Fort Garry Fort Garry , also known as Upper Fort Garry , was a Hudson ' s Bay Company trading post at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in what is now downtown Winnipeg . It was established in 1822 on or near the site of the North West Company ' s Fort Gibraltar . Fort Garry was named after Nicholas Garry , deputy governor of the Hudson ' s Bay Company . It served as the centre of fur trade within the Red River Colony . Unfortunately in 1826 , a severe flood destroyed the fort . It was rebuilt in 1835 by the HBC and named Upper Fort Garry to differentiate it from " the Lower Fort , " or Lower Fort Garry , 32 km downriver , which was established in 1831 . Throughout the mid - to - late 19th century , Upper Fort Garry played a minor role in the actual trading of furs , but was central to the administration of the HBC and the surrounding settlement . The Council of Assiniboia , the administrative and judicial body of the Red River Colony mainly run by Hudson ' s Bay Company officials , met at Upper Fort Garry . In 1869 , the Hudson ' s Bay Company agreed to surrender its monopoly in the North - West , including Upper Fort Garry . In late 1869 and early 1870 , the fort was seized by Louis Riel and his Métis followers during the Red River Rebellion . After the Rebellion , the area around the fort continued to grow . In 1873 , the city of Winnipeg was established and the name Fort Garry was no longer used . In 1881 - 1884 the majority of the fort was demolished to straighten Main Street ( it was at Main Street and Assiniboine Avenue ) . Although only the main gate of the fort remains today , the name " Fort Garry " lives on through various institutions and businesses . An area or division of Winnipeg running along the Red River south of the original fort is called Fort Garry . The hotel beside the fort is called the Fort Garry Hotel , which was originally constructed for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway company . The two streets on either side of the hotel are Fort Street and Garry Street . Many companies have adopted the name , such as Fort Garry Industries and the Fort Garry Brewing Company . The Fort Garry Horse has been a component of the Winnipeg military garrison throughout the 20th and into the 21st Centuries . National Historic Site of Canada . Fort Garry , along with the sites of nearby Fort Rouge and Fort Gibraltar , were collectively designated a National Historic Site in 1924 as part of the " Forts Rouge , Garry , and Gibraltar National Historic Site of Canada " . Together , the three sites are illustrative of the evolution of the fur trade in Western Canada , from exploration and expansion westward ( Fort Rouge , established in 1738 by the French ) , to the dominance of the North West Company ( Fort Gibraltar , established in 1807 ) and finally the ascendancy of the Hudson ’ s Bay Company ( Fort Garry ) . The gate at Fort Garry constitutes the only above - ground remains of this succession of forts . Legacy . On 15 June 1938 Canada Post issued ' Fort Garry Gate , Winnipeg ' , a 20¢ stamp . Future Heritage Park . Work has begun on a project to establish a heritage park in the area surrounding what remains of the Upper Fort Garry . In the spring of 2010 , a bill passed the House in the Manitoba Legislature , entitled " The Upper Fort Garry Heritage Provincial Park Act " . In 2007 , a development company , Crystal Developers , sought to build an apartment complex next to the fort ' s original " footprint " . However , the Friends of Upper Fort Garry , a group dedicated to developing an historical interpretive park at the site , was convened to oppose them . The plan called for an interpretive centre just outside the old fort ' s walls , and a large surface parking lot that would have been placed closer to the walls than the apartment itself . After a City of Winnipeg - imposed deadline to raise funds to build a park on the site was nearing , Crystal Developers decided to grant the Friends an additional two years to finish raising the needed funds . Crystal ultimately bowed out of its proposed development plans . Two years later the City of Winnipeg approved the construction by Crystal Developers of a 25 - storey apartment tower just west of the original location , on Assiniboine Ave . Enough funds were raised by the Friends to purchase the buildings already on the site of their proposed heritage park , including a Petro - Canada gas station . The only building that was allowed to stay untouched was the current home of the Manitoba Club , which started as an organization in 1874 , only one year after the incorporation of Winnipeg . The existing Manitoba Club building was completed in 1905 . The historic Fort Garry Hotel across the street was built shortly thereafter , in 1913 . The plans for the future heritage park at the site of Upper Fort Garry were officially unveiled in May 2010 . From the Hansard Records of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba , dated Monday , June 14 , 2010 , it is clear that the boundaries of the proposed Upper Fort Garry Heritage Provincial Park , described in " Bill 27 – The Upper Fort Garry Heritage Provincial Park Act " then under consideration , would not include the Manitoba Club building . In the meeting referenced above , Mr . Jerry Gray ( Friends of Upper Fort Garry ) , referring to the future park boundaries , states that the property is " bordered by Main Street on the east side , Assiniboine on the south side and Fort Street on the west side and then goes up to the back where the gate property is . " Evidently , the Manitoba Club property on Broadway is excluded from the proposed heritage park , aside from being located on the same city block . According to the records of the Thirty - Ninth Legislature , " Bill 27 " received Royal Assent on June 17 , 2010 , by Proclamation of the Lieutenant - Governor Philip S . Lee .