Tales from the Mennonite Heritage Archives – Details, episodes & analysis

How does a teacher that professes to care for his students and profession become the perpetrator of a school shooting? In this episode, Dan Dyck presents the first of two episodes on the Altona school shooting of 1902 that ultimately claimed the life of one student and the perpetrator Heinrich J. Toews. In it, we learn about the shooting itself, as well as the life and state of mind of Heinrich J. Toews. Both in the lead up to the events of October 9, 1902, and in the aftermath of the tragic event.

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Find out more by visiting the Mennonite Heritage Archives website - https://www.mharchives.ca/

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In this episode, host Dan Dyck gives us a glimpse at the incredible life and service of Helen Friesen Reimer (1905-1993). Helen started her professional life as a rural school teacher, where seeing the need, she was inspired to become a nurse. This was the start of an adventurous life that would see her take roles in nursing and medical administration around the world, working for the World Health Organization and the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, among other organizations. She received the Order of Canada, the Queen's Jubilee Medal, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Winnipeg. She is listed as a Memorable Manitoban and was posthumously chosen as a Manitoba Woman Trailblazer in 2021 by the Nellie McClung Foundation to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Manitoba. 

 You can also read more about Helen on the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online (GAMEO). 

Your donations help preserve and share stories like this one! Make a gift here or call 204.560.1998.

Find out more by visiting the Mennonite Heritage Archives website - https://www.mharchives.ca/

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Johannes Klaassen, or John as we’ll call him in today’s story, firmly stood with his conscience and he paid for that decision with his life. In this episode, host Dan Dyck tells the story of John, a conscientious objector from Oklahoma that died in prison after refusing to don a military uniform. Here is his story, as told through the diary of his father, Michael Klaassen. 

Your donations help preserve and share stories like this one! Make a gift here or call 204.560.1998.

Find out more by visiting the Mennonite Heritage Archives website - https://www.mharchives.ca/

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'Big Bill' was born Wilhelm Enns in 1894 in the village of Einlage in Imperial Russia. He was a jack of all trades whose work life included jobs as a teacher, farm laborer, dragline operator, salesman, and shoe repairman, among others. He was also an avid writer. With host Dan Dyck, today we will be exploring the colourful life and storytelling of 'Big Bill' Enns, largely through letters written by Bill and compiled and translated by Edward Enns, a relative.

Your donations help preserve and share stories like this one! Make a gift here or call 204.560.1998.

Find out more by visiting the Mennonite Heritage Archives website - https://www.mharchives.ca/

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Katharina Thiessen was a Mennonite midwife whose practice started in Ukraine, and continued in the United States and eventually southern Manitoba, where she settled with her family in 1885. As a midwife and lay doctor, she held a role in the Mennonite community that was not always understood by the official medical establishment. In this episode, host Dan Dyck explores the medical career of Katharina Thiessen and the role that women like her had in the Mennonite community, as well as the challenges to legitimacy as medical professionals that they faced from the wider society.

Your donations help preserve and share stories like this one! Make a gift here or call 204.560.1998.

Find out more by visiting the Mennonite Heritage Archives website - https://www.mharchives.ca/

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Traditionally, faspa was a portable meal taken out to farmers on the field in the late afternoon. Faspa provided much needed sustenance for the hard workers who would typically labour until dark and then come home for supper. In this episode, host Dan Dyck sits down with Josh Penner, a Winnipeg business owner who is taking this traditional meal and giving it a contemporary twist. To start, he wanted to learn more about the tradition and explore the philosophy behind it. Where better to start that research than with a visit to the archives?

Your donations help preserve and share stories like this one! Make a gift here or call 204.560.1998.

Find out more by visiting the Mennonite Heritage Archives website - https://www.mharchives.ca/

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Many small communities have a person that everyone knows, who doesn't quite fit the standard mold, but has become a part of the fabric of the place. In this episode, host Dan Dyck explores the story of 'Flower Annie' of Winkler, Manitoba. 'Flower Annie' was born Anna Neufeld in 1909 and earned her nickname and living by selling paper flowers around town. Despite being a well-known part of the community up to her death in 1980, most people did not know much about who she was. This is the story of 'Flower Annie'.

Your donations help preserve and share stories like this one! Make a gift here or call 204.560.1998.

Find out more by visiting the Mennonite Heritage Archives website - https://www.mharchives.ca/

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In our last episode, we learned about the work of Olga Penner, better known to many as 'Aunt Olly', the host of the radio program Children’s Party. In today's episode, host Dan Dyck talks with her sons Steven and David about being the children of a local celebrity, and the woman behind the show.

Your donations help preserve and share stories like this one! Make a gift here or call 204.560.1998.

Find out more by visiting the Mennonite Heritage Archives website - https://www.mharchives.ca/

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In this episode, we explore the work of Olly Penner, better known to many as Aunt Olly, the host of the radio program Children’s Party. From 1959 to 1987, thousands of children tuned in daily to listen to the program. When Olly became a radio host in 1959, it was uncommon for married women to work outside the home, but she made it work while raising a young family. 

In this episode, we learn about Aunt Olly's process, her path to the career she had, and hear as listeners to Children's Party recount the impact it had on them.

Your donations help preserve and share stories like this one! Make a gift here or call 204.560.1998.

Find out more by visiting the Mennonite Heritage Archives website - https://www.mharchives.ca/

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In today's episode, we learn about Peter P. Dyck. He was a familiar sight around Carman from the 1940's to his death in 1970 - a man that refused to stay still despite the loss of his mobility after a tragic accident. While he spent much of his life in the hospital in Carman, Manitoba, his resilience and ingenuity were an inspiration to many. 

Your donations help preserve and share stories like this one! Make a gift here or call 204.560.1998.

Find out more by visiting the Mennonite Heritage Archives website - https://www.mharchives.ca/

Follow the Mennonite Heritage Archives on Instagram and Facebook.