Manitoba man begins Red River Trail trek to the U.S. in an ox cart
While it may not be the fastest way to travel, for Terry Doerksen a trek across the border by ox cart is the way to go.
Doerksen and his wife Patty are heading down the Red River Trail in an authentic ox cart pulled by their shorthorn ox named Zeke.
As for why Doerksen is making the unique journey?
"The easy answer is I like history," he said. "I like touching history and feeling it and seeing what they saw and experiencing what they experienced back in the day."
Doerksen said his former boss made the cart with help from Armand Jerome, a Métis Red River cart builder. With the cart complete, Doerksen said he started training with Zeke for the adventure last year, beginning with the ox pulling a sleigh in the winter and the cart through the summer.
Terry Doerksen and his wife Patty are heading down the Red River Trail in an authentic ox cart pulled by their shorthorn ox named Zeke. (Source: CTV News)
The training has paid off, as Doerksen, Patty and Zeke headed out on their historical trip south. The trio plans to travel about 15 miles (about 24 kilometres) a day, following the Red River Trail, which dates back to Fort Garry and the Red River Colony.
"The Red River Trail was basically what enabled Winnipeg to become a city and, actually, at the other end St. Paul, Minnesota, to become a city," he said.
It's that connection to Manitoba and Métis history which drove Doerksen, who is not Métis himself, to set out on the journey.
"I love Manitoba history. I think we have one of the most amazing histories," he said. "I don't know if the other provinces compare or not, but to me, it just seems like there's so much interesting stuff that has happened in Manitoba."
He expects to reach St. Paul, Minnesota, by mid-July.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87
Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries 'Roots,' has died. He was 87.
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.