The Golden Boy

A point of interest on the Winnipeg's Wealthy Beginnings GPS-guided audio walking tour.

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Audio Transcript​

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If you take a look to your right, and look up, you'll see Winnipeg’s Golden Boy!

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He really is gold, too! At least on the outside. Originally bronze, he was gilded in 24K gold in 1951 and then again in 2002. The way the sun reflects off him, though has always made him shine, so even before he was gilded, he was Winnipeg's Golden Boy.

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His official name is “Eternal Youth and the Spirit of Enterprise”. He was modelled after the Greek God Hermes, or Mercury if you’re Roman. And he was gift to us from France,

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He took quite a tour of his own getting here! He set sail in 1918, but his ship was re-directed for the war effort and made 5 trips across the Atlantic before finally arriving in 1919.

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If he could talk, he’d have some great stories. In the 100+ years he’s been watching over Winnipeg we’ve grown from less than 1900 people to over 760,000.

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He faces north, where Manitoba’s natural resources lie, carries a sheath of wheat under one arm, representing agriculture, and holds a torch to inspire Manitoba’s youth towards a bright and prosperous future.

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The torch was lit for the first time in 1966. It burned until 2002 when it was discovered that electrical cords were causing rust. The dome has since been re-wired to provide illumination in place of the torch.

But the Golden Boy’s great wish for hope and prosperity continues to burn!

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