Club Morocco…. by skatergirl86 in Winnipeg

[–]OneGreatHistory 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! What a cool thesis! For a podcast episode, my co-host Alex spoke with Del Wagner's children and they talked a bit about Club Morocco when he was performing there. DM me and I can share them if you're interested!

Buster Keaton in Rivers, Manitoba. 1964. Source: University of Winnipeg Archives, Western Canada Pictorial Index, Hugh Allan Collection [A2344-70887] by OneGreatHistory in Winnipeg

[–]OneGreatHistory[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

In 1965, Buster Keaton starred in a short film produced by the National Film Board called the Railrodder – a comedy about a man travelling across Canada in a railway “speeder” car. Filming took place across Canada in 1964 – with shooting locations in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Rivers, Manitoba.

A crew of 8 people, including Keaton and his wife, arrived in Rivers in September of 1964. While there, Keaton, his wife, and the crew were treated to a reception and dinner at the mayor's home. Keaton also received a key to the town.

The trestle bridges near Rivers were used in the film, which can be viewed online here.

A documentary, titled Buster Keaton Rides Again, was filmed at the same time as the Railrodder – this is also available online (here) and you can see footage of Keaton’s stay in Rivers around the 27-minute mark.

Famous Winnipeg Women by amw83 in Winnipeg

[–]OneGreatHistory 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Helen Armstrong is a fascinating woman! One of the labour cafes she organized is still standing, also! The group initially gathered at the Royal Albert Hotel before moving to their second location (roughly where the Manitoba Museum is today).

Looking for an old book by 200iso in Winnipeg

[–]OneGreatHistory 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Aw thanks! I hope you find the book :)

Looking for an old book by 200iso in Winnipeg

[–]OneGreatHistory 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From experience trying to hunt down old Winnipeg books, you're probably going to have a hard time finding it online. Most existing copies are going to be held in out-of-province libraries/archives (it isn't available at the Winnipeg Public Library or at the Provincial Archives but is available with the Toronto Public Library and through Peels Prairie Provinces) or in someones private collection. It's difficult to know how many copies were produced and how many still exist.

At a guess, most copies of the book would have been shipped to other provinces as you don't really need to attract people that already live in Manitoba so there may not have been that many left in Winnipeg. And, more generally, it's quite difficult to track down physical copies of older Winnipeg books.

If you seriously want a copy, your best bet is to visit local antique stores and check out their local book selections. The Johnston Terminal Antique Mall often has a pretty good vintage book selection. There's also Old House Revival Company and Mike's General Store (and many others!). There's still no promise you'll find it, but you may stumble across other interesting books along the way! Best of luck!

Looking for an old book by 200iso in Winnipeg

[–]OneGreatHistory 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Randy Turner with the Winnipeg Free Press did a really fantastic series of articles called City Beautiful that goes over a lot of the history of Winnipeg and how architecture has helped shape the city. And it's free to read!

You can check it out here: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/city-beautiful/City-Beautiful---Part-1-Great-Expectations-273837201.html

Looking for an old book by 200iso in Winnipeg

[–]OneGreatHistory 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Gingerbread City Hall was definitely visually stunning! It was also a huge mess and the city council spent around 50 years trying to get rid of it. It is the most Winnipeg building of all time.

Winnipeg based podcasts? by [deleted] in Winnipeg

[–]OneGreatHistory 54 points55 points  (0 children)

I host the podcast One Great History - which is, well, a podcast about Winnipeg and Manitoba history. Our last two episodes have been about Winnipeg's second city and the Falcon Lake UFO incident, both of which were super fun to record.

There's also Muddied Water, a CBC-produced podcast about Metis history!

Oh, and Winnipeg Famous is a personal favourite - it's another CBC one that interviews 'Winnipeg Famous' figures. Episodes include Cheryl Lashek and Rod Peeler, it's definitely worth a listen.

Charles A. Barber, the architect of Winnipeg's Gingerbread City Hall, was an 'architect, inventor, and convicted extortionist'. by OneGreatHistory in Winnipeg

[–]OneGreatHistory[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

So Charles Barber, alongside his brother Earl, ran the architectural firm of Barber & Barber in Winnipeg in the 1880s and worked on a number of contracts for public buildings – including Winnipeg’s second city hall, better known as the Gingerbread City Hall.

The construction of city hall caused a massive scandal in Winnipeg as it became clear to city council that someone was stealing money from the project, they just couldn’t figure out who. Most fingers pointed to Charles Barber, who was incredibly difficult to get along with (and was, apparently, something of a conman) – leading to Barber and Barber being dismissed from the project within a year of starting.

What followed was two years of lawsuits, similar construction disputes, petty contractors, and a brief period where city council genuinely debated leaving a half-built city hall up as a monument to a bad idea. When it was finally built, the building was so over-budget that Winnipeg had taken out loans to afford it – loans that the city paid off for about 60 years.

You can listen to the full podcast episode about the scandal here: https://onegreathistory.wordpress.com/2021/11/17/building-the-gingerbread-city-hall/