Kildonan Church is one of the few physical ties to the Selkirk Settlers left in Winnipeg, and is one of the oldest combined church and cemeteries in the Province of Manitoba.

The Selkirk Settlers arrived in Manitoba between 1812 and 1815, and were the first Anglo-Saxons to settle in the west. Although they were mainly Presbyterian, without a minister of their own, adjustments were made so they could attend the Anglican St. John’s Cathedral, founded by Reverend John West in 1820.

The settlement’s Presbyterian Kildonan Church finally opened in 1854 in the area known as Frog Plain, led by Reverend John Black. Black had been in Winnipeg since 1851, but a flood that same year delayed construction and Black returned to Toronto briefly.

Still, when the church opened it seemed like a significant accomplishment for the settlers. Sturdy and made of solid limestone, the Gothic style church is lined with pointed arched windows. The interior has fir flooring, plastered walls, a balcony, and a six-sided pulpit.

The number of prominent early Winnipeggers buried there suggest the popularity of Kildonan Church. Reverend John Black, Manitoba’s first postmaster Alexander Ross, and merchant A.G.B. Bannatyne are all buried on the church grounds.