Wetaskiwin District Heritage Museum Centre & City of Wetaskiwin Archives
an inclusive gathering place for the local community to engage in the history, heritage and culture of Wetaskiwin City, County, and the Maskwacis Cree Four Nations
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Category: Artifact Collection
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Experience Powwow Culture at the Heritage Museum
Celebrating our nation’s multiculturalism helps us understand our neighbours and bring us closer together. The Heritage Museum is honoured to be able to celebrate Indigenous culture with a temporary display of the Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery’s travelling exhibit Powwow! Ochiwîn The Origins. Curated by Patrick and Marissa Mitsuing, the exhibit features seven distinct…
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Discover the Origins of the Sewing Machine: From Saint to Singer
To the fashion-savvy or needlecraft-inclined, the sewing machine is heralded as the champion instrument of sewing clothes. The exact origin of the sewing machine is convoluted in the timeline of the Industrial Revolution and a boom of modern technology, but an English cabinetmaker by the name of Thomas Saint is accredited as the creator of…
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Understanding Heritage: Stories Behind Historical Artifacts
When I first began my journey at the Wetaskiwin District Heritage Museum Centre back in 2017, I was asked by Karen Aberle, PhD, what heritage was. I answered “uh… its history, but spelt with a “g””, and in that moment I received the first of many exasperated looks. Answering her own question she said, “History…
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How Hand-Crank Ice Cream Makers Changed Desserts
In the heat of the summer grabbing a cold, sweet treat is a popular option. This manual or hand crank ice cream maker serves as a marker of our love of frozen desserts. The history of ice cream is thought to go back to the second century B.C., but its exact origins remain unclear with…
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Discover the Autoclave: A Key Medical Innovation at the Museum
The Heritage Museum has reopened for visitors to indulge in the history of Wetaskiwin and area! Artifacts such as this autoclave, an instrument sterilizer, are on display for viewing. This electric unit could be plugged in to sterilize doctor’s instruments with heat and steam. The elevated temperature and pressure targets microorganisms, spores, and viruses, ensuring…
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Understanding the Luopan: The Feng Shui Compass
The luopan, also known as a geomantic or Feng Shui compass, is a Chinese magnetic compass used by a Feng Shui specialist to distinguish the precise direction of an object, structure, or item. The oldest known precursors to the luopan are said to have been dated from sometime between between 278 BCE and 209 BCE,…
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The History and Use of Umbrella Swifts in Yarn Crafting
If you’re someone who likes to knit or crochet maybe you’ve heard of the umbrella swift or swift yarn winder! This wooden tool was used in the 1960s and functions by holding your skeins, loosely coiled thread or yarn, as you wind your yarn into neat, easy-to-use balls. This model clamps to your table and…
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The History of the Electric Telegraph: Innovations by Samuel Morse
Look at this telegraph. The electric telegraph was invented in 1832 by Samuel F.B. Morse, he became interested in the possibility of electric telegraphy and made sketches of ideas for such a system. Morse later devised a system of dots and dashes to represent letters and numbers (Morse Code). The telegraph equipment in our collection…
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The Heritage of a Vintage Barber Chair
Blain Fuller inherited this chair from his best friend’s father, Cam Bratt. Cam bought it used in the early 1970’s and used it in his barber shop in Camrose. Blain has had the chair for 5-6 years. His children used to bounce on it, which may account for the poor condition of the seat. This…
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Preserving Legacy: The Story of the Brightview School Organ
In the early 1900’s the one room schools were few and far between with children driving horse and buggys four or more miles. The Lone Ridge School was filled up and couldn’t take any more. The Goodhands, my grandparents, who had started the Brightview Post Office, store and stopping place helped organize a new school…