Prosperity Ever, Depression Never

The village of Steinbach, Manitoba, defied the odds in the Depression years, actually growing and progressing during that devastating time. How did this happen?

Friesen’s book provides an explanation for this unique phenomenon, with a detailed chapter on the village’s “backbone”—it’s Main Street, where commerce was conducted and small entertainments could be found. The story moves from one end of the street to the other, using the original lots of the 1874 pioneers as a structure on which to hang various facts and anecdotes.

As well, memoirs of writers who were children during the Depression, the diaries of the author’s father, and translated articles and letters from the Steinbach Post provide depth and detail. Photographs of the era, including natural features, streets, buildings, machines, gardens and of course the people of Steinbach in the era of the 1930s, help the reader visualize people and events. Detailed maps give the reader reference points to the places and geographic features described in the text. The project is unique in drawing upon this rich mixture of original sources.

The arc of the story shows the decisive transition of the village of Steinbach from a somewhat isolated Mennonite village toward a modern community on the Canadian prairies. At the same time it shows that Steinbach maintained a strong Mennonite identity with residual elements of tradition and past practices.