Humboldt & District Chamber of Commerce - Humboldt

Chamber History

The first meeting of the Humboldt Board of Trade was held on February 7, 1906 in the Windsor Hotel. After elections were completed, the members developed a draft set of bylaws and discussed letterhead styles for approval at their next meeting.

In 1909 Humboldt Town Council began providing a grant to the Board of Trade. The sum of the grant would be equal to the amount collected in membership fees. The Board established committees to pursue different community initiatives. The committees included finance, civic improvements, railway and shipping, entertainment, immigration and advertising, agriculture and industries. The public market committee held its first market in April 1909 with an auction and sale of goods and produce.

Within the next few years, the Board of Trade built an office building directly south of the Windsor Hotel on the Canadian Northern Railway grounds. Inside the building were exhibits that showed the productiveness of the Humboldt and surrounding area to travelers and settlers arriving by train. The board employed a full-time secretary-manager who developed publicity packages to encourage settlement and attract new business to Humboldt. By 1913 the Board of Trade was publishing 24 page booklets promoting Humboldt for future development.

The name of the Humboldt Board of Trade was changed at a banquet in May 1923. President J. Yoerger proposed a new name of “Humboldt and District Board of Trade”. Members at this event spoke of the need for more community spirit in Humboldt district and wanted everyone to pull together for the good of the town and district. The name that was eventually chosen was “Humboldt Community Club”.

The Community Club carried on the work of the Board of Trade for a few years until the fall of 1928. At the September meeting that year the group supported the idea of Town Council offering reasonable inducements to companies considering locating in Humboldt. Members present expressed the opinion that the Board of Trade was a necessity and the motion of re-organizing the club was unanimously approved. The board felt that industries were moving west and Humboldt was well situated to share in the expansion. With the re-organization of the Board of Trade, the Community Club went out of existence.

In 1966 the name of Humboldt Board of Trade was changed to “Humboldt and District Chamber of Commerce”. At the time, the name Board of Trade was considered obsolete and the new name would modernize the organization and be more embracing of the business community.

Over the years, this organization has significantly assisted in the development of the community. Among other activities the Chamber has brought in numerous speakers, hosted events and educational seminars, provided advocacy for various issues, published advertising brochures, paid tribute to its citizens and funded community projects. 

Information taken from “100 Interesting Stories about Humboldt”
- Humboldt Museum