The Brandon Folk, Music, and Art Society, Inc. has been in existence since 1985, when it was founded by a group of Westman people interested in providing an alternative art and music festival for the western Manitoba region. That group sponsored the first annual Brandon Folk, Music, and Art Festival in September of 1985 and established the community-based, non-profit structure of the Society.
The Society's main goal is to provide musicians, artists and artisans with an opportunity to perform or display their talents on a professional level. The Society provides for its members and aspiring artists by sponsoring an annual Festival, coffeehouses, socials and other performances at local establishments, featuring local and touring performers.
The Society is governed by a volunteer board of directors from many sectors of the local community.
Custodial History
Recrods in accession 19-2008 were in the possession of the Brandon Folk, Music & Art Society prior to their donation to the archives in September 2008.
Scope and Content
Accession 17-2008 (12 cm, 1985-1988) consists of 10 files containing promotional materials, meeting minutes and planning documents for Society's annual music festival.
Accession 19-2008 (63 cm, 1981-2008) consists of: minutes, festival programs, publications, posters, financial records, correspondence; miscellaneous photographs.
Notes
History/Bio information taken from Society records. Description by Donna Lowe and Christy Henry.
A number of the letters are samples of "cross writing"
Physical Condition
Some of the letters are fragile, but generally the fonds is in good condition.
Custodial History
Ann Murdoch donated a copy of "My Dear Will" to the McKee Archives in February 2008. The formal donation of the Baker family letters occurred on September 27, 2008 at a reception in the Gathering Space at the John E. Robbins Library.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of a collection of about 200 letters primarily written by William Baker (although letters written by other family members are also included), who left Liverpool and settled in Oak Lake, to his son William who remained in England. The letters offer insights on a wide range of subjects including the conditions of immigrants and the Riel "situation".
The fonds also contains a supplement to "My Dear Will: Reflections of Prairie Pioneer Life." This latter publication consists of transcribed copies of the letters in the Baker family fonds. The letters were originally transcribed by Ronald James Parsons and his wife Rita Olive Parsons (nee Blake) and published, along with some letters, photographs and other documents for family c. 1997. The booklet was updated in 2007 by Ronald and Rita's daughter, Ann Murdoch. The Supplement was prepared by Ann Murdock and her sister Dawn Powell.
Notes
Description by Christy Henry.
Finding Aid
My Dear Will booklet
Storage Location
2008 accessions. Booklets and family tree stored in Rare Books: RC 3399.B73Z495 2007 v.1 and v.2.
The Quill was established in 1910, and is the second oldest student newspaper in western Canada. It was also the first student run publication at Brandon College. The December (Vol. I, No. 1) edition states that "the demand for such a paper [had] been steadily increasing until at last some definite steps towards bringing one into existence became absolutely necessary." The first step was the election of a committe by the Literary Society to look into the possibilites of the project and report at a special meeting. Following the acceptance of the committee's favorable report, another committee was appointed to outline a policy and nominate officers and staff.
The inagural staff of the Quill, "having examined the reasons for the discontinuance of the Brandon College Monthly some years ago, [found] that these have been to a large extent removed by the development of the College in the intervening years." They felt that the "student body [had] grown to such an extent that the problem of getting suffiecient material for a paper, as well as the financial difficulty, [had] been appreciably reduced." For them, this development "not only justified but demanded the advent of a College paper." The creation of the Quill was also influenced by the awareness of the students involved that their college was in a state of constant change. They felt that they "[could not] allow this important period of [their] College history to pass away and be forgotten." The newpaper enabled them to record the growth and changes on campus for the benefit of the students and friends of the College.
Originally the publication of three editions of the Quill, i.e. Christmas, Easter and a special graduates' number, were planned; the policy on the limited number of issues was to allow the Quill and its staff time to establish themselves, with the aim of expanding into a monthly paper as soon as it was thought advisable to do so. In 1911, the Quill was printed quarterly, with the first three issues of the school year consisting of student publications and professors writings, as well as containg various columns on campus activities. The final issue of that year, and subsequent years, was called the Commencement Issue, and it contained a brief biographical sketch of each member of the graduating class.
In 1927, the Quill was split into two separate entities. In the April edition (Vol. XVI, No. 11), the editorial staff wrote that the Quill's ". . . function and the efficiency with which it has performed that function in the immediate past are . . . doubtful. The present management realize this and feel that the "Quill" as conducted at present can assume neither the utility of a newspaper nor the intrinsic value of a year-book." Subsequently it was decided to publish a fortnightly, or bi-weekly newspaper, which retained the title of "The Quill," as well as a new publication, named The Sickle, which was to act as a yearbook. This decision was also influenced by the belief that by creating a sepaprate newspaper and yearbook "Brandon College [would] then be on a similar basis in this respect as her sister institutions throughout the Dominion." Although the Quill has occassionally ceased production (for a week or two at most) throughout its history, usually due to a lack of student participation in its production and/or financial troubles, it has continued to be published as as newspaper since 1927.
In 1933, the Quill was presented in an entirely new form. Weekly, for three issues a month, a bulletin was published, with a fourth and more substantial issue at the end of the month. The introduction of the new broadsheet form was an attempt to "reduce stale news" and allow the publication to operate with a "greatly reduced budget." The broadsheet format of the Quill was abandoned in 1934-1935.
Further changes were introduced with the January 15, 1963 (Vol. 53, No. 6) edition of the Quill. In the editorial section of that issue, the staff commented that "the Quill has remained as it is, in size, pattern and almost in content for the last fifty years!" In response, they introduced a weekly Quill (the Quill was first published as a weekly in 1937) and proclaimed that "we find the miserly, pamphlet-sized, shrunken-like Quill no more. In its stead, a fully-grown, broad-shouldered, new Quill has risen." Changes included the creation of the Feature and Intervarsity sections, with their own editors, a definite format in the 'lay-out' of articles, and the 'set-up' of pages, as well as a basic and overall reorganization of the Quill staff.
In September 1969 (Vol. 60, No. 1), Acting Editor Tom Brook and the Quill staff clarified the position and purpose of the Quill as follows: "The primary purpose of the Quill is to bring to the attention of the students of Brandon University the issues and events that have direct implications on the lives of these people. We do and will continue to editorialize in our reporting. It may be not as strong as that seen in the past. But the Quill staff does feel that subjective evaluation of events after the case has been put factually is valid, and this shall be a policy that will be adhered to during the coming year." They also took a moment to point out that the Quill, although a student press, was not a commercial newspaper. Furthermore, they wanted "to see the Quill move closer to the concept of the bourgeois pressbut not so close that it loses its identification with students and the issues that concern them."
By 1971, the Quill had adopted the statement of principle of the Student Press in Canada as outline in the Resolutions of the Canadian University Press. Printed on the front page of the September 24 edition, the Quill stated the following policy: It is ". . . our belief 'that the major role of the student press is to act as an agent of social change, striving to emphasize the rights and responsibilities of the student citizen', and 'that the student press must in fulfilling this role perform both an educative and an active function.'" The policy went on to declare that the Quill, as an alternative press (an alternative to the commercial press), rather than a newspaper, was "limited to presenting news which the commerical press does not handle and to providing news analysis." The democratic nature of the Quill was also clearly stated in the policy.
The structure of the Quill was altered again in 1984, when an editorial board was instated, replacing the previous editor-in-chief system (although in most cases there was more than one editor in any given year). This board was to function as an organizing unit, with the collective electing officers for a one year term. The collective was made up of members, who had to contribute something to the Quill in one out of every three issues, in order to vote. Contributions included actual content for the paper, production, typing, photography work, office clean-up, or anything else that helped the Quill function. The central concern of the Quill, at the time of these changes, was to represent the "wide variety of social issues which interest Brandon University students." (September 27, 1984). The 'wide variety of social issues' was expanded upon in the September 3, 1987 edition of the Quill's editorial section: "A major purpse of THE QUILL is to provide the community with news and information pertaining to local, regional, national and international issues of concern to students."
By 1993, the Editorial Board was comprised of the News Editor, the Co-ordinating Editor and the CUP Editor and was responsible for the direction and content of the newspaper each week. By 1996, the CUP Editor had been replaced by the Business Manager on the Editorial Board. Clarifying its relationship with BUSU in the November 18, 1996 edition, Co-ordinating Editor Stacey Brown quoted the Quill Constitution: "The Quill collective shall determine and regulate editorial content and policy and shall set such perimeters on acceptable advertising as it shall collectively see fit. Debate and reasonable documentation must be given beofre boycotting anything in the newspaper." She went on to state that "final decisions on most issues are made by the Editorial Board. . . " The position of Editor-in-Chief was reintroduced sometime around 2001.
Throughout its history, the Quill has been a quarterly, a bi-weekly and a weekly publication. It has been printed in various formats, by a number of different companies and has been financed primarily through funding from BUSU, and at present, advertising and a student levy. In 1997, the Quill became one of the first student newspapers in Canada to produce the paper in a completely digital format.
The Quill has been located at a number of locations on campus. Its first home was at the base of the Bell Tower in the original Clark Hall. In the 1970s it was produced in a mobile trailer near the gymnasium, before moving to the former Students' Union office in the lower level of the McMaster Building in 1980. Finally in 1991, the Quill was moved to its current location on the second floor of the Knowles-Douglas Student Centre.
At present (January 2007), the Quill continues to be a member of the Canadian University Press (CUP), and as such is provided with feature articles, news, graphics and fieldworker assistance. The Quill adheres to the CUP Statement of Principles. As a democratic collective, the Quill is open to all students and staff at Brandon University. An autonomous corporate entity since 2005, the Quill is a student run publication; the articles, editing, layout and distribution are done by the students.
Custodial History
Editions of the Quill have been acquired by the McKee Archives from BUSU and former Alumni.
Scope and Content
Sub sub series has been divided into three sub sub sub series, including: (1) The Quill editions; (2) The Quill duplicates and microfilm; and (3) The Quill special editions.
Notes
Adminitrative information in the History/Bio field was taken from the "Brandon Collge finding aid" prepared by Karyn Reidel for the McKee Archives in 1998 and various editions of the Quill. Post-1927, a handfull of Quill editions contain Literary Supplements.
See sub sub sub series 14.5.3.2 The Quill duplicates and microfilm for information on copies.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 14: BUSU
14.5 BUSU publications
Related Material
Editions of the Brandon College/University Sickle are located at RG 6, sub sub series 14.5.1 (The Sickle).
The Quill and Sickle account book for [1939-1941] is located in the Alfred Angus Murray McPherson collection (21-2006) Box 7, File 7.
3.85 m textual records; 880 photographs (220 negatives); 26 slides
Physical Condition
Good
History / Biographical
The Brandon School of Nursing was established in 1921, at the Brandon Hospital for Mental Diseases (hereafter B.H.M.D.). It was first alluded to in 1913, when the Superintendent of the B.H.M.D., J.J. McFadden, recommended it as a means of enhancing the reputation of the hospital. In 1919, the Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene released a highly critical report on the state of custodial institutions for the mentally ill in Canada that paved the way for reforms such as the establishment of psychiatric nursing schools. In 1920, the new superintendent, Dr. Charles A. Baragar, in his first annual report, again mentioned the need for trained nurses and instructional facilities in which to train them. Lectures began at B.H.M.D. in October of 1920 for attendants and nurses, but they were not compulsory and were not part of a formal program of studies. This was followed in 1921 with the establishment of the School of Nursing through which courses were offered beginning in 1922. The program consisted of a two year Mental Nurses Diploma Course, and a shorter "demonstrative" course that was required for all employees of the B.H.M.D. who elected not to enroll in the diploma course. The Class of 1923 was the first class of graduates from the Brandon School of Nursing. They were, by all accounts, the first graduates in all of Western Canada with a diploma in Mental Nursing. In 1924, wages at the B.H.M.D. were adjusted to take into account the completion of formal training in psychiatric nursing. In 1925, a short lived affiliation with the St. Boniface General Hospital in Winnipeg, that ended in 1927, was begun. That year also saw the beginning of a graduate studies course. In 1930, the diploma course grew to a three year program. In 1986, as many aspects of the B.H.M.D. - now referred to as the B.M.H.C. (Brandon Mental Health Center) - were phased out in favor of community based care, the B.M.H.C. School of Nursing was incorporated into Brandon University's School of Nursing, which began to offer a 2 year Post-Diploma Degree in Nursing and Mental Health.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 2000. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Sub sub series consists of a collection of records dealing with the history of the School of Nursing at the Brandon Mental Health Centre. The records consist primarily of administrative documentation created by the school dealing with various internal issues, such as student recruitment, graduation services - including an almost complete collection of graduation programs - and records dealing with the behavior of the students. Administrative records also refer to external issues faced by the B.H.M.D. as a whole, such as its burgeoning patient population and the constant problem of adaquate accommodations for patients, staff, and student nurses. The collection also includes staff recollections, and correspondence from within and from outside of the B.H.M.D. Also included are documents relating directly to the history of the School of Nursing and of the B.H.M.D. as a whole. A smaller amount of curriculum materials, including instruction manuals, notebooks, and hand-written lecture notes are also included. Publications from within the B.H.M.D.., including "The Opinion" from 1970-1990, and the "The Ego" 1956 - 76 (seven editions) are also included, as well as a collection of outside publications dealing with psychiatric nursing, mental diseases, medical ethics, and heredity. Fonds also includes medical dictionaries and handbooks of different nursing institutions such as the Victorian Order of Canadian Nurses. Lastly, the collection includes approximatley 880 photographs, 220 negatives, and 26 slides, that provide a graphic portrayal of the history of the Brandon Mental Health Centre.
Notes
A detailed inventory for the textual records exists. An inventory for the photo collection is also avaiable. The description for this sub sub series was written by Mike White (2002).
Access to these materials is restricted. Those interested in the collection should consult the Archivist.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 7: Faculties and Schools
7.5 School of Health Studies
Related Material
Other material relating to the BHMD./BMHC. are housed at the Manitoba Provincial Archives.
Arrangement
The sub sub series is organized into eight sub sub sub series, including: (1) History; (2) Correspondance; (3) Administrative Records; (4) Curriculum Materials; (5) Publications of B.M.H.C.; (6) Outside Publications; (7) Photographs, Slides, and Negatives; and (8) Miscellaneous Items.
Jack Stothard was born on February 16, 1932 in Brandon, MB. He attended public schools in the city (Central School, Park School, and Earl Oxford) and graduated from Brandon Collegiate Institute (BCI). Stothard married Velma Pollock in 1957 and together they had two daughters: Debra and Kimberly. Stothard was employed in the plumbing and heating business until 1960, when he joined Manitoba Hydro. In the course of his employment with Manitoba Hydro, he became Station Superintendent of the Brandon Generating Station. Stothard retired in 1995. Stothard was a member of the Canadian Numismatic Association, the Canadian Association of Token Collectors and the Toronto Postcard Club. Jack Stothard died on November 3, 2021 in Brandon, MB.
Custodial History
Accession 1-2003 was in the possession of Stothard until donated to the McKee Archives in 2003. Accession 12-2006 was acquired by Lawrence Stuckey at some point after the photograph was taken. Stuckey later sold a copy of the photograph. This copy was later acquired by Jack Stothard in the course of his collecting of Brandon postcards. Stothard donated the image to the McKee Archives in 2004. Accession 8-2007 was prepared by Jack Stothard in the course of 2007. He provided a copy to the Archives upon its completion. Accession 8-2008 was in the possession of Fred McGuinness until he gave jit to Jack Stothard in February 2008. Stothard donated the records to the McKee Archives on February 12, 2008. Accession 18-2008 was donated to the McKee Archives by Stothard on August 18, 2008. Accession 11-2009 was donated to the McKee Archives by Stothard on February 20, 2009. Accession 4-2012 was donated to the McKee Archives by Stothard on August 24, 2011. Accession 4-2013 was donated to the McKee Archives by Stothard in March 2013. Accession 8-2016 was donated to the McKee Archives by Stothard on January 21, 2015.
Scope and Content
Accession 1-2003 contains brief research reports prepared by Stothard on various topics concerning historical Brandon. These include: a listing of hotels, inns and motels that have operated in Brandon since the 1880s; reports dealing with the Café Aagard, Central United Church, the 1913 Dominion Exhibition, Brandon, the Empire Hotel, Brandon’s Central Steam Heating System, the Post Office and the Clement Block. It also contains one booklet: Facts About Brandon: An Industrial Survey of the City of Brandon. Winnipeg: Department of Industry and Commerce [n.d.]
Accession 12-2006 consists of one photograph of the Great Northern Engine 208, built by Rogers Locomotive Company 1887. Cylinders 18 x 24, Drivers 63". G.N. line Church's Ferry, N.D. to Brandon, Manitoba. Opened 1906, Closed 1936.
Accession 8-2007 consists of a brief typed report entitled "The Day the Lights Went Out in Brandon - Strike of 1919" by Jack Stothard. Document provides an account of the sources and delivery of hydro electric power to Brandon beginning in the early 1900s and the brief power outage at the beginning of the Brandon General Strike May 25, 1919.
Accession 8-2008 consists of "The Brandon Sun Challenge Cup" ledger, which contains two b/w photographs, newspaper clippings and information on the history and first race (1908) of the cup; 3 additional b/w photographs of different races; and the Brandon Old Timers Association record book (c. 1900).
Accession 18-2008 consists of a copy of Stothard's Brandon Postcards index. The index is divided into various sub-headings and consists of colored reproductions of postcards in Stothard's collection. The index contains pages that were discarded by Stothard as he updated his inventory, therefore the index is only up to date as of August 18, 2008.
Accession 11-2009 consists of a typed research report entitled "Brandon Police Department Stations and Locations" by Jack Stothard. The report outlines the location of the Brandon Police Department from 1882 - 2008, and also includes a section on "What the Future Holds."
Accession 4-2012 consists of pages for Stothard's Brandon Postcards index (18-2008) and a photocopy of a Brandon Municipal Railway ticket.
Accession 4-2013 consits of eight binders of handwritten notes/facts about Brandon compiled by Jack Stothard. The notes are a collection of names, places, things, events and items related mostly to the first 100 years of Brandon (1882-1982), although the notes continue into the 2000's. Some notes centre on the late 1930's to early 1950's during the period of Stothard's youth. The information in the binders was taken from a variety of publications, while some notes are Stothard's own comments. A list of sources, as well as a cross reference index for all eight binders, can be found in Book No. 1.
The accession includes: Book No. 1 - Notes of Brandon (A to B); Book No. 2 - Notes of Brandon (C to F); Book No. 3 - Notes of Brandon (G to O); Book No. 4 - Notes of Brandon (P to Z); Book No. 5 - Notes of Brandon: Churches, Hostpitals, Hotels; Book No. 6 - Notes of Brandon: Police Department, Fire Department; Book No. 7 - Notes of Brandon: Brandon City Council, City of Brandon etc.; Book No. 8 - Notes of Brandon: Brandon College/University, Brandon Schools, ACC, Brandon School Board. Accession also includes pages from Stothard's Brandon Postcards index (18-2008).
Accession 6-2016 consists of local history books, pamphlets, bakery tokens, local magazines, one binder containing handwritten notes/facts about Brandon compiled from the Brandon Sun's "Looking Back" column, and an accordian file box containing newspaper clippings about Brandon.
The accession includes the following local history books: Betty Watson's "One Day in Brandon Manitoba 9/9/99" (Brandon, Manitoba: Bart Art Books, 1999); P.N. Breton's "Popular Illustrated Guide to Canadian Coins, Medals, &. &.," (Winnipeg: Canadian Numismatic Publishing Institute, 1963 [reprint]); "Facts About Brandon: An Industrial Survey of the City of Brandon," (Province of Manitoba: Department of Industry and Commerce, [1946]); The Polish Gymnastic Association Sokol's "75th Anniversary: From the Past to the Future!" ([Brandon, Manitoba: Polish Gymnastic Association Sokol, 1988]); and Brandon Kinsmen Club's "'Together...Once Again': A History of the Kinsmen Club of Brandon, Manitoba, 1925-1975 (Brandon, Manitoba: The Historical Committee of the Kinsmen Club of Brandon, 1975).
Pamplets and magazines include: Brandon Generating Station (1957) and (1969), The Brandon Quota Club presents...A Century in Revue (1982), Canadian Rail No. 168/July-August 1965 [featuring Brandon Municipal Railway], Prairie City Issue No. 3/1994, and Prairion May/June 1997.
The binder is titled Book No. 9 - "Year by year: miscellaneous items from 1969 to 2000"; an asterik (*) indicates notes have been made on each subject or item in the other Books. Each section is housed in
The files in the accordian file box have been rehoused and include the following topics: banks, Brandon 125 beer, Behlen Industries, breweries, Brandon Shoppers' Mall, calendars, Canadian Motors Ltd., Canexus/Nexen, Canada Games - Summer and Winter, Canadian Tire, CKX Radio & TV/CKLQ, Corral Centre, flour mills, hospitals, Keystone, Maple Leaf, Fred McGuinness, miscellaneous, A.E. McKenzie, people, railways, Simplot, Westman Recycling (new facility), weather-storms-floods, and extra copies of postcards.
Notes
Description by Christy Henry. Accession 4-2013: Book No. 1 contains a photocopied photograph of Aagaard's Cafe, photographs of the Dominion Bank and Barney's Drive Inn and a photo reproduction of the Bass Building. Book No. 2 contains a photograph of the Provincial Goal. Book No. 3 contains photographs of T. Eaton Company (4 construction photos) and a photo reproduction of tents on the Exhibition grounds (c. 1940). Book No. 4 contains photoraphs of the Oak Theatre and Western Motors. There are also photopied photographs of The Fun Shop.
See biographical sketch of A.E. McKenzie under RG 3 Series 2 (Office of the President/General Manager), sub-series 1 (A.E. McKenzie).
Custodial History
See fonds level description of custodial history of A.E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd.
Scope and Content
The manuscript group contains records pertaining to A.E. McKenzie's personal life, such as personal correspondence and family documents. Records dealing with McKenzie's involvement with Brandon College, the Brandon Allied Arts Council and the Brandon Board of Trade are also included.
It has been divided into five sub-series, including: (1) Brandon College Inc.; (2) A.E. McKenzie Foundation; (3) Brandon Allied Arts Council; (4) Brandon Board of Trade; and (5) Miscellaneous.
RG 1 Brandon College fonds in the McKee Archives contains additional
information on A.E. McKenzie, particularly his involvement with Brandon College.
A photograph of A.E. McKenzie is located in oversized drawer #5 of the Brandon College photograph series.
Greenway was located seven miles east of Baldur in southwestern Manitoba. The hamlet started out as a branch point in a railway spur and took its name from Thomas Greenway, one of the early premiers of Manitoba. The Greenway Fair was held annually in Greenway until 1973, when it was moved to Baldur where better facilities were available.
Custodial History
The records were donated to the Archives by Glen Olmstead prior to 1997 (approximately 1990). The fonds was originally in the possession of Doris Stone.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of newsclippings, a membership to the Greenway Agricultural Society, a paper napkin from the 60th Anniversary (1914-1974) of the Greenway United Church, "The History of Greenway 1889-1975", the program for the Manitoba Centennial Service 1970 held at Glenora Anglican Church, Greenway Agricultural Society prize lists from 1923, 1945-1951, 1953-1954, 1957-1990, two publications on the standards for judging foods, clothing and handicrafts at fairs and exhibitions and a copy of the program for the Greenway cairn dedication.
The Brandon Hills Busy Bees was formed in 1916 by eighteen women. The aim of the group was to assist with the war effort during World War One. At the end of the war it was decided to carry on the club and do community and welfare work. The Busy Bees met twice a month and, during World War Two, one meeting a month was devoted to Red Cross work.
In 1969, the younger members of the Brandon Hills Busy Bees decided to form their own organization called the Brandon Hills Community Fireflies.
The remaining members of the Busy Bees continued in their work until they disbanded as a society on September 14, 1988. At their last meeting it was decided to donate their records to the McKee Archives (minutes September 14, 1988).
Custodial History
In the minutes for the September 14, 1988 meeting of the Brandon Hills Busy Bees, Mrs. Mollie Baker made a motion to donate the record books of the organization to the Archive at Brandon University, and for Mrs. Nell Baker and Mrs. Lillian Coate to take them there. The motion was seconced by Mrs. Jean Kreller. Prior to their donation to the McKee Archives in 1988 the records were in the possession of members of the Brandon Hills Busy Bees.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of minute books with membership lists, accounts, newsclippings, correspondence, and reports, recipies (Treasurer's BK 1917-1919), treasurer's books, donation records, 2 photographs (1916 and ca. 1970s), a history of the Busy Bees 1916-1976 and calendars for the Womens' Auxiliary to the Grain Growers (Oakville, MB) for 1916-1918.
The mintue book for 1976-1981 also contains the minute book of The Red Cross Emergency Unit, Brandon Hills for December 1943-1947.
Notes
Description by Christy Henry.
Storage Location
2006 accessions
Storage Range
2006 accessions
Related Material
Albert Angus Murray McPherson collection (21-2006)
Fonds consists of minutes, the pages of the charter dinner guest book, "Go for the Gold" membership marathon instructions and poster, and a scrapbook containing photographs, momentos and a history (summary) of the Priarie Horizons Toastmistress Club 1976-1982.
Notes
Name tags and pins culled. Description by Christy Henry.
Fonds consists of correspondence, newsclippings, reminiscences, historical information about Grand Valley, name and address lists for students and teachers, invitations to Grand Valley School District reunions (1935 and 1968), the program for the dedication ceremonies and reunion picnic (1968), and the guest book for the 1968 reunion and cairn dedication. The latter includes 3 photographs.
32.5 cm of textual records
21 photographs, various sizes
Material Details
Includes 5 audiocassettes, 1 scrapbook, 2 maps, 2 theatre programs, ca. 40 postcards, ca. 25 brochures and programs, ca. 20 posters
Physical Condition
Very good
History / Biographical
Stephen Adolph Magnacca was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on 12 October 1902. He joined the Winnipeg Highland Cadets at the age of twelve. In 1940 he was posted to Brandon, Manitoba, where he opened the A4 Training Camp. After the Second World War, Magnacca was transferred to the militia from active service and became a hospital manager with the Department of Veteran Affairs. He resigned in 1947.
Although he left the service, Magnacca remained interested in military matters. For the next three decades, he attended functions at CFB Rivers and CFB Shilo. He also collected clippings about the activities of the Canadian militia. As well, Magnacca was interested in civic affairs. In 1961 he was elected mayor of Brandon, a position he held until 1969. Many of his mayoral projects were connected with the military, including an attempt to build a new road to CFB Shilo, an effort to prevent the closure of CFB Rivers, and the coordination of a Freedom of the City Ceremony. In 1967, Magnacca was made honorary colonel of the 26th Field Regiment of the Royal Canadian Artillery.
A construction boom in the city marked Magnacca’s term as mayor. Throughout the sixties, Magnacca was instrumental in the building of the Keystone Centre, the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium, a new city hall, and the residential subdivisions of Riverheights and Kirkcaldy Heights. Magnacca’s business interests aided the development of these subdivisions—during this time he was president of Magnacca Real Estate and general manager of the Magnacca Housing Project.
Besides being a colonel, a mayor, and a president of a real estate company, Magnacca held numerous other titles. These included at different times president of the Brandon Lions Club, president of the Royal Canadian Legion Brandon Branch No. 3, treasurer of the Brandon Progressive Conservative Association, and director of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind in Brandon. In recognition of these efforts, Magnacca was named a member of the Order of Canada in 1973.In the middle of the seventies, Magnacca was active in historical pursuits. He became president of the Assiniboine Historical Society and helped to establish the Brandon Daly House Museum. To prevent Brandon’s Prince Edward Hotel from being demolished, he formed a protest group called “Save the Eddy.” In his spare time, he wrote unpublished accounts of local political figures and collected various artifacts.
A member of St. Matthew’s Cathedral, religion was important to Magnacca. Also important to him were hard work, efficiency, and hierarchy. He was a British loyalist and was devoted to public service and political life. As mayor, he prized industrial and urban development. Much of his public life was dedicated to furthering awareness of governmental and industrial activities.
Magnacca’s wife, Grace, played an integral role in her husband’s career, attending numerous networking and volunteer functions, and often organizing his activities. They had two children, Patricia (Coleman) and Allan. On 4 August 1980, at the age of seventy-seven, Stephen Adolph Magnacca passed away due to heart failure.
Custodial History
Little is known of the custodial history of the fonds. On 1 May 1995 Magnacca’s Thomas Mayne Daly collection and Magnacca’s Manitoba Historical Society papers were deposited in the Archives.
Scope and Content
The fonds consists of minutes of meetings; correspondence with politicians and military officials; newspaper clippings of military affairs; documents about governmental and military celebrations; notes on Louis Riel; a manuscript about Thomas Mayne Daly and other local politicians; papers of the Daly House museum; issues of nineteenth-century Brandon newspapers, and various historical artifacts.
The fonds is valuable for researchers interested in Brandon city council history 1882-1969, regional military history 1955-1975, and general Manitoba history 1882-1981. For social historians, this fonds is important because it demonstrates which actions and which beliefs gave Magnacca access to his many esteemed positions. Historians of gender will discover that Magnacca had a specific definition of masculinity that permeated all his activities in the public realm.
The fonds is divided into four series, including: (1) mayoral papers; (2) historical interests; (3) military interests; and (4) photographs.
Notes
Description by Tom Mitchell. Biographical sketch: Information in the biographical sketch comes from the fonds itself, as well as from two articles of the Brandon Sun: “Steve Magnacca warmly recalled,” Tuesday, 5 August 1980, p. 1; and “Brandon loses one of its finest,” 5 August 1980, p. 3. Biographical information about Stephen Adolph Magnacca is located in the Biography Files of the McKee Archives.
Associated material: Brandon Sun: “Man for the Sixties,” 30 December 1969; “History Comes Alive,” 15 June 1978; “Tenure Appointment,” 18 October 1978; “Steve Magnacca warmly recalled,” Tuesday, 5 August 1980, p. 1; “Brandon loses one of its finest,” 5 August 1980, p. 3; and “Magnacca,” 9 August 1980, p. 16, located on microfiilm in the John E. Robbins Library at Brandon University.
Conservation
Original processing of records and preparation of finding aid by Donica Belisle (22 July 1999)
Finding Aid
Patricia Coleman, daughter of Stephen Adolph Magnacca, provided the funding for the creation of this finding aid.
Storage Location
1998 accessions
Related Material
Twenty-four file drawers at the Brandon Daly House Museum contain records donated by Magnacca that deal with local political, military, and economic history.
See fonds-level description for Stephen Adolph Magnacca fonds.
Custodial History
See fonds-level description for Stephen Adolph Magnacca fonds.
Scope and Content
Series consists of antiquarian objects, such as postcards and theatre programs; an anonymous manuscript entitled "There's Something About British Israel;" clippings about Louis Riel; documents about Thomas Mayne Daly, notably Magnacca's manuscript entitled "Our First Mayor;" and documents of the Daly House Museum.
Storage Location
Stephen Adolph Magnacca fonds - Box 2
Storage Range
Stephen Adolph Magnacca fonds - Box 2
Arrangement
Box 2
2.1 2 Brandon Mail newspapers 1884
2.2 Postcards and invitations 1888-1911
2.3 Theatre programs from London, England 1896
2.4 1 Citizen’s Examiner newspaper 1926
2.5 Clippings re: Coronation Day 1937
2.6 Clippings re: Louis Riel 1967-72
2.7 Scrapbook about Manitoba history [197-]
2.8 Biographical information about T. Mayne Daly 1962-79
2.9 Biographical information about T. Mayne Daly [1978]
2.10 Biographical information about T. Mayne Daly 1978
2.11 Manuscript: “Our First Mayor,” by S. A. Magnacca 1978
2.12 “Our First Mayor” and a pamphlet about Daly 1979
2.13 “Our First Mayor” and a clipping re: H. Mayne Daly 1978
2.14 Correspondence re: publishing of “Our First Mayor” 1978
2.15 Documents of the Daly House Museum 1977-9
2.16 Documents of the Daly House Museum 1978-81
2.17 Correspondence of Grace Magnacca and the Daly House Museum 1981
2.18 Documents of the Manitoba Historical Society 1978-9
2.19 Manuscript: “Something About British Israel,” anonymous [191-]
2.20 Documents re: St. Matthew’s Cathedral 1952-63
See fonds-level description of the Stephen Adolph Magnacca fonds.
Custodial History
See fonds-level description of the Stephen Adolph Magnacca fonds.
Scope and Content
Series consists of clippings about military activities, especially those of soldiers; audiocassettes of speeches and radio broadcasts; documents about celebrations at Shilo; and newsletters of the Brandon Flying Club.
Storage Location
Stephen Adolph Magnacca fonds - Box 2
Storage Range
Stephen Adolph Magnacca fonds - Box 2
Arrangement
Box 2
3.1 Audiocassettes of British broadcasts and local mayoral speeches [196-]
3.2 Photocopies of The Quill [1916 and 1919] and a speech to university students about the military [196-]
3.3 Clippings re: S. A. Magnacca and soldiers 1961-75
3.4 Clippings re: military activities 1935-75
3.5 Clippings re: military activities 1956-75
3.6 Documents re: governmental celebrations 1964-9
3.7 Programs of military functions 1967-78
3.8 Brandon Flying Club newsletters 1974
3.9 Posters and documents of Shilo celebrations 1967-752.1
See fonds-level description Stephen Adolph Magnacca fonds.
Custodial History
See fonds-level description Stephen Adolph Magnacca fonds.
Scope and Content
Series consists of 21 photos. Included are pictures of Stephen Adolph Magnacca as mayor (1961-1969), Freedom of the City photos (1967), and a print of Thomas Mayne Daly (ca. 1880s).
31 cm textual records;
1 b&w photograph - approx. 50 x 20cm (torn in half);
1 ribbon from the International Pool Conference of 1928
History / Biographical
Leslie Victor Robson was born in Deleau, Manitoba in 1893. Following graduation from the Manitoba Agricultural College in 1915, he began a career in farming near Deleau, Manitoba. Robson married Edna Chapman in 1917. He was active in farm organizations, the co-operative movement and the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation. Robson focused his farming activities on raising purebread polled herefords. His stock was exhibited across Canada and the United States and sold in Great Britain, Japan and Czechoslovakia. In 1977, he was made a member of the Canadian Hereford Honour Roll. Leslie Victor Robson died in 1977.
Custodial History
This fonds was donated to the McKee Archives in 1995 by Clarke M. Robson of Deleau, Manitoba.
Scope and Content
This fonds contains booklets and issues of newspapers from the Canadian prairie provinces concerning the CCF, the Independant Labor Party, the UFM, the Canadian farming co-op movement, Manitoba Pool Elevators, and the early NDP. Also included are publications of the CCF including "The Commonwealth," the Canadian Department of Agriculture, the League for Social Reconstruction, the NDP, the UFM, and Manitoba Pool Elevators. The single photograph is a group picture of mostly men taken at the International Wheat Conference of 1926 in St. Paul, Minnesota. It includes Colin H. Burnell, Fawcett W. Ransom, and Dick Mahoney.
The Cinema Club of Brandon was formally created in May 1954, and operated for two and one-half years before dissolving due to lack of interest. The club was formed for the purpose of providing private screenings, on a non-profit basis, of films that normally would not have been exhibited in commercial theatres in Brandon. Films had to be assessed by the club membership as outstanding in quality. During its existence, the club sponsored the screening of two to three movies every second Sunday.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee archives in 1997. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds includes a minute book that contains a record of each meeting held by the Brandon Cinema Club and a list of the elected executives. It also includes a file of newspaper clippings from the Brandon Sun about the Cinema Club.
The Women's Institute was founded in 1897 in Stoney Creek, Ontario, by Adelaide Hoodless. By 1913, institutes had been established in every Canadian province. In 1919, provincial representatives met in Winnipeg to form the Federated Women's Institute of Canada. The Women's Institute was designed to promote quality of life in rural Canada and to foster the advancement of rural women. The first Women's Institute in Manitoba was organized in 1910, in Morris, Manitoba. The Crocus Women's Institute was created in the fall of 1946. The charter for the group was issued on November 25, 1946. One of the first projects of the group included sending food parcels to Britain until war rationing was discontinued. The main focus of the Institute was the local school: the Institute sponsored essay contests and provided furniture for the school. The Institute also sponsored a garden club and held a garden show for many years. Finally, the group had an annual Christmas Cheer project. The Crocus WI disbanded in 1984.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned in 2002 by the McKee Archives. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains member lists in the form of roll calls from 1946-1984. There are also Women's Institute Programs from the years 1946-1984. Fonds also includes the organization's minutes, financial records and annual reports from 1946-84, a scrapbook for the years 1946-1984, and the Certificate of Organization for the Crocus Women's Institute, dated September 5, 1950.
Related women's institute collections in the McKee Archives include:
Manitoba Women's Institute; Minnedosa Women's Institute; Cordova Women's Institute; Clanwilliam Women's Institute; Rathwell Women's Institute; Strathclair Women's Institute; Crocus Women's Institute; Southwest A Region - Manitoba Women's Institute; Douglas Women's Institute
William Wallace was born in Scotland around 1859. In 1881, when William was twenty-two, he emigrated to Canada with his father and brother. Once here they settled near what is today Forrest, Manitoba. The following spring they moved to the northwest margin of settlement in Manitoba, homesteading in the Shellmouth area. Wallace remained a resident of the region for the rest of his life. William Wallace was active in community affairs. He was appointed to the post of Secretary-Treasurer of the Shellmouth Municipality in 1887, and he held the position until 1904. In 1909, Wallace was injured in a railway accident, and he had to give up farming. He moved to Shellmouth and took up the position of postmaster, which he held for twenty-seven years. He died in 1945, and is buried at Shellmouth cemetery, Manitoba.
Custodial History
The letters contained in the fonds remained in the possession of Margaret Wallace, who was the original recipient of the correspondence. She emigrated to Canada in 1904. At some point the letters passed to William Wallace who kept them in his possession in Shellmouth. In 1941, William contacted Professor E. J. Westcott of Brandon College regarding the fonds. He offered it to the College for safekeeping. Westcott accepted the letters. Westcott passed the letters on to various officers and staff at Brandon College and then Brandon University. Since 1982, the collection has resided in the S. J. McKee Archives at Brandon University.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of hundreds of letters that William Wallace and his brother, Andrew, wrote to their sister, Maggie, from 1881 until 1904. The first letter, dated 22 March 1881, was written by both William and Andrew aboard the S.S. Prussia as they sailed to North America from Scotland. The last letter was written on 4 January 1904 by William. It was written to inform Maggie and her husband that William had reserved a homestead in their name. This letter marks the end of the fonds. Later that spring Maggie and John emigrated to Canada to be with her family.
William was keenly interested in everything going on around him; his letters and Andrew's reveal what life was like for inexperienced settlers on the Canadian agricultural frontier in the last years of the ninteenth century. Fonds touches on a variety of social, political and economic themes.
Notes
CAIN No. 202641. A partial accession of the Wallace collection was completed in 1992 by Eileen McFadden.
The Roseland Church was built in 1883 as a Presbyterian church, funded in large part by the Roseland Ladies Aid Society. In 1912, thirteen years before formal union between these two denominations took place, the Roseland Presbyterian Church was united with a local Methodist congregation. The Roseland Church was closed for a few years following the Second World War. However, the Church was revived and it continued to function until 1969, when it was officially closed. Subsequently, the building was sold and moved, and a cairn was placed where the church had been located.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1997. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains a minute book for the Roseland Church from 1882-1969, a summary of the organization and development of the Roseland Church, clippings dealing with the history of the community of Roseland, and a summary history of the Roseland Curling Rink.
The United Farmers of Manitoba was founded in 1920. It was an inclusive farmers' organization established to replace the Manitoba Grain Growers' Association. The UFM supported farmer candidates in the 1920 provincial election. In 1922, it helped elect the UFM government of John Bracken (1922-42). The UFM also participated in federal politics, supporting twelve successful candidates in the 1921 federal election. The UFM was financed by its members. Its membership varied from 15,700 in 1923, to 3700 in 1931. In 1939, the UFM became the Manitoba Federation of Agriculture.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1997. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds includes documents relating to the membership, both male and female, of the Wingham branch of the United Farmers of Manitoba and the United Farm Women of Manitoba. Documents dealing with the position of the branch on prohibition c. 1922, discussion within the branch of the "wheat pool" movement, annual reports for the organization, newsletters, correspondence on matters political and agrarian, and records relating to the activities of the branch as a cooperative buying agency are also included. Fonds also contains minutes of the provincial convention of the UFM and correspondence from the central office of the UFM.