McKay House
120 Fourth Street SE,
Minnedosa

Designation Date: September 18, 1995
Designation Authority: The Town of Minnedosa
Present Owner: privately owned

Like many other immigrants from Ontario who arrived in Manitoba during the 1880s, James and Mary Jane McKay toiled for almost ten years before they could build a house of suitable size and architectural appeal. James McKay was actually a skilled stonemason and carpenter and was able to complete the design and construction in 1892. The remains of an oxcart trail leading to Tanner's Crossing is clearly visible at the base of the fieldstone wall in front of the house. James McKay was involved in the construction of Minnedosa's first hydroelectric dam, begun in 1903 and supervised the erection of the Lady Minto Hospital built in 1908.

The former McKay House is a good example of fieldstone construction, as well as the domestic decorative aspects of Gothic Revival design. Gingerbread bargeboard trim underneath the gables and a decorative wooden pendant add fanciful detailing to the sturdy stonework. The interior possesses much of its original woodwork and ornate hardware. The former McKay House remained with family descendants until the mid-1960s. The present owners of the house have renamed it In the Wind Manor, as it sits directly in the path of the northwest winds that blow through the Minnedosa Valley.