Fred McGuinness is popularly known for his work as the prairie essayist for CBC Radio’s Morningside with Peter Gzowski, a position he held for 17 years. Many of McGuinness’ Morningside essays were autobiographical in nature. He often reported about life on Christmas Tree Farm, a section of land where he and his wife, Christine, built their dream home in the late 1970s. The couple planted a Christmas tree farm on the property and Christine maintained an extensive kitchen garden, while Fred tended honey bees. Life on the farm made its way into radiobroadcasts, Neighborly News columns, and the book "Letters from Section 17: A Collection of Morningside Essays" (Winnipeg: Great Plains Publishing, 1999).
Scope and Content
Set consists of 13 negatives showing work being conducted on the McGuinness property, Christmas Tree Farm, Section 17. The first 12 negatives show the McGuinness family planting with their tractor and the last negative shows a woman working on a swimming pool liner.
Notes
McGuinness drafted a manuscript, titled "Hole in the Ground," about the family pool on Section 17. It was one manuscript McGuinness was re-tooling before he passed away in 2011.
Postcard is of buildings at Brandon University, including Clark Hall and the Original Building prior to the renovations, McMasater Hall, and the Q.E.II School of Music building.
Notes
Writing on the front of the postcard reads: Brandon University. Back of the postcard reads: (Top Left) Brandon University original building (Administration Center.), Bottom Left) Queen Elizabeth II Music Building, (Right) McMaster Hall Residence; Photo by Sandy Black; Printed in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, by Leech Printing Ltd.
