Harold Ernest Watson was born on April 14, 1905 on section 4-11-24 in the RM of Woodworth. The family moved to Brandon, MB in 1911. As a young man, Harold worked for many years as a carpenter with his father. He was then employed for a few years with the Canadian National Railway (CNR) before becoming a carpenter and carman with the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) for thirty-five years. Harold married Winifred Elizabeth Schiedel (1916-1982) in 1939 and together they had six children: Eldine, Marjorie, David, Dale, Mildred and Ralph. A keen conservationist, Harold was a member of the Manitoba Naturalist Society. He also enjoyed gardening, bird watching, fishing, hunting, woodworking, reading, typing and cribbage, and possessed an excellent knowledge of the history of Brandon and surrounding area. Harold Watson died on November 30, 1994 in Brandon, MB. He is buried at Brandon Municipal Cemetery.
Custodial History
As part of the Westman Oral History Collection, 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
Item is an audiocassette tape containing an interview with Harold Watson about the history of the East End of Brandon, including its early residents, buildings and activites. The interviewer is Lillian Mummery.
Notes
History/bio information from the records and Watson's obituary. Description by Christy Henry. Fred McGuinness wrote about Harold Watson in his November 4, 2004 "The Notebook" column in The Brandon Sun.
Language Note
English
Conservation
Preservation copy made 2021 (R. Hess)
Audio Tracks
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See fonds level description of the Alf Fowler collection for custodial history.
Scope and Content
Photo was taken from the International Harvester Co. building looking east. The railyards, Brandon Cold Storage, and the Codville Company warehouse are visible.
Storage Range
RG 5 Western Manitoba Manuscript collection - photograph storage drawer
Lake Clementi was Brandon's popular summer resort until the opening of Clear Lake. There were summer cottages all along the south shore, as well as a grocery and confectionery store and a dancehall.
Custodial History
For custodial history see the collection level description of the Lawrence Stuckey collection.
Scope and Content
Lake Clementi
Notes
[This negative was produced using an image previous published by Bloom Bros., Winnipeg, Canada. P.E. 23/07/09.]
Additional historical information provided by the Fred McGuinness collection (20-2009).
