The history of Brandon is full of interesting people who have helped to shape the city as we know it today. Use the links below to explore the names from Brandon's past.
Wastie, Thomas
Thomas Wastie was a government employee and a militia man who fought against Louis Riel in the 1885 Rebellion. He was the first tenant to occupy the revenue house at 262 13th St. The first owner of this house was an absentee landlord, John McBurnie, who was a gentleman lace merchant living in Montreal.
Weir, J.L.
By 1909, J.L. Weir, the manager of the Brandon Steam Laundry, had purchased the house at 129 15th street from its original creator/owner A.J. Sheather.
Whitehead, Charles
The Whitehead family came west in 1877 to engage in construction. In May of 1881, Charles established the first lumber business in Brandon, but retired the following year to carry on a large farming operation south of the city. Whitehead brought the first locomotive into Winnipeg, introducing the “iron horse” to the prairies. He was also the first purchaser of land from the CPR. Charles was chairman of the Brandon General Hospital Board for nearly two decades. The Whitehead family had a controlling interest in the Brandon Sun newspaper from 1903 up until the late 1990s.
Whitehead, Joseph Blyth
Joseph B. Whitehead was born in Blyth, Ontario in 1865. He moved to Brandon in 1881 with his father, Charles Whitehead. Charles Whitehead served on the board of directors for the Brandon Daily Sun, and it was only natural that Joseph follow suit. In 1903, Joseph Whitehead purchased the majority of the newspaper’s shares and, by 1911, had gained sole control of the paper. This began the Whitehead era of the newspaper; the family would control the paper for over eighty years. Joseph Whitehead acted as publisher and executive director of the Brandon Daily Sun until 1937, when his son Ernest C. Whitehead assumed these responsibilities. Joseph Whitehead died in 1945.
Winter, William
Brandon’s second mayor William Winter was born in England around 1840. Originally employed in Ontario as an express agent for the CPR, Winter arrived in Brandon during the construction of the railway in the early 1880s. He succeeded Thomas Daly as mayor in 1883. Winter also operated a general store on the corner of 6thSt. and Rosser Ave. and served as chair of the Brandon School Board. Winter and his family left Brandon in 1887. He died in Detroit in 1914 and is commemorated by Winter Bay.
Wiswell, E.G.
E. G. Wiswell was appointed as Brandon’s Fire Chief in 1885. He remained as such until 1915.
Wright, Frank Lloyd
Frank Lloyd Wright, a famous Chicago architect, originally developed the Prairie style of architecture. Wright often incorporated design elements associated with the Craftsman Movement.