Wetaskiwin District Heritage Museum Centre & City of Wetaskiwin Archives

Christmas in July is admittedly an unpopular holiday with most Wetaskiwinites out enjoying the sun and summer heat. The chill of a traditional cold Christmas is all but forgotten. Still, tis the season to celebrate this ironic fete by showcasing a sled from the Wetaskiwin and District Heritage Museum! This sled was handmade to scale by Bill Woldman, a Swedish resident of Gwynne during the 1930s, and used for delivering news advertisements and Edmonton Bulletins in Wetaskiwin by Bud Braglin. He kept to his paper route for approximately five years and often took his dog, Toni, to pull the sled. It features four short wooden runners, painted red with black iron bottoms, and two long hinged polls at its front. The front and back runners move independently from each other. A green box with a seat fits between pegs on top. Thankfully, the snow and ice are still months away from making their regular annual appearance but come winter we wait with our sleds and toboggans at the ready!