Elevator “La Grande Traverse” Sainte-Anne: Grande pointe des chênes Pioneer Park Exhibit Sainte-Anne Old Municipal Hall Sainte Anne des Chênes Roman Catholic Church Parc des Rédemptoristes Old Finnigan Bridge / Old HBC Post Seine River Crossing Where the Forest Meets the Western Prairies La Coulèe des Ressources Côteau Pelé, aka Harrison’s Ridge Thurston Park Exhibits Corduroy Road Exhibit Richer: Côteau des chênes Enfant-Jésus Heritage Site Exhibit Dawson Trail Park Exhibits Lac Bossé Coulée St-Onge Brokenhead River Crossing East End of Current Dawson Road East Braintree Harrison Creek Ross Church Bell Monument Ste. Geneviève and “la poche aux lièvres” Monseigneur-Taché Historic Site Centre of Canada Park Heritage Tour Locations List Suggested Itineraries

RESEARCH ANNEXES

List of Reference Annexes Research Summary Chronology Bibliography External Links to Sources List of Images List of First Settlers (Ste. Anne Parish) FAQ / MythBusters Oral Histories Sitemap

SEE GOOGLE MAP LOCATION

POINT OF INTEREST: Ross Welcomes the Return of a Beloved Icon

HISTORICAL NUGGETS: Clean Water for Winnipeg | East Braintree G.W.W.D. Worker Camp

The town of Ross is situated at the easternmost end of highway 501, in the R.M. of Taché.

In the center of town near the cemetery and at the site of the old Catholic church stands the Ross Church Bell Monument.

Ross residents have gathered donations, leveled the ground, and built a gazebo where the church once stood. In 2019, Ross recognized the culmination of 23 years' worth of effort. The bell is back in Ross and now stands protected by the gazebo in the centre of the community. Photo by Alice Lesage. Source https://steinbachonline.com/local/saved-by-the-bell-ross-welcomes-home-a-beloved-community-symbol

Ross Welcomes the Return of a Beloved Icon

“In the fall of 2019, the residents of Ross, Manitoba celebrated the return of their beloved brass train bell that had been donated to the Ross Catholic Church by the Canadian Pacific Railway many decades ago. The Ross Catholic Church was founded in 1952 and enjoyed many years of popularity. It was during those first few years that the CPR gifted them with the bell. However, in 1996, a dwindling congregation and a shortage of priests forced the church to permanently shut its doors. At that time, the St. Boniface Catholic Diocese withdrew the bell from the community for fear it would be stolen.

"Recognizing the significance of the object to the community, Richard Lesage of the community began campaigning. When the church building was demolished in September of 2018, Lesage says their efforts were reinvigorated and they became more determined than ever to build the monument necessary to get the bell back. The bell now stands protected by the gazebo in the centre of the community.”

Connor Gerbrandt, journalist for Steinbach online

Source: Gerbrandt, C. (2019, November 5). “Saved by the bell: Ross welcomes home a beloved community symbol”. Retrieved from https://steinbachonline.com/local/saved-by-the-bell-ross-welcomes-home-a-beloved-community-symbol

Richard and Alice Lesage stand underneath the new gazebo (photo credit: Alice Lesage). Source: Gerbrandt, C. (2019, November 5). “Saved by the bell: Ross welcomes home a beloved community symbol”. Retrieved June 23, 2020 from https://steinbachonline.com/local/saved-by-the-bell-ross-welcomes-home-a-beloved-community-symbol

The Catholic church in Ross was established in 1952 and demolished in 2018 (photo credit: Alice Lesage).

Go to Next Tour Location: Ste. Geneviève | Top

Previous page: Harrison Creek
Next page: Ste. Geneviève and “la poche aux lièvres”