1946 – 2026: Watching Steinbach Grow – Town’s first mayor never needed an election

SEPTEMBER 25, 1959—Being the first mayor of any town is quite a distinction. Being mayor of that town for its first 10 years is an even greater distinction. Although he passed the gavel to L.A. Barkman a year ago, K.R. Barkman is still regarded as the “Mayor Emeritus,” the embodiment of the spirit which welded the Village of Steinbach into a full-grown town.

Reflecting on his time in office, the former mayor was quick to point out that not everyone was “for” him.

“One day, when I was mayor, a man came into my office. He looked me in the eye and said he had been going around saying everything in the dictionary that was bad about me. What is more, he said he was going to keep right on saying it. The fellow turned and walked out. I guess when you live for 50 years in a place, there are bound to be some people that aren’t for you.”

Taking everything together, it appears that the people who “weren’t for” Klaas Reimer Barkman during the years he was mayor of Steinbach, were few and far between.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been put in by acclamation in the first place and returned unopposed every single time he ever ran for this office.

Even there, Barkman had an answer. He said the way it works out is that people aren’t interested in politics and are only too glad to find somebody foolish enough to take the job.

Barkman, 66, who has spent a total of three decades in public office, said the most disappointing thing was there is never enough money to actually do what you would like to do for the people.

However, most citizens of Steinbach are willing to testify that the town forged ahead in the greatest strides in its history during Mayor Barkman’s tenure of office. Most people will agree that Steinbach’s streets are quite a distance ahead of those of most towns of comparable size.

If there exists such a thing as “blue blood” in Steinbach, Klaas Reimer Barkman could lay claim to possession of a good share of it.

His grandfather on his mother’s side was Klaas Reimer of pioneer fame, and the first merchant the community ever had. On his father’s side, the “blue blood” comes from P.T. Barkman, who built the country’s first flour mill.

During his life, K.R. has been both a mill operator and a merchant, in keeping with his heritage on both sides of the family.

In his youth, he worked a year for his pioneer merchant grandfather and namesake, Klaas Reimer. Leaving there, he worked in the flour mill, which his father had taken over. He also worked on the farm, which his father owned in addition to the mill. He was, and still is, no stranger to hard work.

K.R. Barkman and his wife, Mary, moved to Foam Lake, Sask. in 1923, where he opened his own flour mill. He was elected to the town council there by acclamation and remained in office for all the 18 years he spent in Foam Lake.

When he returned to Steinbach in 1946, the town was in the process of evolving from a village to a town. Because of his being a native of Steinbach and for many years a resident, and because of his long political experience, he was elected the town’s first mayor.

He held that position right up until a year ago, at which time he stepped down, passing the gavel to L.A. Barkman.