W.J. Wood Building 1904

One of the major entrepreneurs of the town, W.J. Wood arrived in Winnipeg Beach in 1904 and started a business in flour and feed, farm equipment and cordwood. He later branched into real estate insurance and cabin rentals. Wood served as first mayor of the village (1910- 12), and chaired the school board for over 40 years.

In a brief history of Winnipeg Beach written in 1955, W.J. Wood described his entry into business. “My brother David had built a large warehouse and office on Central Avenue for me which I still possess. At that time I started to do business in flour and feed, ox harness, farm machinery, and cordwood. During the first winter, I sold 45 sets of farm sleighs, wagon drills, binders, harrows, fanning mills, straw cutters, etc. as well as 15 carloads of flour and feed, and took cordwood in exchange, which I shipped to Winnipeg and country points. During the winter of 1909, I bought and shipped 105 carloads of cordwood… The following year, 1914, the writer built the first garage, corner of Stitt and Central, and operated it for 20 years, then went into the real estate business, insurance, and cabins, where it wasn’t necessary to work eight hours twice a day.”