2012: The Year in Dumplings

I was away over the New Year but though I would do a belated version of The Year in Dumplings, my annual list of the most-read posts from all of my blogs.

Many of 2012's entries were actually from earlier years, which is not really surprising considering that many of my posts aren't current events related. I have intermixed the top posts from my three blogs in order of the most read, the blog name and month that it was written appears after the title.

I'd like to thank everyone who has read my blogs over the year. I checked the Google Analytics and it seems that they have attracted 68,000 visits and just shy of 200,000 page views in 2012!

1. Titanic's Manitoba Connections (TWM - Jul 2008) 2012 was the centenary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. I greatly expanded my 2008 post for the occasion and it was the most read item on any of my blogs. 

2. The Flying Bandit (TWM - Jul 2008) I wrote about the life and legend of bank robber turned folk hero Ken Leishman back in 2008. Since then, it has always made my top ten list. The comments section has attrated family members and friends making it an interesting read as well !

3. Great Winnipeg Stadium Moments - Construction (WED Aug 2011) With the stadium in the news so much this year, the top post from my West End Dumplings blog was part one of my history of the Winnipeg Stadium.

4. Eaton's Catalogue Houses (TWM Mar 2009) This was a brief post I wrote about Eaton's catalogue houses sold early in the last century. I really should look at expanding it as it seems to have caught on !

5. A Dozen Developments Around Winnipeg (WED April 2012) This spring there were over a billion dollars in new developments underway around the city. This was a look at a dozen of them, from biggies like the new stadium and Women's Hospital to the more modest Neeganin Village housing complex and Braunstein Block.

6. A look back at the MS Lord Selkirk II (WED Feb 2012) In 2010 it was announced that the MS Lord Selkirk wold be sold for scrap. Early this year I took a look back at the history of the ship, just months before it went up in flames.

7.  The Nazi invasion of Winnipeg (WED Feb 2012) February marked the 70th anniversary of If Day. It was a publicity stunt to raise funds for War Bonds that involved a cast of hundreds, complete with uniforms shipped in from Hollywood studios.

 

8. Deanna Durbin, Winnipeg's Sweetheart (WED Dec 2011) In December 2011 the 1940s superstar of screen and stage turned 90. Though she left Winnipeg as an infant, the city considered her one of us.

9. Looking back at Winnipeg's Airports (WED Oct 2011) Many people took time to remember the old Winnipeg International Airport before its demolition began earlier this year.

10. The Spanish Flu's Toll on Manitoba (TWM Jul 2008) The "Spanish" Flu brought an unimaginable fear to Manitoba's communities. Churches, schools and workplaces were closed for months as residents prayed that we would not find themselves victims of the deadly epidemic.

11.  266 Graham Avenue - Canada Post Building (WDP May 2009) Opened in 1958, the old General Post Office is being renovated into Winnipeg's new Public Safety Building. This is a look back at the history of the building.

11. Manitoba's Most Tasteless Titanic Memorial (WED Apr 2012) Manitoba's Titanic Connections topped off the list but this post about a tasteless children's ride also fared well.

 

12. Higgins and Main - Youth for Christ (WDP Jul 2010) The Youth Centre of Excellence opened in December 2011 but the organization's roots in Winnipeg date back to the 1950s.

13. 335 Donald Street - Masonic Temple (WDP Jul 2009) Despite its location and a couple of development plans, the former Masonic Temple has remained stubbornly vacant for a number of years. here is a look back at its construction.

14. A History of the Arlington Bridge (WED Aug 2011) It has been a "love it or hate it" structure since the day it opened in February 1912. In this series I look back at the controversial bridge and examine the urban legend that it was meant to cross the Nile.

15. Put your Trash Into Orbit (WED Aug 2011) It seems there is a great nostalgia for Peter Boychuk's Orbit trash container. The Manitoba Highways employee also created the design for two roadside signs that have since been adopted as the international standard.

 

16. Budweiser's Clydesdales and their Winnipeg Origins (WED Feb 2012) The iconic Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales were actually those of Shea's Brewery of Winnipeg until the Busch kids purchased them for their father in the 1930s.

 

17. 238 King Street - Coronation Block (WDP Jan 2011) 2012 marked the end of the line for a number of Winnipeg buildings, including the Coronation Block, long-time home to Shanghai Restaurant.