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 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.
Harry "Hap" Fraser was born in Brandon, Manitoba on January 15, 1919. On February 12, 1945, he married Muriel Coleman of Virden. Fraser served in the RCAF during World War II, returning to Brandon in 1946. Harry Fraser was employed by Coca-Cola, Nutty Cup Candy Company and the Codville Company. Following a brief stint as manager of the North Hill IGA, Harry Fraser built an IGA grocery store on Victoria Avenue West. He operated this store until his retirement in 1972. Harry Fraser was a member of the Brandon Lion's Club from 1952 until his death. He also served a term on Brandon City Council. He passed away at his home in Brandon on April 2, 1991.
Custodial History
This fonds came into the possession of Fred McGuinness, a Brandon writer and acquaintance of Hap Fraser's, after Fraser's death. McGuinness donated it to the McKee Archives in 1998.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of a single scrapbook containing articles and pictures of various personalities and events from the world of sports during the 1920s and 1930s. Hockey, baseball, basketball, wrestling, boxing, body building, bike racing, boat racing, track and field, swimming, diving, football, rugby, rifle shooting, tennis, bowling, horse racing, golf, soccer, and fishing are all featured in the scrapbook. The articles and pictures feature both local and internationally known sports figures. Fonds also contains pictures of celebrities, royalty, prominent military figures, inventors, and beauty queens from the same era.
The Fairfax/Elgin United Church was formed in 1921, combining the Methodist (founded in 1889), and Presbyterian (founded in 1887) congregations in these communities. In 1968, the Elgin and Souris congregations joined and, in 1969, the original Elgin United Church was sold to the Fairfax Community Club.
Custodial History
The fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1997. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains minute books (1922-1968), account books (1953-1970), account statements (1966-68), one annual report (1967), and documents of insurance and property transfer (1960-1970) concerning the Fairfax/Elgin United Church.
The Canada Seed Company was formed in 1913 by Mr. R. C. (Clark) Steele at Hagersville, Ontario with the intent to process and export farm seeds. However, in later years, the company branched out into the Garden Seed business. Early in the 1930's, R. C. Steele merged his company with the Steele Briggs Seed Co., which was owned by his brother Walter D. Steele. Following the deaths of W. D. Steele and E. F. Crossland, R. C. Steele was elected President of Steele Briggs.
A few years later, Vancouver interests took over the seed companies under Steele Briggs, including the Canada Seed Company. At this time, R. C. Steele retired from the company to form Steele Robertson Co., headquartered in Edmonton. W. D. Dack was appointed President of Steele Briggs. In June 1951, W. D. Dack took control of company operations from the Vancouver interests and, in 1961, the Steele Briggs Seed Co. purchased the Rennie Seed Co.
Custodial History
See fonds level description of custodial history of A. E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd.
Scope and Content
This sub-series contains the resignation of A.J. Maruca as an officer and director of
Canada Seeds Ltd. and a report on operating results for the nine-month period ending
February 28,1967. The remainder of the records in this sub-series are financial
statements prepared by Meyers Norris Penny & Co.
The sub sub series is divided into two sub sub sub series, including: (1) Financial; and (2) Miscellaneous.
Historical information regarding Canada Seeds Ltd. is located in Series 2 (Office of the President/GM), sub-series 2 (J. Lasby Lowes), Historical Topics file 10 (Tape 23) and file 11 (Tape 24) of the A.E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd. fonds.
Gabriel Richard Rowe was born in Coleman, P.E.I. in 1897. In 1918, he enlisted in the Canadian Army. After the Great War, he moved to Viscount, Saskatchewan were he was principal of a high school. In 1924, Rowe moved to Brandon where he served as principal for various schools until his retirement in 1964. G.R. Rowe attended the University of Manitoba graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1935, a Bachelor of Education 1952, and a Master of Education degree in 1957. Rowe also studied at the University of Minnesota, Harvard, and the University of British Columbia. Rowe served as President of the Manitoba Teachers' Scoiety from 1948 to 1949. He served as a member of the International School Master Association, the Brandon's Citizens' Committee of the Arts, and the Brandon General Hospital Board. He died in Brandon on January 6th, 1968.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned in 1997 by the McKee Archives. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds includes photographs, certificates and diplomas, career resumes, testimonials, draft obituaries, and correspondence, relating to G.R. Rowe's professional teaching career, and in small part to his personal life.
The Bertha School District, located south of Brandon in the Rural Municipality of Oakland, was established in 1896. It was integrated into the School Distict of Nesbitt in 1961. Subsequently, it became part of the Souris Valley School Division.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of annual registers (1910-1961), minute books (1896-1962), account books (1896-1911, 1924-1956), an award of a Board of Arbitration (1961), a petition for consolidation with the School District of Nesbitt (1961), a financial report (1961), a map of the Souris Valley School Division showing rural school districts, and one debenture certificate (1896).
Berbank Women's Aid was founded in 1919. It was, in large part, the Berbank Red Cross under a new name. The principal project of the original Berbank Ladies Aid was the construction of the Berbank Church, which was accomplished in 1919. In 1962, the organization was renamed the Berbank United Church Women. With the closing of the Berbank church in 1966, the Berbank United Church Women were dissolved.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1997. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
This fonds consists of various minute books of the Berbank Ladies Aid, and its successor organization, dating from 1919 to 1965.
1.2 m of textual records;
c. 2700 photographs -- Primarily black and white;
c. 42,500 stamps
History / Biographical
Lawrence Adne Stuckey was born in Brandon, Manitoba in 1921 to Adne and Catherine Stuckey, and was the grandson of a Brandon pioneer family, the Gilmours. Stuckey attended both Fleming and Earl Oxford schools, as well as the Brandon Collegiate Institute. In May 1941, he began working for the CPR as a wiper/fireman. In October of the following year he joined the RCAF. During World War II, Stuckey served overseas as a Navigator/Bomb Aimer and was promoted to the rank of Flight Sergeant. He continued his work with the CPR after the war, and was promoted to fireman/engineer in 1950. Stuckey left the CPR in January of 1958 to purchase Clark-Smith Photo Studio in Brandon.
Stuckey and his wife Mavis, whom he married in 1946, ran the studio until their retirement in the mid 1980s. Throughout his life Stuckey pursued a number of interests, such as botany, history, photography and politics and was active in many local, provincial and national organizations. He was a member of the Brandon Stamp Club, the Allied Arts Council, Brandon Horticultural Society, Brandon Model Railroad Club, the Brandon Historical Society, and the Fort Whyte Centre. Stuckey was also the author of four books, as well as numerous articles on horticulture, railways, and Brandon area history. In 1987 he received the Manitoba Order of the Buffalo Hunt and in 1997 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws Degree from Brandon University. Lawrence Stuckey passed away on June 13, 2001.
Custodial History
The entire collection was housed in Mr. Stuckey's residence at 658 11th St. Brandon, Manitoba, prior to its transfer to the McKee Archives. A portion of the stamp collection was donated to the Archives in August 2001. The balance of the materials were deposited in the Archives following Mr. Stuckey's death.
Scope and Content
Collection consists of a variety of materials, both textual and graphic.
The philately collection is the largest part of the Stuckey Collection and covers a wide geographical and temporal range. The majority of the stamps are from the United States, the British Commonwealth, France and the French Empire. There are also a number of stamps portraying animals, art and flowers.
The slide collection includes approximately 10,000 images of various topics, such as landscapes, flora and fauna of North America and Expo 1967.
The Stuckey photograph collection is perhaps the best collection of Brandon and Southwestern Manitoba photographs in one place. Images include grain elevators and historical buildings of the northern United States and western Canada, railways, the City of Brandon, as well as ships and boats, sporting activities, portraits, animals, flora and fauna, landscapes and farming/homestead photographs. This series also includes a large number of negatives, including glass plate negatives.
The textual materials within the collection include personal journals written by Stuckey covering the years 1935-2001. These journals are autobiographical and act as a key to the rest of the collection in that they provide general time frames and the motivations behind Stuckey's activities. In addition to the journals, the collection consists of copies of Stuckey's four books and a few papers he wrote for the committees and clubs he belonged to. Other textual materials included are a small amount of personal correspondence, and research materials on a number of topics such as the CPR and Brandon area history. There are also three scrapbooks created by Stuckey dealing with his various interests. The collection also contains certificates presented to Stuckey by a number of the organizations he belonged to, as well as his honorary degree from Brandon University and his Order of the Buffalo Hunt award. A number of books, newspapers and articles on various topics, such as stamp collecting and horticulture are included in the collection.
The McKee Archives is the copyright holder for the Stuckey materials.
Finding Aid
A copy of the photograph inventory is in the blue binder on the reference shelf in the reading room.
Related Material
Alf Fowler collection 6-1999 (Brandon photographs) and the BU Art Exhibitions Committee fonds 69-1997 (Georges Cesari).
Arrangement
A description for the photograph collection has been entered as a separate series of the Lawrence Stuckey collection. The collection remains in original order.
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.
Cover of Young School minute book is moderately damaged, but pages are in good condition with only minor water damage and a few ripped pages.
History / Biographical
Dorothy Cox (nee Frost) moved from Elm Creek to Justice in 1946 to work as a schoolteacher. In 1948, she married Laval Cox and together they had four children: Larry, Herd, Rosalie and Heather.
In 1949, Dorothy and Laval purchased Gibb Gillespie's PSV business and began hauling grain, cattle and agricultural equipment. Dorothy went back to teaching in 1959, first at Justice and then Elton Collegiate. After retiring from teaching in 1978, Dorothy started a greenhouse, which operated for 21 years.
All six members of the Cox family were active in community events and organizations. Dorothy was involved in establishing the baby band in 1951; her sons Larry and Herb were members. Along with Laval, Dorothy was a leader of the Cubs in 1955-1956 and again in 1958-1959. Laval was the leader of the local hockey club in 1958, and of a bible study group in 1960. Larry, Herb and Rosalie were avid skaters in 1960-64. Heather and Rosalie were enrolled in senior grades of Sunday school in 1970.
Custodial History
Records were collected by Dorothy Cox, a resident of Justice, over a number of years. She donated them to the McKee Archives on April 4, 2012.
Scope and Content
Collection consists of records related to the history of the Justice district. It includes a history of the Justice Church (1910-1970); minute and expense books for the Justice Hockey Club (1949-1966); a minute and expense book for Young Protestant School (1884-1898); a copy of the Justice 100th Anniversary community history (2009); and four color photographs of Justice Church.
Notes
History/Bio information taken from the content of the collection. Description by James Heaman (2012).
The name Berbank was created by combining the names of two local districts: Riverbank and Bertha. Both were located south of Brandon in the Rural Municipality of Oakland. The Berbank Church was built in 1919. Its construction grew out of the work of the Berbank Red Cross founded in 1917. The Berbank Church was a "union" church, constructed in anticipation of the formation of the United Church of Canada. In 1966, the Berbank congregation joined with the Nesbitt congregation to operate out of the Nesbitt United Church. The final service at the Berbank United Church was held in 1966.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1997. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains a document titled "Berbank Church History." This document is partially in a printed format with a portion handwritten. Fonds also contains minute books and legal documents pertaining to the ownership of the land upon which the Church was constructed.
The Brandon Council of Women (BCW) was active between 1895 and 1927, when it disbanded. Principally through the efforts of Mrs. Kaye Rowe of Brandon, the BCW was officially restablished in 1952. The Brandon Council of Women remained active until c. 1973. It brought together fifty-two women's organizations in Brandon, representing 2600 women.
Custodial History
The Brandon Council of Women fonds was transferred to the McKee Archives during the 1970s. It was accessioned in 1998.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of papers and photographs of the International Council of Women (ICW), the National Council of Women of Canada (NCWC), the Manitoba Council of Women (MCW), and the Brandon Council of Women (BCW). The ICW papers include meeting minutes. The NCWC papers include meeting minutes, resolution lists, pamphlets, newsletters, correspondence, financial records, yearbooks, and copies of Acts pertaining to women. The MCW papers contain copies of the MCW constitution, meeting minutes, resolution lists, correspondence, and committee reports. The BCW materials comprise the largest part of the fonds, and include meeting minutes, committee reports, financial records, correspondence, short course agendas, posters, pamphlets, memos, resolution lists, newspaper clippings, manuscripts, photographs, and scrapbooks.
The first Women's Institute in Canada was created by Mrs. Adelaide Hunter Hoodless in Stoney Creek, Ontario, on February 19, 1897. The Women's Institute was created to unite rural women with the hopes that this would help women improve their homes and communities. The motto of the Women's Institute became, "a nation could not rise above the level of its homes." The group was to be non-partisan and non-sectarian to allow for maximum participation. The Women's Institute became one of the very few ways for rural women to meet and share ideas and problems with others. The Women's Institute spread throughout Canada and reached Manitoba in 1910, when Morris and Valley River, Manitoba, formed Women's Institute branches. The Women's Institute branches in Manitoba were known as Home Economics Societies until 1919, when they became branches of the Manitoba Women's Institute. The Home Economics Societies specialized in community service work. At first, the groups concentrated on home management and child care, and eventually they became involved with social and political issues. In addition to community work, the Women's Institute branches also invited many guest speakers to their meetings and promoted education and the dissemination of information to rural women on subjects such as canning, growing fruits and vegetables, dental hygiene and rural electrification. The Manitoba Women's Institute continues its work today.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned in 2002 by the McKee Archives. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
This collection has been artificially created and consists of miscellaneous newspaper and magazine clippings, handbooks, newsletters, photos and song sheets collected by various unknown Manitoba Women's Institute branches. Some newletters included in the collection are "Institute News" from the Manitoba Women's Institute, "National Farm Forum Guide", "Federated News" from the Federated Women's Institute of Canada and "The Country Woman" from Associated Women of the World. The newspaper clippings in the collection relate to Women's Institute branches around Manitoba and the rest of Canada.
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
Margaret Menzies was born on July 30th, 1920, at a family farm located in Oakburn, Manitoba. She grew up on the family farm and attended school in both Oakburn and Shoal Lake. She married Donald Menzies on June 4th, 1941. Together they had four children. In 1959, the family moved to Brandon, Manitoba, where they lived for the rest of their lives.
Margaret Menzies was a longtime and active member of the International Toastmistress Club (ITC), and was also involved in the Consumers Association of Canada, Seniors for Seniors, as well as being a member of the Liberal Party of Canada and the Central United Church. Menzies did not graduate from high school in her early years, but managed to continue her education and receive a bachelor of arts degree from Brandon University at the age of 70.
Margaret Menzies passed away on June 9th, 2012.
Custodial History
Records in the collection were brought to the S.J McKee Archives on July 13, 2012, by Gerald Brown, on behalf of the family of Margaret Menzies.
Scope and Content
Collection contains of two scrapbooks created by Margaret Menzies. The scrapbooks contain various cards, itinerary's, and other documents associated with Menzies' membership in the International Toastmistress Club. The items in the scrapbooks date from the mid 1980's to the late 1990's.
Also included in the collection are four local history books. The first is a 100 year history of the town of Oakburn, Manitoba, from 1870 to 1970, published during celebrations of Manitoba's centenniary in 1970. Next is a book about the history of the town of Shoal Lake, Manitoba, which was published in 1959 on the 50th anniversary of the founding of the town of Shoal Lake in 1909. The last two books are the first and second volumes of Ripples on the Lake, which cover the history of the Shoal Lake municipality from 1884. The first volume covers the first 100 years of the history of the Shoal Lake region, being published in 1984. The second volume was published in 2007, covering the history of Shoal Lake since 1984, as well as including new information that was not published in the 1984 version of the book.
Finally, the collection contains one photograph of Margaret Menzies receiving her bachelor of arts degree from Peter Hordern, dean of arts of Brandon University.
Notes
Biographical information provided by obituary entry in the Brandon Sun, June 16, 2012. Description by Tyler Warren (October 2012).
The Minnedosa Women's Institute was one of the first Women's Institutes in Manitoba. The group was created on November 11, 1910, and was called the Home Economics Society until 1919, when all Home Economics Societies in Manitoba became branches of the Manitoba Women's Institute. The first president of the Minnedosa Women's Institute was Mrs. Andrew Boyd. Some early projects of the group included building a rest room and the maintenance of a country women's ward in the Minnedosa Hospital. The group also worked for the war effort during both world wars, including sewing and knitting, as well as sending clothing and food overseas. During the 1920's, the Institute held a number of baby clinics, and during the 1930's, opened a lending library. The Institute also participated with other community projects and groups such as 4-H and the film council. The Minnedosa branch is no longer active, however the Basswood Women's Institute is active in the Minnedosa area.
Custodial History
Fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 2002. Previous custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds includes many records from the Minnedosa Women's Institute, such as the group's constitution, and the meeting minutes from 1914-1981. The fonds also contains financial records from 1932-1955. There are two scrapbooks about the Minnedosa Women's Institute, with the first running from 1910-60 and the second running from 1960-80. The scrapbooks contain pictures, clippings, and stories. There is also a scrapbook dedicated to Minnedosa Village History, which covers the years 1878-1956. Finally, this fonds includes the Certificate of Organization for the Minnedosa Women's Institute, which is dated October 20, 1922, althought the group was established in 1910.
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
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.
This record group was artifically created in January 2007 by Tom Mitchell and Christy Henry of the McKee Archives.
Scope and Content
The record group consists of various fonds and collections concerned with the political, cultural, social, and educational life of western Manitoba. See the Subject Access field for a list of titles.