Empire-Advance

  The 1926 census of Canada was a special mid-decade population count conducted exclusively for the Prairie Provinces, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta starting June 1,1926. This covered the 3 provinces to track rapid population growth and re-adjust federal per-capita grants and political representation between National Census. It included 25 questions marking the first prairie census to track time spent in school. It did not include questions on occupation or religion. RCMP officers and Indian Agents enumerated Indigenous reserves and northern territories while standard local officials covered towns, rural districts and institutions. The count recorded over 2 million people in the prairies with an estimated population in all of Canada sitting roughly at 9.45 million. Manitoba's first pulp and paper mill operated in Pine Falls. The Pas Winter Carnival and dog derby events continued to grow as a center piece of Northern Manitoba winter tradition. On December 23,1926, a massive fire destroyed the Historic Winnipeg theater. Four firefighters were killed in the blaze when one of the building's walls collapsed. The Royal Canadian Legion was incorporated in Manitoba in 1926, thus they are celebrating 100 years. Life in Kenton in 1926 included the new United Church. The center of rural education was at the 2 story brick Kenton Consolidated School building, which was designed by architect Eldred Tuttle. The Manitoba Pool Elevator had been incorporated a year earlier and changed how farmers stored, pooled and marketed their grain crops. In Kenton, we have no railroad tracks, no elevator and no school, but we are still the best town by a dam site!