The Westman Oral History collection was a project of the Westman Oral History Association and ran from 1980-84. The Westman Oral History Association was created on August 12, 1980, by a steering committee of the Assiniboine Historical Society. The Oral History Association undertook a project called "Voices of Yesteryear." The project was created in order to record and preserve the lives and experiences of early settlers to the Westman area. Work began in 1981, and included interviews conducted with approximately seventy senior citizens from over twenty communities in western Manitoba. The Association held a training session for committee members on April 11, 1981, where 125 participants learned how to conduct an effective interview and how to operate the recorders used in the interviews. The chairman of the Westman Oral History Association was Effie McPhail, the coordinator was Sally Cunningham, and the secretary was Bob Coates. Some of the interviews recorded were used in the early months of 1982 on a local radio station, CKLQ, as part of a program called "Centennial Memories." The project resulted in the creation of the Westman Oral History Collection.
Custodial History
This collection was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. The original tapes from the Westman Oral History project were deposited in the Brandon Public Library. Copies of these originals were made by Margaret Pollex of the Brandon University Language Lab at the request of Eileen McFadden, University Archivist in the early 1990s. These copies compose the collection held in the McKee Archives.
Scope and Content
The collection includes the audiotapes used to record the interviews, as well as corresponding files for each interview subject. The files contain facts about the interviewees, including date and place of birth, occupations, and marital status. The files also include a summary of the interview heard on each tape.
The interviews were done with men and women pioneers from the Westman area of Manitoba, and describe the daily lives of common people during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. The topics covered in the interviews include the following: Agriculture, Associations and Clubs, Churches and Church Life, Cultural Events, Early Politics, Education, Health Services, Immigration, Local Businesses, Native-White Relations, Pioneer Settlements, Pioneer Way of Life, Social Life, Sports, Transportation, and War Brides. This collection includes interviews with residents from the following communities: Brandon, Boissevain, Brookdale, Carberry, Deloraine, Douglas, Elkhorn, Erickson, Forrest, Glenboro, Hamiota, Hartney, Justice, Kenton, Killarney, Melita, Minnedosa, Neepawa, Ninette, Oak Lake, Rapid City, Reston, Rivers, Shoal Lake, Sioux Valley Reserve, Souris, Strathclair, Virden, and Wawanesa. The interviews also disclose the unique experiences of pioneer women in rural areas. Many of the interviewees provide brief family histories during their interviews.
Notes
Some of the files include photocopied pictures of the interviewees. Description written by Robyn Mitchell (2001).
Accession 3-1997 (84 photographs, various diplomas; 1886-1960) contains a variety of photographs of buildings and streetscapes of the 100 block of Tenth Street and various Hughes properties in the city. In addition, there are photographs of the "Founders of Hughes and Co," a parade on Tenth Street in 1924, the Wheat City Business College Hockey Team 1912, three photographs of the Port of Churchill in 1931, three photographs of threshing crews on Hughes and Company property, a Great War military contingent from Brandon including JRC Evans, and four family photographs.
File consists of correspondnece, news releases, histories for various departments, individuals and services at the College/University, and a mailing list.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 2: Board of Governors
2.4 Correspondence and subject files
Box 5
In the early 1960's, A.E. McKenzie set out to right a book chronicling the first 38 years of Brandon College's history. To achieve this goal, he contacted a number of former faculty member and students of Brandon College, and asked them to contribute their recollections of the College. The testimonials were published along with a message from Brandon University's President at the time, Dr. John E. Robbins. Brandon College Inc. also contained comments from McKenzie regarding the Re-establishment of the College.
Custodial History
See fonds level description of custodial history of A.E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd.
Scope and Content
This sub sub series contains correspondence discussing textual and photographic content of the book, clarification of facts, and the format and printing of the book. There is also one newspaper clipping and some proofs. A large part of the sub-series is comprised of the contributions and mailing list for the project. Two copies of the completed book are also been included.
The remainder of the documents in the sub-series deal with reactions to the project. Testimonials from well-known individuals such as Mrs. Olive Diefenbaker, a former student at the College, the Minister of Education, and the Premier of Manitoba are contained in the sub-series. As well, fonds includes numerous letters from other individuals, thanking and congratulating McKenzie on the project are included. There is also a file relating to the reaction – not unanimously favorable - of the Brandon College Board of Directors to the project.
The majority of the photographs used in the History of Brandon College Inc. are also included.
Storage Location
RG 3 A.E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd. fonds
MG 5 A.E. McKenzie fonds
1.1 Brandon College Inc.
These records were produced between 1987 and 1988, the researching and writing period for The Wheat City: A Pictorial History of Brandon monograph. Published in 1988 by Western Producer Books (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan), The Wheat City is a 117-page soft cover book, containing black and white images.
Western Producer Books pitched the book’s concept to Fred McGuinness in the fall of 1987. This book was part of the publisher’s “city series” which focused on smaller cities such as Medicine Hat and Prince Albert. It was estimated that the book would contain a 6,000-word introduction followed by approximately 80 archival photographs of Brandon spanning from early settlement to the late 1950s/early 1960s.
Brandon University history major Pam Svistovski worked as McGuinness’ research assistant and McGuinness obtained images for the book from his own personal collection, the Brandon Sun, Lawrence Stuckey, the Archives of Manitoba, and the Western Pictorial Index.
Custodial History
Records were collected and created by McGuinness during the writing phase of the monograph The Wheat City. The materials were donated to the SJ McKee Archives by the Estate of Fred McGuinness circa 2011. The Archives accessioned the records in 2015.
Scope and Content
The subseries consists of textual records and photographs created and collected during the production of the monograph The Wheat City. It includes correspondence, newspapers articles, drafts and black and white photographs from the Archives of Manitoba, Western Canada Pictorial Index, and Illustrated Souvenir of Brandon.
Notes
Information in the history/biography was obtained from The Wheat City’s acknowledgements and a letter to Mr. Fred McGuinness from Western Producer Books, dated September 24, 1987 (McG 5.6, File 11)
Where known, archival reference numbers for photographs obtained from the Archives of Manitoba and the Western Canada Pictorial Index and considered/used in The Wheat City have been provided in the item level description
Accruals
Closed
Repro Restriction
Images published in the monograph and stored in files copyright protected by their respective organizations
Finding Aid
A file level inventory is available
Storage Location
2015 accessions
Related Material
Clarence Hopkin collection
Lawrence Stuckey collection
Jack Stothard collection
Fred McGuinness would write/publish about a topic in a number of forums. Therefore, it is possible research materials pertaining to this monograph may be found in the Fred McGuinness collection subseries: Correspondence (McG 1.2), Brandon Sun (McG 2.2) Miscellaneous freelance (McG 3.2), Local history research (McG 4.1), Manitoba: The Province & The People (McG 5.4), and Manitoba Enterprise (McG 5.5)
Arrangement
Arrangement was artificially created by the Archives. Subseries has been re-arranged according to picture sources
See RG 6 (Brandon University fonds), 7.1.4.1 (Brandon- Great Depression REsearch Project) and RG 6 (Brandon University fonds), 7.1.4.2 (Northern Great Plains History Conference) for History/Bio information.
Custodial History
See RG 6, 7.1.4.1 and RG 6, 7.1.4.2 for Custodial History information.
Scope and Content
Sub sub series has been divided into two sub sub sub series, including: (1) Brandon - Great Depression Research Project; and (2) Northern Great Plains History Conference.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 7: Faculties and Schools
7.1 Faculty of Arts
History Department. Taken for Alumni News. L.to R.: Dr. William Morrison, Dr. Laurie Barron, Dr. Andy Pernal, Dr. Hans Burmeister, Dr. Lee Clark. Missing: Dr. James Skinner
Photograph was given to Fred McGuinness by Linda Bilkoski of Lac du Bonnet, MB.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows two women in period dress posing for a formal cabinet portrait. The woman on the left, wearing a gown and straw hat, stands while holding what appears to be a rolled-up periodical. The woman on the right is seated in an upholstered chair with tassles and holds her purse on her lap.
Notes
Advertisement on back photograph reads: J.A. Brock & Co., Artistic Photography, Brandon, Manitoba, Instantaneous Process Used Exclusively, Duplicates Can Be Had At Any Time, Negative, Preserved for Future Orders. [Date range determined from photo studio period The backdrop is consistent with the cabinet photograph of another family in this collection, see 1-2015.57.]
James (Jock) W. G. MacDonald was born in Thurso, Scotland in 1867. He studied at Edinburgh College of Art, and later worked as a fabric designer. He taught at Lincoln School of Art; Vancouver School of Art; School of Decorative and Applied Arts, Vancouver; Provincial Institute of Technology and Art, Calgary; and at Ontario College of Art after 1947. MacDonald was a member of Canadian Group of Painters and Painters Eleven. He died in Toronto in 1960. The artist was conducting independent experiments in Vancouver while the others worked in Winnipeg and Toronto. He had painted 'automatics' by 1934 and completely abstract or non-objective works by 1935 or 1936. (Painting in Canada: A History. Harper J. Russel. U of Toronto Press, 1977. P 327) Jock MacDonald was one of Canada's first painters to explore the relationship between abstraction and landscape. What MacDonald did is take the formal qualities of his subjects and isolate or abstract them form the landscape. (The History of Painting in Canada. Barry Lord. Toronto: NC Press, 1974. P 205-7)
Dimensions
23.5 X 33.5 cm
Size Overall
45 X 52.5 cm
Medium
watercolor
Condition
Slight cockling of surface.
Primary Support
paper
Secondary Support
mat, plexiglass, backing board; frame - wood and plaster with gild
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