Category: Heritage Talks with Karen

A couple weeks ago I was asked about the headline “‘A museum in somebody’s basement’: items from Alberta’s Stan Reynolds collection to be sold”. I really didn’t give it a second thought. But then I started to get more phone calls and messages at work and seeing social media posts saying these items belonged in our local museums. The short answer is they do not, but this might need some explanation.

Stan Reynolds was an avid collector. He inherited this passion from his father Ted, who kept items that held sentimental value for him, including a 1904 Oldsmobile he bought in 1910 when he came to Wetaskiwin and a double-barrelled muzzle-loading shotgun he hunted with.

In 1955, the Reynolds constructed a large building to safely store the growing collection. Three years later, they decided to open up their private collection to the public. It was called the Reynolds Museum. You can still see the building in the field behind Legacy Toyota.

By the early 1970s Stan recognized that parts of this collection had great importance for the story of Alberta and he began to take further steps to see it better preserved. In 1981, he donated 850 machines to the Government of Alberta.

This, along with other items not part of his collection, would provide the foundation for our much-loved Reynolds-Alberta Museum, which opened on Sept. 12, 1992.

Stan did not only donate items to the Alberta government, however. For example, he had photos and other documents which were donated to the City of Wetaskiwin Archives. Further, in the early 1980s the City of Wetaskiwin began collecting objects for their own museum.

Stan donated many that had a specific provenance to our community. When the Wetaskiwin & District Museum Society was officially incorporated on May 20, 1986, the City transferred ownership of these, as well as countless others donated by many members of our community, to the Society. That Society is the non-profit charity that owns and operates the Wetaskiwin District Heritage Museum Centre, which I have the privilege of running.

For the past 40 years the Reynolds family has continued to donate objects, money, and valuable volunteer time to these local institutions.

In turn, we have all been working hard to continue to maintain our ethical balance of making the objects accessible to current generations, while preserving them for future generations, as Stan wanted.

After Stan passed away in 2012 we were given the opportunity to walk through his basement where he kept his private collection to see if there was anything else we wanted.

The same opportunity was given to other museums.
Storing and/or displaying objects does not make a museum. Museums own permanent collections, with each item being carefully registered, catalogued, and stored. Only a small percentage of them are put on display.

Our collections are not financial resources. Instead, they exist for the exclusive purposes of preservation, research, and presentation to the public.

Museum professionals, be they paid or volunteer, understand that it is neither sustainable, nor responsible, to have items just for the sake of having them. Collections make up the majority of our operating budgets. Even when our galleries are closed, like they have been for much of the past year, our collections are not going anywhere.

We have an ethical, and legal, responsibility to spend the same amount of time, money, and energy to not only look after them, but also continue to share them with the community the best we can. None of my museum peers have found that these mandated closures have meant we are any less busy.

A museum’s resources are finite and we have specific collections mandates and policies to try and balance them. At the Wetaskiwin District Heritage Museum Centre, our mandate reads: “objects / artifacts must be relevant to the history of Wetaskiwin and / or District for the purpose of preserving and interpreting material evidence of human cultures and natural environments”. Our policies consist of a small booklet.

The items from Stan Reynolds private collection that are now on auction are those which did not fit the mandates of our local museums. Instead, we have the good stuff.

At the Heritage Museum Centre alone we have almost 4,000 items that once belonged to the Reynolds family. Only a fraction of these are on display, but they include objects such as this Royal Air Force uniform and “Great Coat” that was worn by early Wetaskiwin resident H.R. French during WWI. Our most recent acquisition from the family is the cash register used by Ted Reynolds in his automotive shop. In many ways, this is where the entire Reynolds collection began.

A second newspaper article was published on Saturday with the tagline “Edmonton antique dealer parts with massive collection of ancient artifacts acquired from the Stan Reynolds collection — plus a few extras of his own”. The auction itself is called “The Stan Reynolds Museum Artifacts Collection”. All of this is misleading. Only about one-third of the items on auction are identified as coming from the Reynolds PRIVATE collection (not the museum). Approximately half of those are ancient bronze coins that have no real numismatic value. The discovery of Roman coin hoards is common, and the bronzes are, I almost hate to say it, a dime a dozen.

Would I love to own a bronze coin of the first Roman Emperor Augustus, of course I would. I have a PhD in Greek and Roman Archaeology, and my first museum “job” was in 1999 when I studied the Roman Republican Coin collection of the then Nickle Arts Museum at the University of Calgary for my undergraduate minor in Museum and Heritage Studies. This coin would be part of my private collection, however, like Ted Reynolds’ shot gun. It would be tucked away in a drawer at home because of its sentimental value and not part of the public collection I work everyday to preserve, research, and share with our community.

I believe our 118-year-old building talks to me. I love staying after everyone goes home to just sit quietly and listen. These little chats always give me ideas and inspiration. Usually this is about ways the Heritage Museum Centre can tell the story of our community of Wetaskiwin City, County, and Maskwacis at large, but last week I learned the building likes to talk about itself too.

For several years, I have had this dream of a coffee shop where on a typical day you will find our Star Store Gifts and Wool. If you have been to any of our events over the past few years, however, you will know that we also use this space as a coffee station.

What you may not have noticed is a narrow room behind it. This is directly under a flight of stairs that leads to our second floor from street level. We use the stairwell as a fire exit, but it was built to provide access to offices of the original building that were separated from the general store below. Last Monday we started to ‘break ground’ to fulfill this dream of having a formal coffee bar that will allow us to better fulfill our vision of being a friendly gathering place for the local community.

It is important to me that any renovations we do are true to the history of the building and our contractor, Ken Schubert of KelKenny Contracting, has been very patient with the archaeologist in me as I watch him uncover each element of the building’s history. On Thursday his task was to show me what the original floors were.

As you can see, we have evidence for several layers. At the bottom is a hardwood floor. This floor is part of the original construction by John West, who had to rebuild after a fire devastated his Pioneer Store, along with the rest of the bustling business district of Wetaskiwin, on June 23, 1903. The Star Trading Co. General Store opened five months later and these are the floors the first patrons walked on.

On top of the hardwood is another wood floor constructed with tongue and groove planks that is laid perpendicular to the first. We are estimating that this is from around the 1940s, when Jim Montgomery, a great nephew of Mr. West, was operating Montgomery’s Department store.

Immediately obvious over the tongue and groove is a plywood subfloor and then our familiar orange carpet throughout the main floor, except for a small section of sheet linoleum in the small room directly under the stairs. This layer of a subfloor with carpet or linoleum on top was installed by Don Montgomery, who took over the family business and eventually sold the building to our Wetaskiwin & District Museum Society at a very reasonable price.

Look closely, however, because there is evidence for a different layer directly on top of yet another wooden tongue and groove floor in the narrow section between the carpet and sheet linoleum.

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Unlike the tongue and groove that we believe dates to Jim Montgomery, this other one runs parallel to the original hardwood. On top of this second tongue and groove is an older plywood subfloor and cream coloured linoleum tiles (note the power cord coming through the first tile).

If we pan back again to look at the walls around the area [picture 2], we start to see yet another story.

Once the slat walls of the store were removed we found ship-lap, but there are two different kinds. At the far end the ship-lap boards are darker grey and thinner than those closer to the camera (and now mostly removed). By colour alone, it is obvious that this lighter and wider ship-lap is a newer construction. It was placed directly on top of the cream coloured tiles.

Returning to the flooring, notice that the edge of Don’s carpet lays on top of the edge of the tile. What you cannot see in the photos is that there is no further evidence for the tile under the rest of the carpet, just a subfloor. This suggests that the walls of the room under the stairs were constructed at a date later than the tile, but before the carpet.

The sheet linoleum is also interesting. It does not touch the tiles at all, instead there is a small gap between the two types of linoleum. I am excited to see if the floors under the carpet, which we have not removed yet, are the same as that under the older tiles, or the newer looking plywood under the sheet linoleum.

All of this was not the only story to be revealed on Thursday, however. After the floors were first exposed, and I had spent about half an hour wooing over them, I noticed that Linda Montgomery (Don’s wife) was in the gift shop. I went over to say hi and asked if she wanted to see what we had uncovered in her family’s building. We chatted for a bit and then she said something that caught my breath… She remembers taking staff coffee breaks in that little room where the sheet linoleum is and the new coffee bar will be.

I may not have known at the time, but years ago I heard the building’s story. Last week, that story became a little clearer. As lovers and protectors of Heritage we need to trust our connection to the objects and keep on listening.

We are excited for the renovations to be completed so we can welcome you all in to share a coffee and your stories with us and each other, or just have a quiet conversation with the building and its artifacts and hear their stories for yourself.

Originally published in the Wetaskiwin Times, April 7, 2021

As I reflect upon the previous year, I will remember it for how the Wetaskiwin and District Heritage Museum Team came together to support the community during these unprecedented times.

Following the announcement on March 17 that our doors were to be closed for an undetermined amount of time, we did not even take 24 hours to let that settle in. Instead, we met. We turned to our foundational documents, we read our mission, mandate, vision. We looked at our Strategic Plan and core values with a new lens, and began brainstorming how the museum continues to do all of this with no visitors. While our physical doors may have been closed for two long months, and we may have not been able to fall back on any of our usual programming throughout the year, we did continue, without even a pause, to provide a consistent and professional level of service to our community.

Some of this was normal, including our weekly Heritage Moments and regular columns in the Wetaskiwin Times, some of it was a little strange, even for us. With no money coming in, we chose to turn the temperature down to 60°F to save on at least one of our bills. This is great for the artefacts, a little chilly for the three of us who were still working at the museum three days a week. Craig, our six-foot 200 lb collections coordinator, showed up on the second day in his sloth onesie and Mylo the museum working sloth was born. Megan, our programs coordinator, took 11 ‘find Mylo’ pictures for Facebook. It exploded into a strange phenomenon of literally giving people a reason to get out of bed during those early days of staying home.

Our Youth Network never stopped. They continued with their weekly meetings via Facebook, and created a new Facebook Group “the Nutty Networkers” to connect with the community. They helped us launch a second Facebook group called “Let’s Bring the Bears Back”.

The museum’s own social media audience grew as well, and we stayed connected with the community, offering them an escape through a variety of activities including puzzles, games, and stories, while still sharing important updates from our community partners. Meanwhile, our Board spent the better part of a week calling volunteers to see how they were doing, and cutting out thank you hearts so they could write the names of our supporters on them and paste our front windows with these symbols of appreciation.

When the provincial government began their relaunch strategy, museums were included in the first phase. We reopened our doors on May 21. I was in a Zoom meeting with the Minister of Culture, Multi-culturalism, and the Status of Women just after this announcement was made. We asked why museums, and in her words, this was because museums play an important social and economic role in this province. It was our turn to give back, and the Heritage Museum did.

The most successful example of this was our Grad 2020 History Makers project. We continued to hear from our community that our students needed that walk across the stage. We became determined to make that happen. There was nothing traditional about how we did this, but we were able to provide each student and their immediate family who wanted to, a piece of this tradition. Approximately half of our graduates got a personal commencement speech from me showing them that the community will always be here for them and to never let anyone tell you you cannot do something, instead show them how you can do it on your own terms.

The museum itself took these words to heart. Our Youth network began to meet in person again, and spent their Friday afternoons as phone buddies with seniors in long-term care while they still were not able to receive visitors.

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The museum gave the youth of Sexual and Gender Acceptance Wetaskiwin a home, a safe place for this group, who often feel ostracized from their community at the best of times, to continue to connect with each other and the community.

This was all in the first month, and we have continued to find new ways to respond to our community’s needs ever since including: Canada Day; helping with an inclusivity rally; Orange Shirt Day walk; Sisters in Spirit Day march and vigil; Halloween Spooktaskiwin; providing Flags for no Stone Left Alone to mark the graves of our veterans; assisting with filming the Wetaskiwin Legion’s remembrance service; and showcasing local artisans with our Showcase Saturday mini-markets. To cap off the year we are preparing Christmas Joy for Seniors packages for the almost 450 people who live in long-term residences / seniors homes so that they have some tangible love from their community in this particularly hard and lonely year.

The Heritage Museum has been able to do all of this because we have a solid foundation that has been 40 years in the making. Also, like we always say, we have relevance for all of our citizens, past, present, and future, regardless of age, gender, race, culture, religion, creed, socio-ecomomic standing etc. We were also able to continue uninterrupted because at its very core heritage, which includes our history and culture, is diverse and the community service the heritage museum offers is both multifaceted and adaptable.

Personally, I am also just lucky to have the team I do. Despite our own fears, everyone was determined to fight those fears so we could respond to the mental health and well-being needs of our community, give them something to look forward to, and show them that there is still a lot that we all can do. We may just have to do it a little differently.

The Heritage Museum is more committed than ever to our role of creating a vibrant, inclusive, connected community with broad public engagement. Even through these unprecedented times we have been able to continue to do this through a variety of diverse events and programs that continue to change and reflect the needs of the community.

Our plan is to continue to do this, but we cannot do it without your help. We understand that it has been a tough year financially for most of us. If you are able, please consider supporting your downtown Heritage Museum. Donations of any size will go far and those of $20 or more are eligible for a tax receipt. They can be made at the museum via cash, cheque, debit, or credit card, on-line at https://wetaskiwinmuseum.com/donate/, or through e-transfer at wdhm@persona.ca. We also have annual museum memberships available for $15 a person, or $25 for a family. And of course, 100% of proceeds from our newly expanded Star Store Gift and Wool Shop support our programs and services. Although the shop is best seen in person, some stock is also available on-line at https://starstoreonline.com.

Did you know October is Women’s History Month in Canada? The reason for this is that Oct. 18, now known as ‘Person’s Day’, marks a pivotal moment in Women’s History. It was not until that day in 1929 when women were legally recognized as ‘persons’ in Canada. Let than sink in for a minute. My Gram wasn’t legally a ‘person’ until she was 19-years-old.

By the early 1920s, with the exception of Quebec, all Canadian white, black, and indigenous women who had given up their treaty status had the right to vote and be elected to provincial and federal legislation, but they still could not be appointed to the senate. The reason behind this was a commonly held belief that the term ‘persons’ in the 1867 British North America Act did not include women. Also known as the Constitution Act, 1867, this act was put forth by the United Kingdom Parliament to unite three British Colonies — Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Canada — as “one Dominion under the name of Canada”. This served as our constitution until 1982 when British Authority was officially transferred to an independent Canadian Parliament under the Constitution Act of 1982. I was nine.

Now, back to women in the roaring 20s. While these so-called non-persons were drinking gin and doing the Charleston, many were also concerned about women’s rights. An Albertan, Emily Murphy, who had become the first female magistrate not only in Canada, but also the British Empire, gathered four other Albertan women — Nellie McClung, Henrietta Edwards, Irene Parlby and Louise McKinney. Together they became known as the Famous Five, and one of their first tasks was to sign a petition asking the Federal Government to put this question of ‘persons’ to the Supreme Court of Canada. In 1928, the court ruled the word ‘persons’ did not include women.

The Famous Five were not happy, but in the 1920s there was a higher authority to which they could appeal, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London, England. And so, they took their battle across the pond, so-to-speak, and left the final decision in the hands of a formal body of advisors to King George V. Finally, after much deliberation, on Oct. 18, 1929, the Privy Council overturned the Supreme Court of Canada’s verdict and decided that the word ‘person’ did include women. Lord Sankey, who delivered the judgment, also stated that “The exclusion of Women from all public offices is a relic of days more barbaric than ours […] and to those who ask why the word should include females, the obvious answer is why should it not”. Persons Day in Canada was born and four months later, on Feb. 15, 1930, Cairine Wilson was sworn in as Canada’s first female senator.

Sixty-five years later in 1995, the idea that women’s history should be acknowledged evolved into a Regional Project of 14 museums belonging to a group called the Central Alberta Reginal Museums Network (CARMN). They planned a joint exhibit where each Museum could honor notable women in their respective communities. The proliferation of aspen trees throughout central Alberta seemed a fitting name, and thus “Women of Aspenland’ was born. The first public exhibit was in 1996 and the month of October was chosen in honor of Women’s History Month.

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Women of Aspenland is a documentation and exhibit project. Its purpose is to tell and preserve the stories of women who represent something about who we have been in the past, who we are in the present, and who we would like to be in the future. Each woman’s life story reflects some of the diverse traditions that shape our collective identity as a community.

This is not merely a research project. It also presents the opportunity for celebration. Each October, up to four women have been inducted into the Wetaskiwin and District Heritage Museum’s Women of Aspenland. A completed exhibit includes a story panel, photographs, and personal, familial, or community artifacts. It may also include a family genealogy, letters of appreciation, or personal memoirs. The temporary exhibit remains on display for one year following induction. It is subsequently turned into a permanent panel and information binder, which is be added to the collective display in our main floor gallery. The Heritage Museum is proud to house the largest collection of its kind in Canada, which includes the stories of more than 100 incredible ladies from Wetaskiwin City, County, and Maskwacis.

The Women of Aspenland is was one of the reasons I moved to Wetaskiwin seven years ago. It has been more rewarding than I could have ever imagined, but it has also been way harder. Running a non-profit can get overwhelming at the best of times. Then the COVID-19 era hit and five months ago I had to make the decision that for the first time since 1996 we would not be having a Women of Aspenland celebration. We simply did not have the resources financially as we no longer have a sponsor for the exhibit and with our overall operating revenue down substantially, could not hire the additional staff needed to complete it. Further, there was no way we could risk interviewing the Women and/or their family and friends in person and having them gather for an induction ceremony. I hated that decision.

I am also lucky because I have this exhibit at my disposal. Each day our women inspire me. When I am tired, fed up, feeling like I am ready for that inevitable break down I spend time with what I call my ladies. I flip through the panels, read the binders, have a small chat with the women and remember why any of us do what we do, and how to make it through strange times and hard decisions. I am grateful for that and invite you to come into the museum and let their stories inspire you. We will get through this, together, just like the sturdy Aspen trees that lend their name to the project.

Originally published in the Wetaskiwin Times, October 28, 2020

History is the study of the past and how it relates to human beings. It is written, remembered, and shared by humans for humans. It is biased, nuanced, and dynamic. Historians, archaeologists, museum curators, political leaders, teachers and everyone else who uses it actively chooses what stories of the past to tell, and how to tell them. If they are good at what they do, they acknowledge that new things are constantly being uncovered, while old ones are being seen in a new light. They will use all of this to further the study of the past and how it relates to human beings today and our potential for the future.

Monuments are statues, buildings and other structures that are purposely built by humans for humans. They are political and symbolic. They are part of our visual culture, meant to recall something, or someone. They are remnants of heritage, the physical artifacts, intangible attributes, and stories of a group or society that are inherited from past generations and passed down to future generations. Often, but not always, they are used to commemorate an aspect of history. Monuments are not, however, history, but history can be studied through monuments.

This brings me to a monument tucked away in Wetaskiwin’s Jubilee Park. I first learned of it when someone suggested it be taken down because of its reference to “pacifying the Indians”. While I hated the image those specific words brought up in my mind, my knee jerk reaction was ‘You can’t destroy it. What good will that do? It’s a primary source from which we can learn’. And so, I set forth to learn more about it.

I found the photo above in the City of Wetaskiwin Archives. Referred to as the Peacemakers Monument, it was erected by the Government of Canada in the summer of 1932 with a plaque that reads:

IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF THE PUBLIC SERVICES OF THE REVEREND FATHER LACOMBE, O.M.I., AND THE REVEREND JOHN MCDOUGALL. DURING THE TROUBLOUS DAYS OF 1885 THEIR INFLUENCE WITH THE INDIANS WAS A POWERFUL FACTOR IN THE PRESERVATION OF PEACE IN ALBERTA.

The wording is dated and the monument has no interpretation around it. Who were these “Indians” and why is this monument in Wetaskiwin? And so, I started down the rabbit hole.

I knew that Father Lacombe had a specific link to Wetaskiwin. It was he who suggested the settlement that had formed around Siding 16 along the Calgary-Edmonton CPR line be referred to as Wetaskwin after the Cree name for the area. 

I needed to do more research on the Reverend McDougall, however. It did not take me long to learn that he had reopened a Methodist Missionary at Pigeon Lake in 1866 and that he had been close friends with Maskeptoon, a Great Chief of the Cree People, and ancestor of the Maskwacis Cree.

None of this really explained to me why there was a monument to them in Wetaskwin that referred to the 1885 Northwest Resistance. And so, I dug a little deeper. Lacombe and McDougall’s assistance was requested at the onset of the resistance. Lacombe went to visit the Battle River Cree, while McDougall accompanied the commander of the Alberta Field Force. This journey included Forts Normandeu (near Red Deer), Ostel (near Ponoka) and Ethier (near Wetaskiwin). All three of which were built during the resistance but did not see any action.

Lacombe and McDougall’s task does not appear to have been too onerous. The Indigenous leaders were committed to upholding Treaties 6 and 7, which they had signed less than a decade before. After the North-West Resistance, Prime Minister MacDonald invited a few of Father Lacombe’s ‘loyal’ Chiefs and their companions to visit Ontario and Quebec.

McDougall and three other Chiefs were part of a separate journey.

McDougall had repeatedly protested the Indian Act and the newly instituted pass system to restrict First Nations travel off the reserve. It seems that to punish him for this, the federal government refused to fund his contingent. McDougall and the Methodist (now United) church raised the money for them to go.

The names of the Plains People who travelled east were: Crowfoot, Three Bulls, Red Crow, One Spot, North Axe, Big Child, Starblanket, O’Soup, and Kahkewistahaw (who all travelled with Lacombe), as well as Chiefs Jonas Goodstoney, Pakan, and Samson (who travelled with McDougall).

Their selection to travel to Canada, remember this happened 20 years before Alberta and Saskatchewan become provinces, is a pretty good indicator that they are the leaders of the “Indians” referred to in the Peacemaker’s Monument. The photo of the monument dedication forty-seven years later shows that the descendants of Maskeptoon and Chief Samson were present, suggesting their own pride in the active role their ancestors played in the preservation of peace in Alberta.

The Peacemakers monument in Jubilee Park needs some interpretation alongside it. It needs to incorporate a more complete picture of the history it symbolizes. Destroying it is too easy. If we destroy it, however, we are not destroying our history, but we are destroying a symbol of that history and a way to learn about and from it.

If you truly want to preserve history, forget about the statues that are being torn down. Go DO some history and uncover something you did not know. Start some new conversations about old things.

Originally published in the Wetaskiwin Times, September 3, 2020

I have been thinking a lot about grad recently and those early schools that become home to our pioneer students.

Wetaskiwin School District 264 was formed on Nov. 30, 1892 with John West serving as School Board Chairman. The first classes were held in 1893 in a hall rented for $12 a month above Henderson Clothing Store and Tailor Shop located on McDonald and Pearce Street (approximately where Cosmic Pizza currently stands). When it was cold, Mr. Henderson provided a stove to heat the hall for an additional $5 month. The first teacher, Isaac Harrison, was paid $32.50 a month. He soon left and Mabel Talbot took over. Her salary saw an increase to $46 per month. The Henderson building burned down the same year and Miss Talbot taught classes in several buildings throughout town.

In 1894 the school board purchased property to build a formal school. The location was on the east side of the current Queen Elizabeth School property. A new dedicated school building was constructed of wood at the cost of $2,071. On Sept. 28, the evening of this its inauguration, it too burned down. Arson was suspected, and the school board hired a watchman for $1.25 a night while an almost identical three-room school was constructed on the same spot. Classes in the new school were begun by Dec. 1. At the time, it was considered one of the best schools in Alberta. A second, two-story school was constructed before 1900 next to it and within a couple more years additional space was needed. And so the School Board took on the construction of a large school also on this property, which would be named after the reigning Queen Alexandra, wife of Edward VII.

The corner stone of the new building was laid in 1902. Every source I have read about Alexandra School states that the corner stone was laid on Aug. 19, 1904, but the Heritage Museum has recently acquired a primary source that tells a different story. A couple of weeks ago I visited Bud Moan who had a family heirloom that he wanted to donate. It is an intricately decorated silver cake bowl and server (pictured). The inscription on the server is still perfectly clear and reads:

PRESENTED / TO / J.F. Fowler Esq. / CHAIRMAN of the WINNIPEG / PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD / ON THE OCCASION 0F / LAYING THE CORNER STONE / OF THE / ALEXANDRA SCHOOL / OCTOBER 15^TH / 1902

Mr. Fowler, the father of Bud’s Aunt who gave him this treasure, later served as Mayor of Wetaskiwin in 1911, and was Chairman of the Wetaskiwin School Board when the Alexandra School opened.

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It took three years from the laying of the foundation stone for the new Alexandra School to be completed. Alexandra School officially opened on Oct. 27, 1905 with great ceremony. Addresses were given by Premier Rutherford, the Lieutenant Governor Honourable G.H.V. Bulyea, and Mayor J.C. McKay.

The cost for the brick and sandstone building and its furnishing was $25,000. It was an impressive three-stories (the tallest and most impressive in town), surmounted by a tower and flagstaff and reputed to be the finest school between Winnipeg and the Rockies. It was also the first school in the province to follow the new plan of two school ‘departments’ consisting of lower school, from kindergarten to Standard (or Grade) 5, and high school Standards (Grades) 5-8.

Each of the large and airy 10 classrooms had a slate chalkboard on two walls, while the back wall was covered with burlap to hang student’s assignments. The third story included an assembly hall that could sit 350 people, while the second floor had a large library with over 400 books and a “Physical Science Laboratory”. The school also had its own 113.5-foot deep well and was powered by electricity (a brand-new luxury in town) that not only kept it well lit, but also served call bells in each of the classrooms. In poor weather, the classrooms were heated by nine furnaces and students could play in the large cellars rather than outside. Just like the outdoor playgrounds, the cellars were divided into a boy’s space and a girl’s space.

In its first year, Alexandra School was home to seven teachers and 254 students. Their motto was Veritas Vincit(Truth Conquers) with purple and gold as their school colours and a crest of an “A” with scroll, quill, flag, and crown.

A variety of renovations over the years included dividing the assembly hall on the third floor into classrooms, adding a fire escape on the outside of the building (pictured), building a chemistry lab in the boy’s basement, and a home economics room in the girl’s basement.

Alexandra school served the community for less than 50 years. It was demolished in 1954 and with it that early era of schools in Wetaskiwin ended.

Originally published in the Wetaskiwin Times, June 10, 2020

Museums and art galleries in Alberta are part of the first stage of the province’s plan to relaunch our economy and the Wetaskiwin and District Heritage Museum will reopen its doors tomorrow, Thursday May 21!

Our government recognizes that museums are key community builders, integral to the health and well-being of Albertans, and help drive local economies. We are honoured to do so and excited for new opportunities that will allow us and our historic building continue to be a friendly gathering place for the local community to engage in the history and culture of Wetaskiwin City, County, and Maskwacis.

The Heritage Museum staff are eager to see familiar faces again and as always look forward to meeting new ones. We are also committed to keeping ourselves, our community, and your collection safe.

For now, we will be open for drop-in visits (by donation) three days a week (Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays). Our hours are 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. The main floor gallery and gathering space, as well as the Star Store Gift and Wool Shop, will be accessible. To allow for proper physical distancing, we will be admitting only 10 people into the building at a time unless prior arrangements have been made. The washrooms are currently closed unless a private booking has been made; however, we have a plumbed-in public hand-washing station and hand sanitizer at various locations throughout the building, including the entrance. Access in and out will be through the front door only. Staff or volunteers working at the front desk will wear a mask for your protection and sanitize the counter as well as debit/credit card machine after each transaction.

The upstairs permanent gallery, which showcases the history and heritage of our great community from the dinosaurs to the war years will not be accessible for the time being. We are working on renovations before installing a new immigration exhibit. Due to its interactive nature, our ever popular and one-of-a-kind Children’s Legacy Centre, including the Pioneer Playrooms, will remain closed until all physical distancing regulations have been lifted.

There are no public programs currently scheduled, though we do have some great WDHM @ Home activities planned for the coming months, so stay tuned. We are also continuing our increased online outreach through our Facebook page as well as our Youth Network’s Facebook group “The Nutty Networkers”. We encourage everyone to follow us if you are not already. Not on Facebook, but would like to stay informed of upcoming activities? Send us a message with subscribe in the subject line to wdhm@persona.ca and we will add you to our new email notifications program.

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If a group would like to book a private tour in advance outside of our drop-in hours, we will gladly arrange this (for a nominal fee) and can offer access to our permanent gallery space on the second floor. We have set up seven six-foot tables six feet apart on the main floor that will allow for regulated gatherings of 15 people or less. Usage of this space is also available to book in advance (also for a nominal fee) if you would like to bring a small group of people together for any reason. Missing your morning coffee klatch? Why not try a new venue! We proudly serve Alternate Route Coffee Co. roasted in Leduc, and Metropolitan Tea. Have a club that comes together for meetings, but that space is currently closed? Give us a call. Looking for a small team-building activity? We’d be happy to create a custom-made program with a Heritage twist for you.

The decision to open three days a week may seem strange. We love our 117-year old building, but she is expensive to keep well-lit and at a temperature that humans find reasonable. For the past two months staff has only been working on-site three days a week in low lighting and wearing jackets as  the temperature has been set at 60°. We will raise this for you on opening days to 65° and let it raise naturally to 80° when real summer sets in. If you are coming for a visit before July though I would bring a sweater!

Like many in our community, the museum has been struggling financially over the past couple of months and this will have a long-term impact on how we are able to serve our community. Traditionally, the spring is when we generate the revenue that allows us to provide programming throughout the year. We have not had any bingos or school tours and we were unable to hold our annual main fundraiser. Donations have dropped off completely, few people have renewed their memberships, and our gift and wool shop sales are minimal. If you are able to give, we would be grateful if you would consider us. Even five dollars would be great. Donations of $20 or more will receive a tax receipt. Our memberships are also reasonably priced at only $15/person or $25 for a family of two or more. Looking for a unique gift, or know a fibre artist who loves quality wool? Come check out our Star Store.

Together we will continue to unite with the local community through history, culture, events, and education.

Originally published in the Wetaskiwin Times, May 20, 2020

I’ve had a strange month. How about you?

I have tried to write a few columns during this time, but struggled with the many thoughts going through my mind. In the end, I decided to tell my story of the past month. Please feel free to do the same with me by emailing wdhm@persona.ca. I would love to read your experiences and observations and preserve them in the museum’s records for current and future generations.

March 17, 2020 was the watershed moment of the Covid-19 crisis for me. All persons living in Alberta were prohibited from attending museums, while still permitted in other gatherings of 50 people or less. Truthfully, I was in shock. The Heritage Museum had made a decision before this to thoroughly clean the building and close off all interactive components so that we could continue to be a refuge for our community. We were going to stay open, with the age-old mandate of “no touching” in our back pocket and the knowledge that outside of special events, we seldom see 50 visitors a week, let alone in a day. Even if, for some reason, 50 people decided to visit at the same time in one day, it would still be one-third of our maximum occupancy and therefore well below the 50 per cent mandated for other gathering places. We were confident we were doing what was best for the well-being of our community. I’ll admit I was angry that choice was taken away from us.

The frustration that museums were deemed as one of the first non-essentials in our province was only fueled by seeing a letter to the editor describing another local museum as “a warehouse to store castoffs” and as a “nice to have”, which only should be “contemplated when times are good”.

For the record, museums do not accept just anything into their collection, but instead carefully select those items which can help them best fulfill their mission. For the Heritage Museum that mission is “to unite with the local community through history, culture, events, and education”. Yes this may be a “nice to have” thing in our community when times are good, but the reality is our mission, along with those of all other cultural institutions across the world, becomes essential when times are not so good, like now.

Look at how people are coming together and thriving with the help of history, heritage, arts, and culture.

History articles are popping up on the Spanish Flu and other health pandemics as well as crises. They make comparisons and learn from data, but also talk about how people coped, and use similarities to show that we do have the strength to do what we are being told we must. My favourites are the stories after the crisis and about the innovation and developments in society that followed.

We are clinging to heritage. Shortly after the strange hoarding of toilet paper fiasco, grocery stores started to run out of yeast because individuals and families began to make bread again and hand down other traditions they were given. All of us are better appreciating the value of gathering with friends and family in general. Telephone calls are on the rise, more personal emails and letters are being written, texts and instant messages have become the new post card to simply say I miss you and wish you were here.

As our day-to-day lives settle, we are better appreciate art and culture. This was first seen in Italy as those in true lock down began to sing from their balconies. Song brought them together. Across Canada and the US people are painting their windows so others out on a walk or drive have something to search for. Community matters. Others are reading books, watching movies and TV, tuning into concerts, and even taking virtual tours of museums. All of this is possible because we have continued to teach, support, and fund the arts and culture in good times and in bad.

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April 8, 2020 was the turning point of the Covid-19 crisis for me. I saw this photo of Karlene Cutknife at Maskwacis Bear Park Arbour on Facebook with the words:

“Danced today for my family, friends, nation and students. It’s a challenging time, with prayers we can and will get through this. Dance to pray like my father taught me. From my home fire too yours! Prayers sent!”

This photo provided the message of hope for me that I needed. I was no longer angry. We are all using history, heritage, art, and culture to do what we can. We will get through this, good things will come, even if we cannot see what they are yet. Meanwhile, museums will continue to showcase all these things. We will collect and preserve them so that we may all learn from them, share them, and unite our communities.

At the end of his public address on Friday, Premier Kenney referred to our “culture of resilience” and ended by sharing an observation passed down to him.

“In a fierce prairie storm,…cattle often get spooked, turn tail, and try to run from it, getting separated and lost. But the buffalo, which Indigenous people have always revered as a symbol of life on the prairies, herd closely together and face the storm head on, coming out of it strong and united. That captures who we are, and how we’re going to get through this.”

Regardless of where we or our ancestors came from, we are all connected to this land and the culture and traditions that have risen from it. And so, I would like to encourage everyone to dance through these strange times and make the change they want to see. Meanwhile, the Heritage Museum team will continue to work as hard as ever to share our collective history and heritage with you while our doors are closed, and look forward to seeing you again when they open.

Originally published in the Wetaskiwin Times, April 15, 2020

On March 3, Wetaskiwin Royal Canadian Legion Branch 86 will be celebrating its 90^th anniversary. To honour this long standing tradition of supporting and remembering veterans and their families, and serving our community we will be sharing regular ‘briefings’ of branch happenings and a short story of Branch Members and local veterans over the past 90 years.

There is no better place to start than with the story of our first Branch President, Norman MacEachern. MacEachern was born in Quebec, and moved to the Wetaskiwin area in 1897 when he was only three with his parents Duncan and Jennie. He later became a member of the 19^th Alberta Dragoons, and in 1913 joined the Militia Squadron of the 35^th Central Alberta Horse that was organized in Wetaskiwin. He attended the School of Cavalry instruction courses and graduated as a non-commissioned officer. He had been working with his father at the family mill when at the age of 21 he enlisted in Edmonton and joined the 194^th Battalion. In October 1916 MacEachern was deployed overseas and transferred to the 10^th Battalion A Company and saw combat in France, including Vimy Ridge and Hill 70. He was recommended for the Victoria Cross, twice mentioned in dispatches, and was the only Canadian Soldier to win the Distinguished Service Order and Bar while holding a commission as lieutenant. He was severely wounded in September 1918 and spent five months in a military hospital in England before being discharged with the rank of Captain and returning home to Wetaskiwin in February 1919. Cpt. MacEachern became a successful business man who helped to bring businesses such as the Carnation Plant and Supreme Farm MFG. Outfit to Wetaskiwin, He also organized the Veterans Volunteer Reserve, and along with Curt Paul Smith, the Air Cadets in 1942. A few years later, in 1947, he installed his son Don, also a veteran, as President of the growing Legion. Cpt. MacEachern, D.S.O. passed away on Sept. 6, 1965 at the age of 71 years and three days. He is buried in the Wetaskiwin Cemetery. Ninety years ago, Branch 86 had only 50 members, today that number is over 800.

New Branch Executive

December 2019 and the first couple weeks of 2020 have proven be busy at the Branch, including installing a new Branch Executive and Ladies Auxiliary.

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Members of the Branch Executive, along with volunteers Jen and Ty Wilkinson had a great couple of days looking at all of the amazing entries for the Youth Poster and Literary Contest. Decisions this year were particularly hard with nearly 70 entries from most of our local schools. We also had the pleasure of presenting cheques of $1307.65 each (proceeds from Nov. 11, 2019 Remembrance Day services) to the Wetaskiwin Secret Santa program and WCHS Band. A special thank you goes out to the community for your generous contribution.

The Ladies Auxiliary hosted the Branch’s very well attended annual Kids Christmas Party and made donations to various local community groups including Victim Services, Secret Santa, Wetaskiwin Food Bank, Neighbours Outreach Wetaskiwin, Hope Mission, Long Term Care at the Wetaskiwin Hospital, and Medi-Lend. Meanwhile, their newly formed Junior LA joined the Heritage Museum’s Youth Network to help deliver Christmas packages to residents at Seasons of items donated by the community.

Things do not seem to be slowing down over the next month or so either. On Sunday, Jan. 19 we have our monthly Pancake Breakfast (9-12:30). Then on Saturday Jan. 25 we will be celebrating Scotland’s favourite Poet with our annual Robbie Burns Night. Cocktails begin at 5 p.m. and the McKinnon Scottish Dancers will perform at 6 p.m. A full Haggis buffet, for only $21.95, and multiple toasts will follow. If you are looking for the perfect place for Valentine’s Day, don’t wait to make your reservation at the Legion for a steak fry and D.J. The Buffet will include a 6 oz. Rib Eye and, shrimp for only $19.95. Also don’t forget that we have Drop-in Fun Darts Tuesdays at 7 p.m., Drop in Pool on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-9 p.m. ($1 / person), and new to the Branch, Wednesday Night Poker, with dealing beginning at 7 p.m. sharp. All of these events are open to members and guests!

We would like to remind all members that annual membership fees are due and the orange access cards to the club are no longer active.

This article was written for the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 86 Wetaskiwin by our Executive Director and Chief Curator, Dr. Karen Aberle, who also serves as the Puplicity and Education Coordinator on the Legion Executive. Originally published in the Wetaskiwin Times, January 23, 2020.

Next week many of us will partake in Robbie Burns day, an opportunity to celebrate our Scottish Heritage. I suspect this is a tradition as old as our community, as many of Wetaskiwin’s first families, including the MacEacherns, were of Scottish descent.

Duncan MacEachern was born in Lochaber Bay Quebec in 1863, the eldest son of John and Jennie (McDermit). Both of his grandfathers had emigrated from Scotland, and were pioneer settlers of Ontario and Quebec before dominion. A young Duncan attended an old log schoolhouse and he remained on the family farm until age 18, at which time he went to work in a stone flour mill. In 1892 he married Jennie Waterston, a native of Ottawa, and in 1897, moved to the new settlement of Wetaskiwin with his wife, three-year-old son Norman, and 50 cents in his pocket.

Mr. MacEachern became an active and prominent citizen. He was a member of the first town council in 1902, and continued to serve the city in this capacity for five years and as Mayor in 1907. He was also Chairman of the Hospital Board for two years, and an active member of the School Board for nineteen years. He is best remembered, however, as one of Wetaskiwin’s most prominent business men. Shortly after arriving in the area, Duncan played a minor role in the building of the first flour mill in Wetaskiwin, which was owned by Mr. Richie. Within two years had bought interest in it, and by 1903, he was in charge of the entire operation. Then, in partnership with William McCallum, bought the mill outright in 1905.

Initially, the mill was powered by steam and fuelled by burning cord wood. Farmers who were clearing land brought wood in return received two dollars cash. The MacEachern and McCallum flour mill and grain distributor became one of the more important industries in the earliest development of our district. By 1910 its elevators boasted a storage of 35,000 bushels, with the mill having a capacity of 100 barrels a day. The mill was famous for two brands of flour, “Hungarian Patent” and “Wetaskiwin Bakers”, produced “Boston Cream Breakfast Food”, and distributed an array of feed including bran, shorts, chop grain etc. MacEachern and McCallum also developed the first grain-cleaning elevator in Western Canada.

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In 1915, Duncan took over sole possession of the mill and MacEachern Milling Ltd. became a family business. The Great War brought a further boom to the mill, as it had to operate 24-hours a day in order to mill enough grain for the troops. This grain was sacked in 140-pound bags and shipped to many locations, including Ceylon and China. Then, during the 1930s, the MacEacherns looked after our community by milling more wheat into flour for the locals than any other mill in Alberta. The mill had another interesting role. Each morning at seven the mill’s whistle would blow, waking up those who were still sleeping. It rang again at twelve noon to mark the lunch hour, and at six to signal the end of the work day. This tradition continued for 45 years, until the death of Duncan on August 23, 1945. His wife, Jennie, passed away a year later.

Duncan and Jennie’s children were prominent citizens of our community in their own right. Their eldest son Norman, who had served with the 10^th Battalion during World War I, returned home to assist his father and youngest surviving brother John with the mill. Norman became a prominent businessman in his own right, and in 1958 he was given the honour of “Citizen of the Half Century” by the Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture. Norman was also a member of the school board, the first president of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 86 in Wetaskiwin, and helped to establish the cadets with Curt Paul Smith in 1942. His brother John eventually took over operation of the mill, and continued to run it until he and Norman sold the business in 1957. Meanwhile, their sister Mae attended Normal School to become a teacher. After graduating in 1917, she taught at Battle Lake for one year before deciding to pursue further education at the University of Alberta. Mae earned her Bachelor of Arts in mathematics and languages in 1924. In 1946, she was appointed principal of the new Camp Centre School, and in 1957 oversaw its change of location and name to Clear Vista School. She remained as principal until her retirement in 1962. The second eldest son of the MacEachern clan moved to Winnipeg and a fifth child, Charles, died at the age of four years and 10 months, as noted by his grave marker in the Wetaskiwin Cemetery.

The MacEachern Mill no longer remains, but a testament to the wealth it produced can still be seen in the grand family home that was built in 1912 on Main Street (50^th Avenue). Currently home to MacEachern Tea, a homage to the original owners, generations of MacEacherns lived here until it was sold by John in the 1950s. While I have no proof, I imagine many wee drams being enjoyed in the parlour room each year on January 25 to celebrate the National Poet of Scotland. I invite you to join me in continuing this tradition next Saturday at the Legion’s annual Burns Supper, and raise at least a second glass to the MacEacherns as well.

Originally published in the Wetaskiwin Times, January 15, 2020