This two-storey brick building at the northeast corner of the intersection of First Avenue and Second Street in Bowsman, in the Municipality of Minitonas-Bowsman, was designed by Calgary-based architect Reginald Edwardes McDonnell (1887-1963). It was built in late 1918 as a branch of the Merchants Bank of Canada. The bank operated on the main floor and a suite for manager J. H. Doig was on the second floor. Nearly identical buildings were constructed at Austin, Minitonas, and Oakville. In 1922, when the bank merged with the Bank of Montreal, it became a branch of that bank until closing in December 1936.
At that time, the building was purchased by Henry Stevens for his insurance agency and real estate business. He later began offering private banking services to the community before closing his “one-man bank” on 1 May 1965, at which time it was believed to be the last privately owned bank in Canada. Stevens continued to work in real estate and insurance, and arranged for the Toronto-Dominion Bank at Swan River to provide part-time banking services from this building, two days a week.
In 1964, Stevens hired Clifford “Cliff” Cook to help in his business and, three years later, he took Cook on as a partner in the firm of Stevens and Cook. After Stevens retired in 1979, due to ill health, Cook bought him out and the business became Cook & Cooke Insurance Brokers when, in 1981, Cook took on Douglas “Doug” Cooke as a partner. They operated offices at Bowsman and Swan River until 2000 when they consolidated into a new building at Swan River. This building was closed in 2001 and it is believed to have been vacant since that time. Its main floor windows and doors were boarded up as of 2024.
Stevens Block (no date)
Source: Swan Valley Star and Times, 15 January 1981, page 1.
Stevens Block (July 2021)
Source: George Penner
Stevens Block (September 2022)
Source: Jordan MakichukSite Coordinates (lat/long): N52.23724, W101.20802
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Manitoba Business: Merchants Bank of Canada
Manitoba Business: Bank of Montreal
Memorable Manitobans: Henry Stevens (1898-1981)
“The Merchants’ Bank of Canada,” Swan River Star, 6 December 1918, page 1.
“Two Valley banks to close this year,” Swan Valley Star and Times, 17 December 1936, page 1.
“Cook and Cooke celebrates 100th anniversary,” Swan Valley Star and Times, 1 March 2005, page 11.
Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950 by Robert G. Hill, Toronto.
This page was prepared by Jordan Makichuk, Gordon Goldsborough, and George Penner.
Page revised: 22 May 2025
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