Going Home Trivia Quiz

Answer: Dale Hawerchuk

Dale Hawerchuk wasn't born in Manitoba, but few players are more closely associated with Winnipeg. Selected first overall by the Jets in 1981, he quickly became one of the NHL's brightest stars and the face of the franchise throughout much of the 1980s. His offensive skill helped establish the Jets as a contender and made him one of the most respected players of his era.

In 2022, a bronze statue of Hawerchuk was unveiled at True North Square near Canada Life Centre. The monument recognizes both his accomplishments on the ice and the lasting connection he forged with the city. More than four decades after arriving in Winnipeg as a teenage draft pick, "Ducky" remains one of the most celebrated figures in Manitoba hockey history.

Answer: Choctaw

Situated along the Assiniboine River, St. François Xavier is one of Manitoba's oldest communities and has deep roots in both Indigenous and Métis history. Long before European settlement, the area, known as White Horse Plain (La Prairie du Cheval Blanc), was a gathering place for First Nations peoples, including the Cree, Assiniboine (Nakoda) and Dakota, who were drawn to the region's abundant bison and its importance as a trading and meeting area.

The modern community traces its beginnings to the 1820s, when Métis leader Cuthbert Grant and a number of Métis families established a settlement there. Originally known as Grantown, it became an important centre of Métis life, agriculture, and the famous Red River cart trade. Over time, the community grew around the Parish of St. François Xavier, founded in 1828, and developed into one of the key settlements of the Red River region. St. François Xavier remains closely connected to its Métis heritage and to stories such as the Legend of the White Horse, from which the surrounding prairie takes its name.

A short explanation of the Legend of White Horse Plains is inscribed on a plaque by the statue:

"A Sioux Indian chief wished to marry the beautiful daughter of an Assiniboine chief. The Assiniboine, however, gave his daughter's hand to a Cree chief with whom she was in love because the Cree offered a rare snow-white horse as a gift. The angry Sioux pursued the Cree and his bride whose father had returned the horse to help them escape. The Sioux killed them both but the horse escaped. For years it was seen roaming the surrounding plain and in memory of the young lovers this part of Manitoba became known as White Horse Plains."

Answer: False

Despite its appearance, the giant Coca-Cola can was not originally built as a soft drink advertisement. The structure began life as a water tower constructed in 1905 by Manitoba Iron Works Limited in Winnipeg. In 1994, the tower was relocated to Portage la Prairie, repainted as a giant Coca-Cola can, and installed on the site now occupied by Canad Inns.

Interestingly, the project was completed without any involvement from the Coca-Cola Company. Early plans called for the tower to be painted as a giant Budweiser can, but local officials rejected the idea and opted for the Coca-Cola design instead.

In 1999, the landmark was moved farther back on the property to accommodate nearby commercial development. Visible from the Highway 1 bypass, the structure has become one of Portage la Prairie's most recognizable features.

Answer: France

The Moosomin Labyrinth was developed by Carol Adair and Rev. Carolyn Woodall, with support from local volunteers and the Town of Moosomin. Located beside the South Moosomin Cemetery and community garden, it was created as a quiet space for walking meditation and personal reflection.

The classical seven-circuit labyrinth follows a single winding path to a central point and back out again, with no dead ends or wrong turns. Rather than testing a visitor's sense of direction, the route encourages a slower, more thoughtful pace. Its design was inspired by the famous medieval labyrinth embedded in the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France, one of the world's best-known examples of the form.

While the Chartres labyrinth served as a symbolic pilgrimage route for medieval worshippers, the Moosomin Labyrinth adapts the same concept to a modern prairie setting, welcoming visitors of all backgrounds.

Answer: Moose Javians

Standing outside the Visitor Centre, Mac the Moose has been welcoming travellers to Moose Jaw since 1984. Created by Saskatoon artist Don Foulds, the giant moose was built to attract visitors and promote community pride. Standing more than 10 metres (32 feet) tall, Mac reclaimed the title of the world's tallest moose statue in 2019 after receiving a larger set of antlers during a friendly rivalry with a similar monument in Norway.

Moose Jaw is also famous for the Tunnels of Moose Jaw, which explore colourful stories from the city's past, and for its connection to the Snowbirds, the Royal Canadian Air Force's celebrated aerobatic team based nearby. Together, these attractions have become closely associated with Moose Jaw's identity and draw visitors from across the Prairies.

Answer: 1988

Constructed of steel and concrete, the Saamis Tepee was built for the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics before being relocated to Medicine Hat in 1991. At 65.5 metres (215 feet) tall, it holds the title of the world's tallest tepee and can be seen from kilometres away along the Trans-Canada Highway.

The Saamis Tepee was designed as a tribute to the Indigenous peoples of the northern plains. Its ten towering masts feature large storyboards depicting Indigenous history and culture, while its colours carry symbolic meaning: white for purity, red for the rising and setting sun, and blue for flowing waters.

The tepee stands above the Saamis Archaeological Site, one of the most significant archaeological locations on the Northern Plains. For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples used the area as a campsite and bison-processing site, leaving behind millions of artifacts. The Saamis Tepee serves as both a striking landmark and a reminder of the region's deep Indigenous history.

In 1976, Canada hosted the Summer Olympics in Montreal. 2002 saw Salt Lake City (USA) host the Winter Olympics. Vancouver hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Answer: Vulcan

Vulcan's Starship Enterprise monument grew out of the town's unexpected connection to the "Star Trek" franchise. Although the community was named in the early 1900s after Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, long before the television series existed, fans began stopping to photograph the town's welcome signs because "Vulcan" is also the home planet of Mr. Spock. By the 1970s and 1980s, local leaders recognized the tourism potential and decided to embrace the association.

In the 1990s, the community established the Vulcan Association of Science and Trek (VAST) and began developing science-fiction-themed attractions. The centrepiece became the Starship FX6-1995-A, a large replica of the original Starship Enterprise, officially unveiled on June 10, 1995. The designation "FX6" comes from the identifier for the nearby Vulcan Airport, "1995" marks the year of its creation, and the "A" signifies the first project in the town's science-fiction tourism initiative.

The monument forms part of a broader theme that includes the Vulcan Tourism and Trek Station, franchise memorabilia, themed street signs, and the annual Spock Days celebration. What began as a coincidence of names has become the community's most distinctive claim to fame.

Answer: John Diefenbaker

The distinctive arch-like structure at Rogers Pass marks the completion of the final section of the Trans-Canada Highway. It commemorates the official opening of the route through the rugged Selkirk Mountains on September 3, 1962, by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and representatives from Canada's provinces.

Rogers Pass has long been one of Canada's most important transportation corridors. Major A.B. Rogers discovered the pass in 1881 while searching for a route for the Canadian Pacific Railway through the Selkirk Mountains, overcoming one of the last major geographical obstacles to a transcontinental rail link. The pass later became notorious for steep grades, heavy snowfall, and deadly avalanches, leading the railway to bypass it with the Connaught Tunnel in 1916.

When the Trans-Canada Highway was constructed through Rogers Pass in the late 1950s and early 1960s, engineers once again faced the challenges of the mountain landscape. Completion of the route created the first continuous paved highway linking Canada's provinces from coast to coast. As a result, the monument commemorates both a major engineering achievement and a milestone in Canada's transportation history.

Answer: True

Carved entirely by hand in 1967 by local entrepreneur Peter W. Watts, the giant wooden Smokey Bear began as the centrepiece of a roadside attraction called "Weird Woods." The 9-metre-tall bear later became the symbol of what is now the Smokey Bear Campground Resort.

The statue is often described as the world's largest Smokey Bear and reflects the close connection between the forest industry, wildfire awareness, and life in British Columbia's interior. A plaque at the site commemorates Watts, whose vision helped turn the giant carving into a local landmark that has survived long after many similar roadside attractions disappeared.

Answer: Sky Trek Adventure Park

The Enchanted Forest was the retirement dream of Revelstoke artists Doris and Ernest Needham. The couple spent years hand-building the attraction in a secluded forest beside the Trans-Canada Highway, filling it with more than 350 handmade fairy-tale figures, a castle, and what is now British Columbia's tallest treehouse. By 1970, more than one million visitors had stopped to explore the whimsical attraction, which helped secure its place among British Columbia's classic roadside attractions.

In 2008, the site expanded with the addition of SkyTrek Adventure Park, introducing zip lines and aerial obstacle courses that complement the Enchanted Forest's classic fairy-tale setting.

Author's note: My wife and I visited the Enchanted Forest on our honeymoon in 1996, and only came for a second visit on our 25th anniversary in 2021.