Fort Osborne Barracks

 (1873-1917,1917-1968) - A Fort established in 1873 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Named Fort Osborne Barracks after Lt. Colonel William Osborne Smith, first commander of the Military District No. 10 at Winnipeg. Housed the Winnipeg Internment Camp during World War I. Relocated from the original site near the current Manitoba Legislative Building to the former campus of Manitoba Agricultural College circa 1917. Closed in 1968.

Site 1
The first Fort Osborne Barracks was established in 1873. The barracks was located along the north end of Osborne Street on what is now the west lawn of the Provincial Legislature building.

Winnipeg Internment Camp
At the start of World War I Fort Osborne Barracks housed Ukrainian Canadians and other eastern Europeans imprisoned during Canada's first national internment operation. Officially deemed the Winnipeg Receiving Station it operated from 1 Sep 1914 to 29 Jul 1916. Construction of the new legislative Building and the subsequent move of Fort Osborne Barracks across the river signaled the end of that operation.

Site 2
Fort Osborne Barracks moved circa 1917 to the former campus of Manitoba Agricultural College on the other side of the Assiniboine River. The facility was transformed into a military convalescent hospital for wounded soldiers returning from Europe. In 1919 the army took over the entire complex, officially renaming it Fort Osborne Barracks. It served as a military hospital site for veterans returning from World War I and World War II. A second site, just south of the barracks was established in the 1940s during World War II and became known as Fort Osborne Barracks South. The original site closed in 1968 with functions transferred to the nearby Fort Osborne Barracks South that site was renamed Kapyong Barracks.

Current Status
The buildings remain, now repurposed as the Asper Jewish Community Center.

See Also:
 * Kapyong Barracks
 * Canadian WWI Internment Camps

Sources:

Links:
 * North American Forts - Fort Osborne Barracks
 * Osborne Barracks Wikipedia - Fort Osborne Barracks
 * Manitoba Provincial Heritage Site No. 89
 * Manitoba Historical Society - Fort Osborne Barracks Monument
 * Fort Osborne Barracks
 * Manitoba Historical Society - William Osborne Smith (1831-1887)
 * Manitoba Historical Society - Manitoba Legislative Building (450 Broadway, Winnipeg)