Gretna : Window On The Northwest

Written with research help from his wife Gaile, Francis Enns' history of Gretna (a town in Manitoba's Municipality of Rhineland) traces the village's growth from a customs outpost in 1883 to its anticipated 1983 centennial. Enns emphasizes Gretna's early development as a function of its proximity to a Canada-U.S. border crossing (and, at times, smuggling) point. The book's coverage of Gretna's first decades is richest - more than half of the text is devoted to the time period before a 1913 fire devastated the town's businesses. Although the book does not contain individual family histories, material lent by current and former residents (and excerpts from both local papers and correspondence) creates an account both personal and institutional. Includes footnotes and bibliography.