One Great History

Stephen Juba was a mayor who loved a gimmick. And it paid off for him - despite a contentious reputation and attempts to oust him from the mayoral seat, he remained popular enough to serve nine consecutive terms over 20 years.

The 1950s were a busy time for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. They performed for the Royal Visit in 1951, launched several tours across Canada and the United States, were filmed by the National Film Board - and then, of course, there was the fire. Behind it all was the ballet's founders and managers, Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Hay-Farraly.

Thomas George Prince was always a man willing to leap into action. It's what made him save Ernest Pollard from drowning in the Red River in 1955, made him enlist in both the Second World War and Korean War, and travel to Ottawa in 1947 to advocate for Indigenous rights in Canada. This episode discusses residential schools, PTSD, military service, addiction and homeless. Please take care when listening.

A huge thank you to Shauna Mulligan for sharing her knowledge and experiences in this episode!

The Residential School Crisis Line:  1-866-925-4419

Veterans Association of Canada Assistance Service Support Line:  1-800-268-770

Consider donating to the Main Street Project, Resource Assistance for Youth or other community health organizations if you have the means.

In the 1930s, new ideologies flourished in the face of global economic crisis. Jacob Penner, a local communist activist, was elected to Winnipeg City Council in 1933 and remained in that position for many years, advocating for increased relief in the darkest years of the Great Depression. Despite his radical proclivities, Penner was respected by many of his less radical colleagues. In this episode we discuss municipal politics during the 1930s (we promise this is more interesting than it sounds) and Penner’s complicated legacy.

Listen to Sabrina's previous episode on the Battle at Market Square to learn more about the rise of fascism in Winnipeg during this period.

If you haven't heard of Lewis Benjamin Foote, you've almost certainly seen his work. That iconic photo from 1919 of a toppled streetcar? That was Lew. If you've seen old photos of North End slums or the construction of the Fort Garry Hotel, those were his too. For decades, Foote captured the public and private lives of Winnipeggers. In this episode, we talk about the less-than-roaring 20s seen through the eyes of L.B. Foote.

If you want to follow along with the photos we looked at during this episode, flip through the album on onegreathistory dot wordpress dot com! All photos are from the Foote Fonds at the Manitoba Archives.

In the eighth episode of our One Great 150 series, we talk about John Robinson, a railcar porter and labour activist who founded one of the first black-led unions in North America. We discuss the exclusion of black workers from railway unions, the creation of the Order of Sleeping Car Porters, and how Robinson's union responded to the Winnipeg General Strike.

Project funded in part by the Winnipeg Foundation’s Centennial Institute Grant, the Province of Manitoba’s Heritage Grant, and the Winnipeg Free Press.

In 1917, Helen Armstrong burst onto the labour scene. A passionate and opinionated speaker, dedicated to the labour movement, she quickly became a voice for working women in Winnipeg in a time of rapid social change and growing labour movements.

En route to a military training camp at the start of the First World War, Winnipeg veterinarian Harry Colebourn purchased a baby black bear cub for $20 from a hunter on a train platform and named her Winnipeg. She quickly become the darling of the Canadian Veterinary Corps and the rest of the troops at Salisbury Plains, and when Colebourn left her at the London Zoo for safekeeping she became a favourite for zoo visitors. Including A.A. Milne and his young son, Christopher Robin.

In the fifth episode of our One Great 150 series, we talk about Margaret Scott, an early Winnipeg philanthropist and purveyor of the social gospel. We discuss just how gross Winnipeg was at the turn of the century, and whether organizations like the Margaret Scott Nursing Mission succeeded in making it less so.

Thank you to Dr. Esyllt Jones for her help on this episode!

Visit onegreathistory.wordpress.com for more info

Buckle up folks, it's the big moment: Winnipeg is about to become a city. And rushing headfirst to the mayoral race is Francis Evans Cornish, local lawyer and known drunk. Surely everything will go well.