Riel House

Riel House (Maison Riel) is a historic house museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Built in 1880–1881, it is associated with the family of Louis Riel, a prominent Métis leader in the history of western Canada. Designated a National Historic Site of Canada, Riel House reflects nineteenth-century Métis domestic life in the Red River Settlement and continues to be used for cultural interpretation and public engagement. Riel House is listed in the Canadian Register of Historic Places. History Riel House is closely associated with the Riel family and with the domestic life of Métis communities in the late nineteenth century. Julie Riel (née Lagimodière), the mother of Louis Riel, occupied the house with her children and extended family and was responsible for managing the household. Her role helps clarify how the household functioned on a day-to-day basis. Although Louis Riel is closely associated with the site, he lived in the house only briefly, during the summer of 1883, following his return from exile in the United States. The house is therefore interpreted primarily as a family home rather than as a centre of political activity. Following Riel’s execution in November 1885, his body was laid in state in the family parlour for two days. His widow, Marguerite Monet-Riel, and their children remained in the house alongside other members of the extended family, receiving the many visitors who came to pay their respects prior to his burial at Saint-Boniface. Members of the Riel family and their descendants continued to occupy the house until April 1968, when it was acquired for heritage preservation. Ownership was later transferred to the federal government as part of broader efforts to conserve and interpret the site. Architecture and characteristics Riel House is typical of domestic architecture found in the Red River Settlement during the late nineteenth century. The house was constructed using a traditional French-Canadian building technique known as pièce-sur-pièce à coulisse, in which horizontal logs are fitted into vertical grooved posts. The spaces between the logs were filled with a mixture of clay and straw to provide insulation. The house rests on a foundation of fieldstone. It has an L-shaped plan consisting of a one-and-a-half-storey main residence and a rectangular annex to the northeast, which historically served as a summer kitchen and seasonal workspace. The exterior is clad in painted horizontal wooden siding, with shuttered windows and a roof covered in cedar shingles. The principal façade faces west and is arranged symmetrically around a central entrance. Decorative elements are limited, reflecting practical design priorities rather than ornamental display, consistent with working-family dwellings of the period. Lot and landscape Riel House is situated on a long, narrow river lot, a land-division pattern characteristic of the Red River Settlement and inherited from the seigneurial regime of New France. River lots were laid out to give each household access to the river, along with fertile farmland, pastureland, and transportation routes. The original lot extended several kilometres from the river but was progressively subdivided as the surrounding area urbanized. Today, Parks Canada manages a reduced portion of the property comprising an urban park of approximately 1.09 hectares. Although the Red River now lies roughly 400 metres from the site, the layout of the lot still reflects its original river-oriented organization. Use and adaptation In 1896, Joseph Riel, a brother of Louis Riel, received authorization to operate the first post office in St. Vital. Part of the house, including the annex, was adapted to accommodate this function, integrating a public service into the domestic setting. Following its acquisition for heritage purposes, the house underwent extensive restoration between 1979 and 1980. Later additions, including the annex that had housed the post office and a veranda, were removed to restore the building to its appearance in 1886 and to support interpretation of the site as a Métis family dwelling. Interior layout and domestic life The interior of Riel House reflects the spatial organization of a nineteenth-century Métis household. The ground floor includes a central common room used for daily activities, as well as two bedrooms, one of which was reserved for private use, a feature that was still relatively uncommon in working-class homes of the period. The attic level functioned as a communal sleeping space. Heating was provided by a wood-burning stove, and the uninsulated annex served as a summer kitchen and seasonal storage area. Interior partitions were constructed of wooden panelling, and the overall layout reflects adaptation to both household size and climate. Furnishings and interpretation The furnishings and interpretive presentation of Riel House reflect a blend of French-Canadian and Indigenous material traditions characteristic of Métis households. One notable element is the use of a hammock-style cradle reinforced with a ceinture fléchée, an item traditionally worn by Métis men. Storage within the house was limited, with personal belongings commonly kept in chests rather than in built furniture. Some scholarly assessments have noted that the house may be overfurnished in interpretation and that items associated with early industrialization are underrepresented. Critics have also observed that the absence of agricultural outbuildings and the subdivision of the original river lot limit the site’s commemorative potential. Designation and heritage status Riel House was designated a National Historic Site of Canada on 11 June 1976 by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. The designation recognizes both the site's association with Louis Riel and its value as a well-preserved example of a Métis river-lot dwelling representative of domestic life in the Red River Settlement. In 2000, the building was also recognized as a Federal Heritage Building under Canada's heritage conservation framework. See also Louis Riel Métis Red River Settlement List of National Historic Sites of Canada in Manitoba References External links Riel House National Historic Site of Canada About Riel House The Woman’s Sphere: Domestic Life at Riel House and Dalnavert