Mrs. Hilda Rosa Osmond (nee Bridgeman) was born in Hampshire, England in 1888 to parents Edwin Samuel Bridgeman (b.16 Jul 1852; d. 19 June 1922, Brandon) and Rosa Holkham (b. 26 Mar 1859; d. 27 May 1927, Brandon). Edwin was a sailor and Rosa was a dressmaker.
Following the death of her brother Edwin Frederick Bridgeman (1886-1890), the family immigrated to Canada in 1891. The Bridgeman's took the train to Griswold, Manitoba, and settled near Edwin's brother, Albert Bridgeman, and together they farmed the N 1/2 of 36-12-23. The Bridgeman's had three more children, Ellen Grace (b. 27 Jan 1893; d. 22 Feb 1893), Harry Volantine/Valentine (b. 14 Feb 1894), and Charlie Cuthbert (b. 03 Aug 1896; d. 25 Aug 1901). Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Bridgeman retired in 1913 and moved to Brandon where they lived until their respective deaths. The couple are interred in the Brandon Municipal Cemetery.
Hilda married William Arthur Osmond (b. 1867; d. 26 Oct 1943) of Baisingstoke, England, on 31 Jan 1913. They had a daughter Nellie who later married Glen Mossey. The family continued to farm the property on section 36.
Hilda Rosa Osmond passed away in 1980 at the age of 91. She is interred in the Greenwood Cemetery near Harding, Manitoba, where her husband and siblings also rest.
(Sources: England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013 [online]; Findagrave.com; Harding History Committee, Home to Harding 1879-1981 (Brandon: Leech Printing, 1981; Manitoba Vital Statistics Database)
Custodial History
Photograph given to Fred McGuinness by Burton Strange of Kenton, 25 Nov 1974
Scope and Content
Photograph shows Mrs. Osmond and her dog in front of her tractor that she purchased in 1947.
Notes
Label accompanying photograph reads: Mrs. Osmond tractor & her 26 year old tractor
A typed label has been taped to the back of the photograph. Back of photograph has yellowed. No other degredation observed. ST/2016
Custodial History
Photograph sent to Fred McGuinness from the Winnipeg Free Press Photo Department
Scope and Content
Photograph shows a platform party in front of the Westman Centennial Auditorium. At the microphone is Mayor Ken Burgess. Seated on the mayor's left is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, to his right Lorne Watson. The party may have been assembled for the founding of the Brandon University School of Music's Queen Elizabeth II building.
Notes
Photograph was collected during the research phase of the monograph "Manitoba: The Province & The People" (1987) written by Fred McGuinness and Ken Coates.
Writing on the back of the photograph reads: Ab Gowanlock 85 years old of Dauphin, two-time winner of the Brier (once in 1938 at Toronto and once in Sudbury in 1953) at the wheel of a Rumley Oil Pull tractor during the Thursday afternoon parade of steam and oil and gas tractors. Mr. Gowanlock is not a newcomer to threshing as he was involved with it on a regular basis from 1916 to 1947. dirk...shot directly into sun and was hard to print...
Emulsive side of image has residue and mock-up lines. A typed label has been taped to the back of the photograph. Back of photograph has yellowed. No other degredation observed. ST/2016
Custodial History
Photograph sent to Fred McGuinness from the Winnipeg Free Press Photo Department
Scope and Content
Photograph shows a steam tractor on display at the Austin, Manitoba's Threshermen's Reunion.
Notes
Photograph was collected during the research phase of the monograph "Manitoba: The Province & The People" (1987) written by Fred McGuinness and Ken Coates.
Writing on the back of the photograph reads: Kevin Milne and Makinak and Gordon Down of Winnipeg chugging up a storm at Austin Thursday. Dirk Aberson for Greg McComb. 1985
Photograph sent to Fred McGuinness from the Winnipeg Free Press Photo Department
Scope and Content
Photograph shows historic tractors on display at the Austin, Manitoba's Threshermen's Reunion. The tractors are parading on an outdoor track before a packed grandstand.
Notes
Photograph was collected during the research phase of the monograph "Manitoba: The Province & The People" (1987) written by Fred McGuinness and Ken Coates.
Writing on the front of the photograph reads: Austin Parade Thursday, July 27/79
Photograph sent to Fred McGuinness from the Winnipeg Free Press Photo Department
Scope and Content
Photograph shows a small steam engine to which a tug of rope is affixed. Seven young boys are pulling counter to the engine as an engine operator makes adjustment. Bemused spectators look on.
Notes
Photograph was collected during the research phase of the monograph "Manitoba: The Province & The People" (1987) written by Fred McGuinness and Ken Coates.
Writing on the label filed with the photograph reads: A miniature case steam engine gets an unexpected load as a group of boys try to haul it to a stop during the Thursday afternoon parade. dirk. 19/82
Fred McGuinness is popularly known for his work as the prairie essayist for CBC Radio’s Morningside with Peter Gzowski, a position he held for 17 years. Many of McGuinness’ Morningside essays were autobiographical in nature. He often reported about life on Christmas Tree Farm, a section of land where he and his wife, Christine, built their dream home in the late 1970s. The couple planted a Christmas tree farm on the property and Christine maintained an extensive kitchen garden, while Fred tended honey bees. Life on the farm made its way into radiobroadcasts, Neighborly News columns, and the book "Letters from Section 17: A Collection of Morningside Essays" (Winnipeg: Great Plains Publishing, 1999).
Scope and Content
Set consists of 13 negatives showing work being conducted on the McGuinness property, Christmas Tree Farm, Section 17. The first 12 negatives show the McGuinness family planting with their tractor and the last negative shows a woman working on a swimming pool liner.
Notes
McGuinness drafted a manuscript, titled "Hole in the Ground," about the family pool on Section 17. It was one manuscript McGuinness was re-tooling before he passed away in 2011.
Brandon Sand & Brick Co. was better known as "Samson's Brick" for owner-proprietor Samson.
Plant located at 29th Street & Princess Avenue; Offices located in Smith Block.
Used Huennekes (German) system, whereby dried sand was mixed and ground with lime in a tube mill as water was added to slake the lime. The mixture was formed into bricks in a press, then steamed in a cylinder 6 ft. in diameter and 62 ft. long for 10 hours, under pressure of 120 psi, to form a compound like cement. Bricks were ready for use when taken from cylinder. (Ritchie, T. Canada Builds. pp. 219)
In addition to the Belvedere Apartments, many houses are faced with this brick. The rear of the 9th St. MTS building and others downtown buildings were also formed of it. Also used in interior walls of Prince Edward Hotel, Alexander School and many other buildings that were faced with more expensive brick. The product was so good, the plant's demise was likely caused by the post-WWI depression.(LAS)
Custodial History
For custodial history see the collection level description of the Lawrence Stuckey collection.
Scope and Content
Brandon Sand & Brick Co. (Samson's Brick)
Notes
Great Northern Railway enginehouse visible in background [Fred McGuinness collection (20-2009)].
This photo provides a good view of the coal sheds along CPR track. Coal was unloaded from boxcars into roof hatches and hauled by drays from doors on avenue side. Only part of a long row of these commercial coal sheds is shown. As a boy I remember several fires in them. LAS.
Custodial History
For custodial history see the collection level description of the Lawrence Stuckey collection.
Scope and Content
Hanbury Manufacturing Co.
Notes
View of complete Hanbury Manufacturing complex (from Pacific Avenue looking north), showing the intersection of 6th Street & Assiniboine Ave.
Note overhead walkway over 6th St. between buildings
Probably the peak of the sawmilling industry in Brandon was "The Big Drive" in 1910, when 125 drivers brought 5 million board feet of timber down the Assiniboine to Hanbury's Mill.
Most of these logs were cut in the Riding Mountains in winter and floated down the Little Saskatchewan and Birdtail Rivers to the Assiniboine.
Custodial History
For custodial history see the collection level description of the Lawrence Stuckey collection.
Scope and Content
Logs, destined for Hanbury Manufacturing Co., in the Assiniboine River
Notes
Looking north from 3rd Street.
[This negative was produced using a previously published image (P.E.).]
Probably the peak of the sawmilling industry in Brandon was "The Big Drive" in 1910, when 125 drivers brought 5 million board feet of timber down the Assiniboine to Hanbury's Mill
Most of these logs were cut in the Riding Mountains in winter and floated down the Little Saskatchewan and Birdtail Rivers to the Assiniboine.
Custodial History
For custodial history see the collection level description of the Lawrence Stuckey collection.
Scope and Content
Logs, destined for Hanbury Manufacturing Co., in the Assiniboine River
Notes
View from First Street North
Courtesy of the family of E.C. Higgins (Mrs. Millen Dunbar nee May Higgins).