September 25: CBC building opens; WAG opens; R.B. Russell dies; Wawanesa Insurance formed.

September 25, 1971 – The Winnipeg Art Gallery is officially opened by Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret and her husband Lord Snowdon. After the ceremony it was closed again to finish construction which fell months behind due to a series of strikes. It opened to the public on January 18, 1972.

Also see Winnipeg Architecture Foundation and my Winnipeg Downtown Places post.

September 25, 1926 - Arthur Meighen's reign as Prime Minister ends when he loses a confidence motion in the House of Commons by a single vote.

September 25 1873 – The first recruitment drive for NWMP officers begins. Nine officers are hired under the command of Lt. Col Osborne Smith.

September 25, 1925 - Work begins at the corner of Portage and Memorial on the new Hudson Bay Company flagship store.

September 25, 1896 - The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company is formed in Wawanesa, Manitoba. The idea for a rural-based insurance co-op came to founders Alonzo Fowler Kempton and Charles Kerr over a jar of whiskey one evening in 1895. For more on Wawanesa Insurance Company's history. (Image: Daily Nor'Wester Oct 14, 1897).

September 25, 1964 - Labour leader Robert Boyd “R. B.” Russell dies. During the Winnipeg General Strike he was jailed for a year at Stoney Mountain Penitentiary. R. B. Russell Vocational School is named for him.

September 25, 1963 - The CBC Building on Portage Avenue is officially opened and the "new" CBW radio begins broadcasting. Premier Douglas Campbell participated in the opening radio address which was carried across the entire CBC radio network.