n THE CARILLON STEINBACH, MAN. C6
n www.thecarillon.com THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026 Agriculture Now
Unprecedented building boom continues by WES KEATING L ong before “vertical integration” and “value-added” became catch phrases of agriculture and industry, the Penners of Blumenort and the Loewens of Steinbach were well experienced in both.
The biggest of these out-of-town contracts was $74,500 by the C.T. Loewen and Sons firm for a new three-room school with auditorium in Sprague. A new two-room school was also being completed at Ridgewood, and on Aug. 31, ratepayers of Carmichael School voted al- most unanimously for a $14,000 addition to their present school building. Several teachers’ residents, a few service stations, an addition to the golf club at Falcon Lake, a tobacco drying kiln, two motels, 23 homes, and 19 barns all added up to the im- pressive total of $500,000 in construction in the Steinbach trading area. The post-war building boom in southeastern Manitoba continued at a steady pace a decade-and- a-half after Steinbach struck out on its own, despite tight money and crop failures in the late 1950’s. There was no way of telling how many new homes, barns and machine sheds were be- ing built privately by farmers with the aid of neighbours and hired help. In Steinbach itself, the construction picture was even more impressive. The third week in September, the construction of a $100,000 credit union building was well under way. The steel rafters went up for the new Toronto-Do- minion Bank, estimated to cost $54,000. Barkman Hardware’s new manufacturing plant, with the initial building expected to cost over $100,000, was also under construction. At the same time, it was announced that the final details on the seniors’ home had been ironed out, which meant that the $127,000 structure would be started in the fall of 1959, as well. Other commercial or public buildings under construction, at the time, were a new furniture store by Steinbach Furniture, estimated to cost $24,000, an insurance office valued at $8,000, and a ladies’ wear shop valued at $25,000. On the horizon were two other commercial buildings, including a $350,000 woodwork- ing factory for C.T. Loewen and Sons and a $100,000 grocery store. Besides these huge commercial develop- ments, 35 houses were under construction or had been completed in Steinbach in 1959, with an average value estimated cost to run just over $13,000. It is felt that the money shortage will not make itself felt here before the present boom runs out, and contractors feel that this will take some time.
While the farmers of Southeastern Manito- ba were putting food on the table, the Penners and the Loewens were putting a roof over their heads, building barns for their cattle, pews for their churches and school rooms for their chil- dren. C.T. Loewen and A.K. Penner saw mills har- vesting trees in the Sandilands Forest, ship- ping pulp to Kenora for paper production and lumber to Blumenort and Steinbach for the building trade and woodworking factories. While C.T. Loewen and Sons was responsi- ble for much of the residential construction in Steinbach, the Blumenort firm was also kept busy building houses, barns, churches, schools and commercial buildings. As Steinbach grew, so did Penner Building Centre at Blumenort and C.T. Loewen and Sons in Steinbach. During the war years, the C.T. Loewen firm operated lumber camps in the winter months in various parts of the province and even at one time in British Columbia. As a matter of training, sons Edward and George took their turns running a camp; C.T. Loewen, believed this was necessary experience for anyone that was going to follow in his footsteps. The wood supply business decreased, but a reputation for quality and reasonable price began stimulating the sash and door trade for the Loewens. After the war, a large order for hydro pole cross arms, totalling some 100,000 pieces, was placed with them. C.T. Loewen, who started it all in Steinbach in 1905, turned the company over to his three sons, Ed, George, and Cornie, in 1950. As the factory expanded, the brothers would later decide to split up the company with Cornie taking over the factory and Ed and George the downtown lumber yard and building supplies centre. The downtown property, including the lum- ber yard, stretched from Main Street across the creek to include Helena Loewen’s garden, which is next to the Jake Epp Library and is a tribute to the founder of Steinbach’s largest factory. The post-war building boom in southeast- ern Manitoba continued at a steady pace a de- cade-and-a-half after Steinbach struck out on its own, despite tight money and crop failures in the late 1950’s. Rural municipalities did not keep track of the construction of new buildings by way of building permits, so it was impossible to de- termine the total amount of construction ac- tivity in this area. Reports, in 1959, from firms, who jointly were completing a $500,000 build- ing program in the areas outside of Steinbach, indicated the general trend.
CARILLON ARCHIVES Albert Reimer discusses house plans with C.T. Loewen & Sons general manager Cornie Loewen.
CARILLON ARCHIVES Workmen take a lunch break, relaxing with a sandwich and coffee on the foundation of the new Barkman Concrete Products plant, going up in the western part of Steinbach.
CARILLON ARCHIVES
Construction of the new $125,000 Credit Union building is well underway in 1959.
September, 2025 | The Helena Loewen Garden
WES KEATING THE CARILLON At the entrance of The Helena Loewen Garden, next to the Jake Epp Library, is a plaque which pays tribute to the pioneering family of C.T. Loewen. “This is the historic site of Helena Loewen’s garden. A devout and patient woman, Helena worked tirelessly in the interests of her family, caring and tending to their growth, just as she did with the flowers and fruit trees which grew on this site. “Helena’s husband, C.T. Loewen, built his family’s lumber business extending from her garden to Main Street. A lumberman dedicated to his family, building houses and community growth, C.T. was both visionary and open-minded, allowing himself, his children, and his employees to make mistakes with the expectation that they learn from them. “C.T.’s faith and actions were integrally connected and rooted in the values of his Mennonite community, where people were responsible to and for each other. “Success can be measured in business and employment terms, in leadership and other contributions to church and community institutions, but the values of faith, patience, integrity, pragmatic risk and community building that have grown with the Loewen Family have roots in this garden, where Helena Loewen nurtured her flowers and trees.”
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