I write today to enthusiastically recommend a fine work of history written by a friend of mine, Ralph Friesen. The book is called Prosperity Ever Depression Never: Steinbach in the 1930s. It is a brilliant analysis of the town of Steinbach, which is introduced to us by one of its peculiar aspects, a road that travels at an angle from the North West to South East. Ralph analyses the town and its people by looking at each lot along that big wide road. I found that strange device for story-telling often helped me to orientate myself and thus understand whom he was talking about based on their location.

Ralph is a subtle and skilled story teller who constantly sneaks up on the reader without bombast, malice or ideological thunder. Yet there was something of interest on every page.  Ralph tells stories of common folk and captains of industry, teachers and athletes, professionals and local historians, and many more all with keen and subtle language. He tells us of the good times and dark times.

There are shocking stories of Steinbach businessmen that included Nazi sympathizers and stories of Mennonites who wanted to be separate from “the world” and others who wanted to take advantage of the world in order to prosper. There were staunch ministers and rebels too. He mentions in passing, the uncomfortable fact that

 “there was no understanding or even curiosity about the fact that the land had been part of traditional Ojibway and Métis migratory territory, and since Indigenous Peoples had little participation in the capitalist economy, they were looked down upon.”

Ralph does not hide the warts on the fine faces of Steinbachers. He tells stories of generosity and faith, and yet admits there was also abuse of women by unsavoury men.

He compares Steinbach with other communities without bragging. For example,

“Other towns, especially those populated by Anglo-Canadians, often built stores or houses of well-to-do citizens with red-brick, an investment in the appearance of permanence. But the post office was the only brick building in Steinbach, almost as if Mennonites had been hedging their bets on their tenure in Canada.”

He told of Henry Reimer of the famous family that created a store “just like Eatons,” but where the man in charge “was a philosopher” who “would just as soon visit as sell.”

I cannot avoid talking about his story of my amazing grandmother, Anna Siemens Neufeld, who came to Canada with her husband and 5 young children. Sadly, her husband died within a couple of years after their arrival, leaving her with 5 young children, few skills, and little or no social assistance I always wondered how she could survive. Well, she became a seamstress making dresses for the wealthy women in town, and sadly, sometimes those women pleaded a shortage of funds and refused to pay. This forced her to send two of her young sons, including my father and uncle to try to collect legitimate debts from rich women while feeling like beggars.

This probably was not unusual, for Ralph mentions that during that time 22 households were headed by single mothers. I found that a shocking fact.

Steinbach was “a God-soaked Community,” in which, “with the exception of the Schoenwieser, each of the Mennonite subdenominations held the view that their interpretation of the faith was superior to the others.”  At the same time many thought their religion was also superior to that of surrounding Catholics and Ukrainians among others. “Yet”, as Ralph says, “self-interest had not flown out the window. The Mennonites all did business with one another and with their non-Mennonite neighbours and with Anglo-Canadian and Jewish wholesalers and buyers in Winnipeg.” After all, business is business.

The book also describes how people survived the Depression through an informal barter system coupled with large gardens, that of course only worked during short growing seasons. At the same time, while the townspeople were often justifiably proud of how they coped during tough times, it was also true that government relief measures, like construction of the highway to Piney, also helped the community.  Individualism is important but so is community.

In summary, I cannot commend this book too strongly. The last chapter, a careful summing up, is alone worth much more than the modest price of the book. Ralph shows how the churches helped support those in need, as in fact did generous businessmen. He also shows how the town had very competent business people but also commendable community co-operative efforts. The people of Steinbach managed to navigate between the “the World” and “the Kingdom of God.”

Steinbach has always been proud of its economic and religious success. Ralph concludes,

“Commerce itself, while accepted as necessary insofar as it supported the agrarian way of life which denoted a humble faith, was also suspect because it so easily could lead to attachment to material things and to thinking of oneself as superior to one’s poorer neighbour. Conservative elements were also suspicious of theology of American fundamentalism, with its emphasis on salvation achieved through prideful individual declarations of belief in a personal Saviour, as contrasted with salvation as a process occurring in a community setting, in relationship with one’s neighbours.”

I almost forgot to mention the incredible array of interesting photographs.  This is history from a master story teller.

After reading this book, one can’t help but appreciate the wonder of Steinbach and its people in the 1930s. Wonder with challenges.  This really is a magnificent book. Everyone should read it.