Thinking Big: A History of the Winnipeg Business Community to the Second World War traces how commerce and enterprise shaped Winnipeg from its earliest trading networks to the eve of 1939.

Beginning with pre-contact Indigenous trading, the book follows the city’s growth into a regional hub, highlighting how local businesses, leaders, and organizations responded to both opportunity and crisis. It examines boom periods, post–World War I challenges, and the severe pressures of the Great Depression.

Readers gain insight into how Winnipeg’s business community organized itself, adapted to changing markets, and positioned the city for periods of growth and prosperity. The narrative connects economic decisions to social and regional impacts, offering a grounded look at the forces that helped define Winnipeg’s place in Canadian economic history.

Key themes

• Origins of commerce from Indigenous trading networks
• Development of Winnipeg as a business and trading centre
• Impact of World War I and the interwar years on local enterprise
• Business responses to recession and the Great Depression

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