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Winnipeg, "Gateway to the West," the
capital and largest city of
Manitoba, is located at the
confluence of the Red River and
Assiniboine River, 100 km north of
the Minnesota border. It is the
largest city closest to the
geographical centre of North
America. Due to the central prairie
location, the climate is harsh, with
long, cold winters and short, very
warm summers. However, Winnipeg
enjoys much sunny weather all year
round and is known as the Canadian
city that has the most winter
sunshine. And that sunshine
surely reflects on the people, for
Winnipeggers are known to be
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among the friendliest and most
outgoing people in Canada. Even
the Manitoba license plates
proudly proclaim the
friendliness of its citizens!
Manitobans are blessed with many
scenic lakes, and Winnipeggers
spend as much time as possible
at their cottages in the
summer. One of my fondest
memories is sitting by the shore
of Lake Winnipeg on clear
evenings, watching the stunning
display of the dancing Northern
Lights. |
Winnipeg is
proud of its contribution to culture and the
arts. Many prominent personalities who have
made their mark on society were born and
raised in Winnipeg. The ethnic diversity of
the city is celebrated every August during "Folklorama,"
the largest cultural festival in North
America, featuring forty ethnic cultures.
You will also be interested to know that a
classic character loved by many children
originated in Winnipeg. In 1914 a soldier
took a black bear cub named "Winnipeg" to
England as his regiment's mascot. Before
being shipped to France, he donated the bear
to the London Zoo. Author A. A. Milne later
wrote stories about a boy and his bear,
"Winnie the Pooh"!
For two
centuries beginning in 1670, the English
Hudson's Bay Company, taking advantage of
the lucrative fur trade, had ruled the vast
prairie regions and discouraged any
settlement. Only one attempt at a
settlement of Scots was made during that
time at Fort Garry, just outside of
Winnipeg, and in order to protect them, one
hundred guards were hired, consisting mainly
of German mercenaries who had previously
been sold by German rulers to England to
fight in the American War of Independence.
They were given land across the river from
the Scottish colony. They asked that their
settlement be named St. Boniface in honour
of the patron saint of Germany. The name of
this suburb of Winnipeg remains to this day
without the predominantly French-Canadian
population being aware of the German origin
of its name!
When it was
incorporated as a city in 1873, Winnipeg was
still an isolated settlement consisting of
shacks, with a population of 3700. However,
this was soon to change. Its strategic
geographical location made it a natural
focus for the western extension of the
transcontinental railway. When the Canadian
Pacific Railway was completed in 1885,
Winnipeg experienced a period of phenomenal
growth and prosperity. This growth was
fuelled by a flood of immigrants, high wheat
prices, plentiful capital and improved
farming. The city became the wholesale,
administrative and financial centre of the
West. This boom ended with the onset of a
recession in 1914. The Winnipeg General
Strike in 1919 and Great Depression further
drove the economy into a severe decline from
which the city did not fully recover until
World War II.
What
Attracted the Danube Swabians?
Winnipeg
has played a major role as a gateway for
immigration to western Canada and as a
stopover for German settlement in the West.
Upon the completion of the railway, the lure
of free homesteads and easy credit through
the railways gave rise to a mass exodus from
Europe of German land-hungry immigrants.
More than two thirds of them came from
Russia, Austria Hungary and Romania, and it
is safe to say that Danube Swabians
constituted a major part of this group. The
city was able to offer employment to
thousands of newcomers.
[Complete
Story]
Local Genealogical
Research Aids
Winnipeg Danube Swabian Surname Registry
DVHH-L Winnipeg Postings
St. Joseph's Catholic Church
A New
Beginning in Winnipeg
By
Rose Vetter
On my 14th
birthday my family received the letter we
had been anxiously waiting for - final
clearance to emigrate to Canada. A week
later, on March 1st, 1950 my parents, my
older sister and I embarked upon our journey
of hope to begin a new life. After fleeing
from Neusatz in the Batschka, we had led a
rootless existence for six years in various
camps and locations in Germany. My uncle in
Winnipeg, who had offered to sponsor us, had
booked tourist class passage for us on the
Swedish ship MS Gripsholm, which was
relative luxury for those times.
[Complete
Story]
Photos
