Historic Sites of Manitoba: Steinbach - The Automobile City (Steinbach)

Steinbach’s first automobile dealership was established in 1914 by Jacob Reimer Friesen, becoming the first Ford automobile dealership in western Canada. Others soon followed. After the Great Depression, car sales increased and, by the 1950s, as a result of aggressive promotion, Steinbach became known as “The Automobile City”. By 1991, exhorted by the promotional slogan that “it’s worth the trip”, people from Manitoba, Ontario and elsewhere came to Steinbach to purchase vehicles. This replica of a 1931 Rolls Royce Roadster is about double the size of the original: 40 feet in length, 12 feet wide, and 11½ feet high. It was made by John Henry Friesen of John Henry Signs, in association with John A. Fehr.

Steinbach - The Automobile City (2011) Source: Peter McLure Steinbach - The Automobile City (September 2020) Source: George Penner Steinbach - The Automobile City (April 2022) Source: Rose Kuzina Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.54805, W96.68930 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Memorable Manitobans: Jacob Reimer “J. R.” Friesen (1878-1950)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: J. R. Friesen and Sons / Fairway Ford (236 Main Street, Steinbach)

Sources:

MHM - Steinbach - The Automobile City, Waymarking.

This page was prepared by Peter McLure, George Penner, Rose Kuzina, and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 29 March 2023

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