Celebrating 100 Years of St. James
Throughout 2021, the Historical Museum of St. James-Assiniboia is celebrating 100 years of the Municipality of St. James, established in 1921.
Explore this page for educational and entertaining content that teaches about St. James in 1921 and throughout the years of its development.
Explore additional St. James Centennial content with the links below:
St. James Then and Now Photographs
Virtual Tour of Rudolph’s Beauty Parlour
Heritage Day 2021: Celebrating 100 Years of St. James
St. James in 1921
Learn about the beginnings of St. James and the formation of the Municipality of St. James in 1921 and then hear from Annie Godkin, wife of Joseph William Godkin the first Reeve of St. James.
Aviation in St. James
Discover the rich history of aviation in St. James.
St. James Pharmacies
Learn about pharmacies in St. James throughout the 1900s and how they impacted the community.
A Short History of the Development of St. James
This year we celebrate 100 Years of the Municipality of St. James established in 1921. The first council meeting of the newly established Municipality was held in the Museum’s 1911 Municipal Hall of Assiniboia. Although recently separated from Assiniboia, the St. James Municipality met here before having their own offices.
The armchair pictured here was presented to George T. Chapman on his retiring as Reeve of the Rural Municipality of Assiniboia in 1912. The chair, which still sits inside the Museum’s 1911 Municipal Hall, would have been present in the Municipal Hall during the first meeting of the Municipality of St. James.
In the years following World War II the Municipality of St. James completely surpassed the Municipality of Assiniboia. Nearly 2500 new homes were built between 1948 and 1955. St. James was the fastest growing municipality in the greater Winnipeg area, and it soon had all the attributes of a city.
In April 1956, St. James with a population of 26,870 received its City Charter from the province. A huge parade marked the occasion. Speeches, a band concert, a sing a long and fireworks at Bruce Park.
In 1969, after a 49-year separation, St. James and Assiniboia were reunited as the City of St. James-Assiniboia.
Assiniboia had attracted little industry and its tax base was almost entirely residential. The amalgamation of St. James and Assiniboia took effect on January 1st. The new City of St. James-Assiniboia, Manitoba’s second largest with a population of 67,000, occupied 28,048 acres.
In 1960 a government body known as “Metro”, the Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg, was established to perform local services for all Greater Winnipeg Municipalities.
In June 1968, Metro Council declared itself in favour of one government for Greater Winnipeg. Known as Central City, or Unicity, the incorporation of all twelve than existing municipalities and cities into a single city/urban government took effect on January 1, 1972. At the time. St. James-Assiniboia was the largest and most prosperous of the Greater Winnipeg cities and municipalities.
Read more about the history of St. James-Assiniboia here.