William Currie was born on February 28, 1834 in Lanark County, ON. In 1860, he moved to St. Mary's, where he worked in mercantile and grain businesses until 1879, when he emigrated to Manitoba. The following year, he took up homesteading along the Assiniboine River, at a site known as Currie's Landing. He received and forwarded frieght from steamboats travelling the river. From 1893-1902, he served as baliff for the Brandon District, before resigning and moving to Brandon where he engaged in the real estate and fire insurance business.
Currie married Ellen Creighton of Blanchard, ON in 1861. Together they had six chrildren: Robert Wilson Currie, Margaret Anne Currie, Harriet Ellen Currie, William James Currie, James Weldon Currie, and Lottie Louise Currie.
William Currie died on March 30, 1931 in Brandon, MB.
Scope and Content
Item is a studio portrait of William Currie.
Notes
History/Bio information taken from the Manitoba Historical Society website (http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/currie_w.shtml)
Postcard was donated to the McKee Archives by Allen Drysdale, archivist at Beautiful Plains Archives in October 2011. Drysdale received the postcard as part of a larger donation to his archives.
Scope and Content
Item is a colour postcard of the A.E. McKenzie Seed Company in Brandon, MB. The postcard was sent to John Dorset, Elphinstone, MB from his brother Sid (?).
Brandon Hardware Co. Ltd. founded in 1882, making it one of Brandon's earliest mercantiles. It was incorporated in 1902, and their location on Rosser Avenue at the corner of 7th Street was constructed in 1903. For a number of years, J.B. Curran was the managing director. The building was destroyed by fire in 1983.
Custodial History
Katy Singleton was given this photo in her role as Heritage Coordinator for the City of Brandon. She transferred it to the McKee Archives in 2013.
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of of the interior of the Brandon Hardware Co. Ltd. looking towards the front of the store from the back.
Brandon Hardware Co. Ltd. founded in 1882, making it one of Brandon's earliest mercantiles. It was incorporated in 1902, and their location on Rosser Avenue at the corner of 7th Street was constructed in 1903. For a number of years, J.B. Curran was the managing director. The building was destroyed by fire in 1983.
Custodial History
Katy Singleton was given this photo in her role as Heritage Coordinator for the City of Brandon. She transferred it to the McKee Archives in 2013.
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of of the interior of the Brandon Hardware Co. Ltd. looking towards the back of the store from the front.
Postcard was sent to Chuck Wilson's aunt, Mrs. W.M. Wilson in Creelman, SK by the McKenzie Seed Company in 1912. Chuck Wilson found the postcard in some of his aunt's papers in 2009 and mailed it to the McKee Archives.
Scope and Content
Item consists of a colour postcard of the McKenzie Seed Company building located on the west side of the 100 block of 9th Street. The card was sent to Mrs. W.M. Wilson of Creelman, SK to acknowledge her order.
Writing on the front of the card reads: A.E. McKenzie Co., Limited, Seedsmen, Brandon, Man
Gustave Bellegro “Gus” Yaeger was born on July 10, 1878 at Genoa, Italy. The son of Swiss parents, he immigrated to the United States, working in West Virginia then North Dakota before arriving in Brandon, MB in 1910. He worked at various jobs before opening Yaeger's Furs, a fur-coat factory and retail store at 602 Rosser Avenue, in 1919.
Yaeger married Sarah Ellen Williams (1883-1966) of Big Rock, Idaho in 1907. They had two children: Karl Williams Yaeger (1908-1975) and Barbara Yaeger (m. H.H. Ricketts).
Gus Yaeger died on March 25, 1942 in Brandon, MB. His son carried on the business after his death before selling it to one of the managers in 1969.
The Dionne quintuplets, born May 28, 1934, were the first quintuplets known to have survived their infancy. They were born just outside Callandar, ON.
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of the Yaeger's Furs Dionne quintuplets Christmas window display. The display features five dolls dressed in fur coats and bonnets, a framed photo of Gus Yaeger, a Christmas tree and a cardboard Santa.
Notes
History/Bio information taken from the Manitoba Historical Society website (http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/yaeger_gb.shtml)
The Brandon Armoury is located at the southwest corner of Victoria Avenue and 11th Street.
Custodial History
Donated by Ron Brown.
Scope and Content
Photograph is a portrait of the Royal North-West Mounted Police C squadron returned from World War I. The photo was taken at the Brandon Armoury where the squadron was housed before being restationed.
Notes
Information on the photo was taken from G.F. Barker's Brandon: A City (p. 200).
St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, which became St. Paul's United Church, and then Central United Church was located at 327 8th Street in Brandon, MB. The original church was destroyed by fire in 1986.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows the interior of the St. Paul's Presbyterian Church in Brandon, MB.
Notes
History/Bio information provided by Jim Stettner, Organ Historical Society Database (2022).
View is looking east southeast. Photograph shows the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium (WMCA) under construction. There are two signs in the foreground. One lists the names of the architectural firm, the engineers, contractiors and subcontractors involved with the project. The other reads: Site of Western Manitoba's 100 Centennial Project New Auditorium
John Hanbury came to Brandon in January 1882. For the next decade he operated a contracting business, constructing several Brandon buildings including the post office, the Merchants Block, and the General Hospital. In 1892, Hanbury founded the Hanbury Manufacturing Company. The most important industry in Brandon from 1900-1914, Hanbury’s employed over 150 men in logging, lumbering and the manufacturing of doors, windows, furniture and other house fixtures.
With offices, a warehouse and lumber mill on either side of Assiniboine Avenue at 6th Street North, Hanbury’s relied on timber from northern forests that was moved, raft-like, down river by drivers. Cabinets, furniture and other millwork was sold out of the Hanbury Hardware Co. building on 7th Street and Pacific Avenue. John Hanbury left Brandon in 1910, although his son continued to operate the business until World War I.
Residential buildings were constructed on the company lands on Assiniboine Avenue west of 6th Street North in the late 1920s; the building east of 6th Street was used first as the Christie’s School Supplies warehouse (1929-1939) and then by successive woollen mills (1941-1991). A portion of what appears to be the original building currently stands vacant on the site. The hardware building on Pacific Avenue has been primarily used by the Government Liquor Control Commission (1929-1971) and Christie’s School Supplies, now Christie’s Office Plus (early 1940s – present).
Custodial History
Photos belonged to Jim Lanigan's family. He donated them to the McKee Archives in January 2017.
Scope and Content
Item is a photograph of the Hanbury Mfg Co. buildings on Assinboine Avenue - photo is looking northeast
Notes
Jim Lanigan and his siblings beleived that Hanbury Manufacturing Company is where their paternal grandfather James Joseph Lanigan worked and learned the glazing trade. James Joseph's father James and brother Albert Daniel may have also worked there. Both Joe and Bert went to work for the CPR in Brandon in 1898. Jim Lanigan could not identify any family members in the group portrait.
John Hanbury came to Brandon in January 1882. For the next decade he operated a contracting business, constructing several Brandon buildings including the post office, the Merchants Block, and the General Hospital. In 1892, Hanbury founded the Hanbury Manufacturing Company. The most important industry in Brandon from 1900-1914, Hanbury’s employed over 150 men in logging, lumbering and the manufacturing of doors, windows, furniture and other house fixtures.
With offices, a warehouse and lumber mill on either side of Assiniboine Avenue at 6th Street North, Hanbury’s relied on timber from northern forests that was moved, raft-like, down river by drivers. Cabinets, furniture and other millwork was sold out of the Hanbury Hardware Co. building on 7th Street and Pacific Avenue. John Hanbury left Brandon in 1910, although his son continued to operate the business until World War I.
Residential buildings were constructed on the company lands on Assiniboine Avenue west of 6th Street North in the late 1920s; the building east of 6th Street was used first as the Christie’s School Supplies warehouse (1929-1939) and then by successive woollen mills (1941-1991). A portion of what appears to be the original building currently stands vacant on the site. The hardware building on Pacific Avenue has been primarily used by the Government Liquor Control Commission (1929-1971) and Christie’s School Supplies, now Christie’s Office Plus (early 1940s – present).
Custodial History
Photos belonged to Jim Lanigan's family. He donated them to the McKee Archives in January 2017.
Scope and Content
Item is a group portrait of Hanbury Manufacturing Company employees.
Notes
Jim Lanigan and his siblings beleived that Hanbury Manufacturing Company is where their paternal grandfather James Joseph Lanigan worked and learned the glazing trade. James Joseph's father James and brother Albert Daniel may have also worked there. Both Joe and Bert went to work for the CPR in Brandon in 1898. Jim Lanigan could not identify any family members in the group portrait.
The Brandon Armoury was built in 1907. The extension on the southside was built in 1937.
Custodial History
The photograph was donated to the Archives by Cy Kenny in 2005.
Scope and Content
Photograph is looking northwest from the east side of 11th Street. It shows the back and east side of the Brandon Armoury, which is located on the at 1116 Victoria Avenue.
Photograph shows a public reception for the Governor General of Canada, HRH the Duke of Connaught during a visit to Brandon, MB. The reception was held on Princess Avenue at City Hall. The photograph is looking southwest from the north side of Princess Avenue. The building in the background is the recently constructed Prince Edward Hotel.
There is staining from the top left corner towards the centre of the image.
Custodial History
Jack Stothard purchased the image at a yard sale, location unknown. He donated it to the Archives in 2006.
Scope and Content
Photograph of a public reception for the Governor General of Canada, HRH the Duke of Connaught. The reception was held in fromt of the Brandon City Hall, which was located at 9th Street and Princess Avenue. The photograph is looking south southeast. A portion of the recently constructed Prince Edward Hotel is visible in the background.
Photograph of spectators gathered to watch the Royal North-West Mounted Police (RNWMP) horse barns on fire. The barns were located in the Winter Fair Building on the Fair Grounds.
