Winnipeg Beach: Leisure and Courtship in a Resort Town, 1900-1967

by Dale Barbour

During the first half of the twentieth century, Winnipeg Beach proudly marketed itself as the Coney Island of the West. Located just north of Manitoba’s bustling capital, it drew 40,000 visitors a day and served as an important intersection between classes, ethnic communities, and perhaps most importantly, between genders. In Winnipeg Beach, Dale Barbour takes us into the heart of this turn-of-the-century resort area and introduces us to some of the people who worked, played and lived in the resort. Through photographs, interviews, and newspaper clippings he presents a lively history of this resort area and its surprising role in the evolution of local courtship and dating practices, from the commoditization of the courting experience by the Canadian Pacific Railway's “Moonlight Specials,” through the development of an elaborate amusement area that encouraged public dating, and to its eventual demise amid the moral panic over sexual behaviour during the 1950s and ‘60s.

Genres: Academic, Nonfiction

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Jessica DeWitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barbour provides a interesting and intellectually stimulating history of Winnipeg Beach that focuses on the evolution of gender norms and behavior in the 20th century with a hint of environmental history. Great read!

[Simone Aysan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a must read for anyone who has a connection to Winnipeg Beach! Couldn't put it down, so fascinating!!

[Jared Barkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a self-proclaimed local history buff, and reading this eye-opening account of a town I spent so much of my childhood visiting was a treat. While the quality of the book is nothing to write home about, the insights showing how Gimli was, in many ways, ahead of its time were riveting.

[Niyomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️