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RG 2 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds

http://archives.brandonu.ca/en/permalink/descriptions4351
Part Of
RG 2 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds
Description Level
Fonds
GMD
multiple media
Date Range
1884-1992
Part Of
RG 2 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds
Description Level
Fonds
GMD
multiple media
Date Range
1884-1992
Physical Description
9.46 m textual records; 1919 photographs & graphics
History / Biographical
Brandon, Manitoba was incorporated as a city in 1881. In 1882, led by Charles Whitehead and a small Board of Directors that included J.W. Vantassel, Charles Pilling, George Halse, J.E. Smith, William Johnson, R.T. Evans, and Thomas Lockhart, it was decided to hold an agricultural exhibition. These men were all involved in the farm business in one way or another, and they wanted an opportunity to help residents realize the agricultural potential of the region. In October of that year, the fledgling community held its first agricultural exhibition . The fair was held in downtown Brandon at what was known as “Market Square.” Market Square was two acres of land located on Princess Avenue between Eighth and Ninth Streets. Due to poor weather, and the fact that not many people were ready to show animals and grain, there was a relatively small turnout. The following year was much improved. There were 730 entries into the exhibition. By 1884, the Board of Directors of the Brandon Agricultural Society, which was in charge of the exhibition, realized that they were in poor financial shape, to the point of being personally out of pocket. It was realized that October was not the best time for farmers to be leaving their farms to go to an exhibition. In 1888, it was decided to move the exhibition to the summer time, when it was much easier for people to attend. The first Brandon Summer Fair was held in July 1889, and it was a resounding success. The Board of Directors had added many items of interest to appeal to the entire public, not just agricultural people. In 1892, the Western Agricultural and Arts Association (WAAA) was formally established to take over duties from the Brandon Agricultural Society. However, it was not until 1897 that the WAAA held its first meeting. There is no explanation as to why there is a five year gap between the formation and the first meeting of this organization. 1897 was the turning point of the Brandon Exhibition. The fair was now firmly established in Brandon, and the Board of Directors was instrumental in ensuring that it remained so. This was done by petitioning to both the municipal and provincial governments for grant money. As well, the Board booked midway and grandstand acts that would bring the city dwellers to the agricultural exhibition. There were also early attempts at holding an agricultural exhibition in the winter. The first such attempt was in 1884. There was also a Spring Stallion show held in 1891. By 1904, however, a petition by J.D. McGregor had gone out to formally establish a winter exhibition. This effort also failed, but by 1906, it was decided by businessmen, politicians, and farm representatives in Brandon, including McGregor, to organize a winter fair. Rather than seeing this new fair as competition, the Board of Directors of the summer fair felt that it would complement their exhibition. The new fair would remain primarily agricultural. The first winter fair was held in 1906. While the two fairs were not amalgamated, they did share the same secretary-manager. The secretary-manager was responsible for the day to day management of the fair, as well as keeping track of meetings and decisions reached by the various fair boards and committees. In 1907, the Brandon Winter Fair and Livestock Association (BWFLA) was formed to act primarily as a land-holding joint stock company. The following year the Provincial Winter Fair and Fat Stock Association (PWFFSA), an entirely separate organization from the BWFLA, was formed to manage the activities of the winter fair. The PWFFSA name was soon changed to the Manitoba Winter Fair and Fat Stock Association (MWFFSA). By 1906, Brandon could boast two full size exhibitions, one in the summer and one in the late winter, both of which were considered to be premiere events. In 1908, the Brandon summer fair was renamed the Inter-Provincial Exhibition, and in 1912 it held it’s first Traveller’s Day, an event which would soon become an important addition to the fair and is still in existence today. It is thought that the name “Traveller’s Day” came from the fact that it was held on a Saturday, a day when many people could travel to Brandon for the exhibition. In 1913, Brandon was bestowed with the honour of hosting the Dominion Exhibition. This was a national exhibition sponsored by the federal government. It was held in a different city every year. There were several cities vying for the 1913 Dominion Exhibition, but it was Brandon that impressed the sponsors the most. With the government funds received for this honour, the Board of Directors supervised the building of a new grandstand, display buildings, and racetrack, as well as the general expansion and improvements to the fairgrounds. In the spring of 1912, it was decided by the Board of Directors of the winter fair that the facilities they were currently housed in were inadequate for their needs. The mayor and city clerk of Brandon went to the provincial legislature in order to request that there be an amendment added to the Brandon city charter. This amendment would allow the city to guarantee bonds issued by the winter fair board to help pay for the construction of a new facility. This request was granted, and a $70 000 addition was built next to the original winter fair building. The new building was opened in 1913. Throughout the First World War, both the winter fair and Provincial Exhibition buildings were used for the war effort. There was one distinct difference however. The summer fair Board was able to negotiate a deal with the army that enabled it to reclaim the fair buildings during fair week. The winter fair, however, had to give up the idea of holding fairs in 1915 and 1916. It was not until 1917, that the winter fair was able to resume. During this time, due to the financial problems that had beset the winter fair, the two exhibitions considered amalgamation. The Board of Directors of the winter fair felt that because they were the smaller of the two fairs, their interests would be swallowed up by the summer fair. The winter fair withdrew from the negotiations to amalgamate. With this rather sudden turn of events, the Board of Directors of the summer fair petitioned the government to be allowed to incorporate. This was granted, and in 1920, the WAAA was incorporated as the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba. From 1920, the summer fair was officially known as the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba. This was the first time that the summer fair was incorporated, and received the “status and financial assistance” that came with incorporation. More problems beset the winter fair in the 1920s. In 1920, a fire burned down the winter fair pavilion, located at the south end of the winter fair buildings, and caused the Board to cancel the 1921 winter fair. It was not until 1922, that a new building was completed. By 1929, both fairs were well regarded throughout Canada. In 1929, a decade long Depression hit the west. While many fairs closed during this time, Brandon struggled to keep its open. The Directors of both fairs felt that the agricultural shows “encouraged excellence at a time when faith and enthusiasm were at a low ebb.” The summer fair proved to be quite successful during the Depression, likely as a result of the few moments one was able to forget one’s troubles while there. The winter fair was not quite as successful, although both fairs received government grants and work relief projects. There was little new entertainment in these exhibitions. There were changes about to manifest themselves at the summer fair, however. While the winter fair had representatives from various associations on its Board of Directors, the summer fair Board of Directors was a small close-knit group of men. Citizens saw entry into this elite group as elusive and difficult. To ward off the possibility of the Board becoming a “self-sustaining clique,” that only chose Directors from within, it was decided by several citizens to try and elect some new blood into the fair Board. In 1933, there was a general election for the Board. Instead of the usual men shuffling positions, there were forty-four nominations for the twenty positions. When the voting was all over, seven new men sat on the Board. Despite some inner rumblings, especially on the summer fair Board over the next few years, both exhibitions survived the Depression. During the Second World War the fairs once again were forced to operate under adversity. Once again, the buildings were requisitioned for the army, although they were released during fair week. The summer fair was forced to make several concessions, and the winter fair was relocated to the summer fair grounds for the duration. The winter fair did not survive the Second World War intact. Due to financial reasons, in December of 1945, the Board of Directors turned the winter fair buildings over to the City of Brandon. By 1946, the BWFLA, which was the joint-stock land holding company, had ceased operations because the city now controlled the winter fair land and buildings. The next fifteen years would be a time of rebuilding for both of Brandon’s exhibitions. Children especially were more active participants in the agricultural exhibitions. The summer fair continued to diversify and look for new ways of entertaining the public at large. The winter fair remained primarily agricultural. By the end of the 1950s the winter fair, which was used to struggling, was now both successful and stable; and the summer fair, a perennial success, was starting to fade. By 1969, both the winter and summer fair Boards had realized that amalgamation was the best possible decision, both practically and financially, for the future of the two fairs. On 29 October, 1969, the two exhibitions amalgamated to become the Manitoba Exhibition Association. The reconstituted Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba was now responsible for both the winter and summer fairs. A new building was erected on the summer fair grounds to house both of the exhibitions. On 2 April 1973, the Keystone Centre was officially opened at the winter fair, although it had been in use since October of the preceding year. In 1970, Manitoba’s Centennial, it was decided that an organization in Manitoba would receive the title of “Royal,” as a way to celebrate the centennial. Although many organizations applied for the honour, it was the Brandon winter fair that received the accolades. The winter fair was bestowed with the title “Royal”, and became known as the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. In 1975, a third exhibition was added, this time a purely agricultural fall show known as the Agricultural Exhibition, or AgEx. This fair was partly organized on behalf of the cattle growers, who found that the summer and winter fairs did not give them adequate time and space to properly show their cattle. The return to a fall show, which had not existed since 1888, would be the return to a purely agricultural exhibition. This show was to be primarily a show and sale event. On 3 November 1975, the first AgEx was opened to resounding success. The Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba, the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair and AgEx are all still in existence in Brandon. They are regarded as three of the most important events to take place annually in the city.
Custodial History
These files were housed with the Manitoba Exhibition Association until c1986 when they were transferred to the S.J. McKee Archives at Brandon University.
Scope and Content
The fonds consists of textual records and photographs comprised of the records from the three annual exhibitions that are held in Brandon, Manitoba: the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba, the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, and the Agricultural Exhibition (Ag-Ex). The textual records include prize lists, programs, minutes, financial, administrative files, original results, scrapbooks, tickets, news releases, contracts, by laws, documents as well as a miscellaneous section. There are approximately 1846 photographs that include scenes from these three exhibitions. These records provide a unique perspective on the development of agriculture and rural life in southwestern Manitoba. Fairs such as these have been and remain prime media of farm improvement, technological and scientific advancement in rural Canada, and the promoters of country living. These fairs also reflected the long tradition inherited from Britain and Europe of country fairs as centers of entertainment, social interchange and diversion. These records are a principal source of information about the most broadly based vocational, entertainment and social events held on an annual basis in southwestern Manitoba over the last century. The records are vital to academic research on agriculture or fairs, individual biography, or community history.
Notes
The RG 2 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association finding aid was created by Karyn (Riedel) Taylor with the exception of Series 9 and the accompanying database, which were created by Donica Belisle. This finding aid was created in August 1999.
Name Access
Charles Whitehead
J.W. Vantassel
Charles Pilling
George Halse
Subject Access
Brandon Agricultural Society
Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba
Royal Manitoba Winter Fair
Agricultural Exhibition
Brandon Manitoba
AgEx
Repro Restriction
Researchers are responsible for observing Canadian copyright restrictions.
Finding Aid
Available
Storage Location
RG 2 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds
Storage Range
RG 2 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds
Related Material
Additional records regarding the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba, the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, and AgEx are housed at the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association offices. To gain access to these records, it is necessary to contact the general manager of the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association.
Arrangement
The fonds is divided into sous-fonds by exhibition. There is a Provincial Exhibition sous-fonds, a Royal Manitoba Winter Fair sous-fonds, an Ag-Ex sous-fonds, and a Miscellaneous sous-fonds that holds information that could not be easily broken down into one exhibition. The arrangement is as follows: RG 2 Provincial Exhibition Association of Manitoba fonds RG2SF1 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba 1.1 Documents 1.2 Minutes 1.3 Financial Records 1.4 Administrative Files 1.5 Prize Lists and Programs 1.6 News Releases 1.7 Original Results 1.8 Tickets 1.9 Photographs 1.10 Scrapbooks 1.11 Miscellaneous RG2SF2 Royal Manitoba Winter Fair 2.1 Documents 2.2 Minutes 2.3 Financial Records 2.4 Administrative Files 2.5 Prize Lists and Programs 2.6 News Releases 2.7 Original Results 2.8 Tickets 2.9 Photographs 2.10 Scrapbooks 2.11 Miscellaneous RG2SF3 AgEx 3.4 Administrative Files 3.5 Prize Lists and Programs 3.6 News Releases 3.7 Original Results 3.9 Photographs RG2SF4 Miscellaneous 4.1 Documents 4.2 Minutes 4.3 Financial Records 4.4 Administrative Files 4.9 Photographs 4.10 Scrapbooks 4.11 Miscellaneous
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Westman Oral History collection

http://archives.brandonu.ca/en/permalink/descriptions4350
Part Of
RG 5 Western Manitoba Manuscript Collection
Description Level
Collection
GMD
multiple media
Date Range
1981-1984
Accession Number
35-1998
Part Of
RG 5 Western Manitoba Manuscript Collection
Description Level
Collection
Accession Number
35-1998
GMD
multiple media
Date Range
1981-1984
Physical Description
3 meters
Material Details
335 cassette tapes
310 files
History / Biographical
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).
Name Access
Mr. & Mrs. Alex Adams
Elizabeth Adams
Evelina Adams
Ethel Allen
Floyd Amos
Frank Anderson
Hans Anderson
Valere Andries
Herman Arason
Dorothy Armstrong
Elmer Armstrong
Hugh Armstrong
Edward Arnold
Verlie Arnott
Hilton Ashton
T. Roy Bailey
Ann Barter
John G. Beddome
Howard Bedford
Myrtle Irene Bell
Rev. Linda Bergan
J. Melvin Berg
E.H. Birkinshaw
Alex Black
Jack Blatchford
Marfesia Bobinsky
Walter Borotsik
Roselle Boudreau
Edward P. Boyle
Emmeline Bradley
Allan W. Brigden
Harry Brindle
Hugh Broadfoot
Dorothy Broomhall
David Brown
Clara M. Bulloch
Betty Burton
Irene Calvert
Glen Campbell
Robert J. Campbell
Wilfrid D. Campbell
Elsie Carnahan
Beatrice Carr
Lorne Carruthers
Rex Carter
Margaret Catley
Gordon Chalmers
Violette Chapman
Cliff Clark
Harold Cleaver
Robert Coates
Robert John Coates
Roy Gordon Coates
J. Walters Collinson
Eveline Conley
Phyllis Field Cooper
Mary Jane Cosgrove
Mark Cousins
Fred C. Coutrice
Flora C. Cowan
Jim Cowan
Selia Cram
George Crighton
Charles Curle
Earle M. Currie
Eva Roddick Davis
Ivan R. Day
Catherine Dennis
Mrs. W. C. Stubbs Dixon
Edward I. Dow
Myrna Hicks Dring
Leween Drysdale
Georgina Morgan Duce
Eva Duncan
Kate Stronach Duncan
Lorne Dunn
Bernice C. East
Laurie O. East
Mary E. Edwards
Frank Ernest Ellis
Donald Jacob Engel
W. Joseph English
Clayton Farley
Marion Ferguson
Faith Flay
W. George Flay
Nellie Forbes
Arthur Galbraith
William Geiler
Tom Gibbs
Betty Gibson
Stanley Gilbart
James Gilmour
Mabel R. Godfrey
Helen Goethe
Eric B. Gowler
Andy Graham
Stella Freeborn Grant
George A. Grieve
Lesly Grundy
James Guild
Ethel Hall
Marion Hannah
R. H. Hannah
William Hardwick
Fred Heeney
Isabelle Heeney
A. Earle Henderson
J. Stan Henry
John Hepworth
Florence M. Hinch
Frank C. Hitchcock
Don E. Hockley
Victor Hockley
G. Albert Hodson
Arlie Hogg
Lloyd A. Horn
Aubrey Hume
Stanley Hunt
John Hunter
Thomas W. Jeffrey
Reg L. Johnson
Myrtle Johnston
F. Lloyd Jones
Richard Jones
William Jordan
Martin Kavanagh
Duncan E. Kennedy
Mrs. A. W. Kent
Midred Kilburn
Harvey Kindree
C. Jack Kingsmill
Ronald Kitchen
Arthur Koping
Jacob Krueger
Jean Landreth
Norah E. K. Lane
Marjorie Lange
Lillian Lawson
Herb Lazenby
Violet Leeson
Matilda Legg
Clarence Lennon
Albert Leronowich
Gertrude Leslie
Jake Loewen
Rev. Lloyd Lovering
Harold Lund
Jean Lyall
Edward Lykens
Marie MacDonald
Pearl MacDonald
Chester James MacFadden
Harvey MacFarlane
Mary MacIntosh
Frank S. MacKay
Mrs. W.K. MacKenzie
Grace Magnacca
Jean Cameron Mains
Molly Malinowsky
Peter Martens
Thomas H. Martin
Lewis Mathie
Alice May
Frank May
Harriet R. McCall
John D. McDonald
Eileen McFadden
Edward McGill
Estelle McGregor
John T. McGregor
Norman McGregor
James D. McKeand
Tulley McKenzie
Doug McKinney
Raymond McLaughlin
Annie McLean
Clarence W. McLean
Gerald Norman McLeod
Alex McPhail
Effie McPhail
Agnes McQuarrie
Harold Medd
Harry Miller
Mary Milroy
A. B. Mitchell
Tom Mitchell
Mabel Montgomery
William J. Montgomery
Gordon Mooney
Lillian Mummery
Vera Couling Munn
Earl Murray
Mildred G. Musgrove
Lillie H. Musselwhite
Andrew Fred Mutter
Jack Naismith
Robert Neilson
Eva Nelson
Maria Nelson
Ella Kerr Nicholson
Winnie North
John Oldcorn
Stan Oleson
Mildred Oriss
Patrick J. O'Sullivan
Muriel I. Outhaite
Donald Parrott
Phyllis Paskewitz
Daisy Patmore
Muriel Patmore
Gordon Patterson
Howard Patterson
Elmer Peeler
Jacob Penner
A. B. Pernal
John Peters
Emma Pratt
Frank Presunka
Jean Purdie
Mary Rauliuk
Jack H. Renton
Louis Richard
Lorne Rogers
Tranna Rogers
Dr. Crawford Rose
Simon Rosenman
Ralph Rowan
Kaye Rowe
Charles Sage
Clara Scott
Dorothy Scott
Thomas Seens
Janet Seward
Gladys Mary Sharpe
Hallard Shelvey
William Sheridan
Beverly Sherman
Ermina Shier
Lynn Shier
Nelson Shoemaker
Esther Short
C. Lem Shuttleworth
Joseph Shwaluk
Rev. Anthony Simbalist
Bessie Simmons
Eleanor Sipley
Rev. Michael Skrumeda
G.M. Bay Smith
Hazel Smith
Margaret Scarrow Smith
Robert Smith
Vella Smith
Alvie R. Spafford
Clarence B. Spurr
Robert Strath
Einar Sundmark
Willard H. Switzer
Elsie Taylor
Ruth E. Tester
George Thomas
Joanne Titus
J. Harvey Tolton
E.A. Travis
Stewart Trites
Charles Robert Turner
Edward Turner
Sybil S. Tuthill
Edith Vallender
William G. Vallender
Molly Vance
Jack Vickers
Gladys Ward
Eleanor Warren
Irene Wasylyshyn
Harold E. Watson
Lena G. Wayte
Ada Whitmore Wells
Frank Wereham
Margaret Whetherhill
Allen John Whetter
Ruth Whitlaw
Jessie Whyte
Dave Willey
Kenneth Williams
W.D. Wilson
Kathleen Winters
Marjorie Wolfe
Edythe May Wood
Norah Wright
James M. Young
Stanely Young
G.H. Younge
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
Wawanesa
Agriculture
Associations and Clubs
Churches and Church Life
Cultural Events
Early Politics
Education
Health Services
Immigration
Local Businesses
Native-White Relations
Oral History
Pioneers
Pioneer Settlements
Pioneer Way of Life
Social Life
Sports
Transportation
War BridesCreators
Westman Oral History Association
J.E. Bateman
Mary Booth-Kipling
Gladys Bray
Kay Briggs
Irene Brown
Bill Burgess
Phyllis Cairns
Eva Cassils
Winnie Cheetham
K. Cochrane
F.M. Collinson
Elsie Cory
Hilda Curry
Marge Deschambault
Margaret Dickie
Ola Duncan
Cliff Findlay
Marjorie Fitton
Jean Flay
John Forsyth
Elwood Gorrie
Phillis Hallett
Audrey Harburn
Amy Harrison
Wilma Hatch
A.L. Henderson
Lloyd Henderson
Stan Henry
Ron Heritage
Gwen Hickson
Shirley Hunt
E. John
Mae Johnson
Isla Kennedy
W.J.L. Kilkenny
Irene Lazenby
Phillis Long
Blair Loree
Ray MacNeill
Effie MacPhail
Dorothy Martin
Marion Martin
Marion Mayert
John Miller
John Moore
Hazel Patmore
Velma Patterson
William Patterson
James Penhale
Terry Penton
Bernice Pettypiece
Edith Poole
Roberta Poole
Hazel Rose
Gordon Sefton
Jack Senchuk
Gordon Shanks
Glady Sharpe
Mervin Smire
Delbert Spurr
Dr. David Stewart
Rosalyn Sutley
Margaret Switzer
Mary Thomas
Charles Turner
Nora Turner
Mayme Warren
Tom Wilkins
Assiniboine Historical Society
Location Original
The originals for the collection are held at the Brandon Public Library.
Storage Location
1998 accessions
Storage Range
1998 accessions
Related Material
The Minutes for the meetings of the Westman Oral History Association from 1980-85 are located at the Daly House Museum in Brandon, Manitoba.
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