Ralph Friesen launch of "Prosperity Ever, Depression Never": Steinbach in the 1930s

Ralph Friesen celebrates the Winnipeg launch of "Prosperity Ever, Depression Never": Steinbach in the 1930s (Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society).

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 phenomenon, with a detailed chapter on the village’s “backbone”—its 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. The book draws on memoirs, the diaries of the author’s father, and articles and letters from the Steinbach Post. Photographs of the era and detailed maps are also included.

The arc of the story shows the 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.