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)
Very poor. Item has been broken in half on a diagonal from top to botton. Upper right corner is missing. Various tape stains and some tape residue on the bottom left.
History / Biographical
Lottie Louisa Currie was born on September 9, 1876 in St. Mary's, Perth, ON, to William and Eleanor Currie. She came to the Brandon area with her family in the 1880s. Currie worked as a bookkeeper and stenographer for Smith & Burton, from at least 1906 until the business ceased operations in 1917.
Currie continued working in bookkeeping and accounts, first for Brandon Gas & Power Co., then for the Manitoba Power Commission. She appears to have retired around 1942. She is not listed as living in Brandon between 1943-1945, but was once again a resident by 1947. Currie was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, a charter member of the Brandon Business and Professional Women's Club and in 1916, she passed her examinations for the St. John's Ambulance Association.
Lottie Louisa Currie died on November 25, 1972 in Brandon, MB.
Smith & Burton, a grocery store that also had mail order and china departments, was founded by E.B. Smith and John Burton in the 1886. It was housed at a few locations in downtown Brandon; their location at 829 Rosser Avenue is the one that mostly likely appears in the photograph.
Scope and Content
Item is a portrait of office employees at Smith & Burton, grocers. Lottie Currie, daughter of William Currie, is shown standing on the left.
Photograph is looking southwest from the back steps of the Education Building and shows the northeast corner of the A.E. McKenzie Building, which housed the Library and Faculty of Arts.
Photograph is looking either north or south into the A.E. McKenzie Building (Library and Arts Building) during construction. A number of the members of the construction crew are visible.
Photograph is looking east northeast and shows the construction of the A.E. McKenzie Building (Library and Arts Building). Clark Hall is in the background.
Photograph was taken at the opening of the A.E. McKenzie Building (including the Evans Theatre) and shows the J.R.C. Evans Lecture Theatre doorway. L to R Dr. John E. Robbins, Mrs. Olive (Freeman) Diefenbaker (Class of 1923 and wife of Prime Minister John George Diefenbaker)
Notes
The opening of the A.E. McKenzie Building took place the same day as the installation of John E. Robbins as President of Brandon College.
Photograph is looking southwest from in front of the Original Music Building and shows the north side of the A.E. McKenzie Building and the west side of the Queen Elizabeth II Music Building (including the link). A number of cars in the parking lot are also visible.
Photograph is looking west from the sidewalk between Clark Hall and the Education Building and shows the east side of the A.E. McKenzie Building as well as a trailer that housed the Canada Manpower office (career councelling) in the 1960s. The trailer was later moved near the Kinsmen Stadium where it housed the Quill office.
Photograph is looking southwest and shows the A.E. McKenzie Building under construction. In black lettering above the building are the words: "Brandon College Cornerstone Laying." In white lettering below the building are the words: "Sat. May 28 - 3 pm CKX TV"
Notes
The Winnipeg Tribune is stamped on the back of the photograph.
Photograph is looking northwest and shows the J. R.C. Evans Lecture Theatre, the A.E. McKenzie Library and Arts Building and the link between the two buildings.
Photograph is looking northeast from 19th Street and shows the west side of the J.R.C. Evans Lecture Theatre and the A.E. McKenzie Building, as well as the parking lots on the west side of the buildings.
Photograph is looking north northwest and shows the south side of the J.R.C. Evans Lecture Theatre, the A.E. McKenzie Building and the link between the two buildings.
Photograph is looking north and shows the south side of the J.R.C. Evans Lecture Theatre, the A.E. McKenzie Building and the link between the two buildings. The photograph is looking across the quadrangle.
Photograph is looking northwest and shows the J.R.C. Evans Lecture Theatre, the A.E. McKenzie Building, the link between the two buildings and a number of cars parked on the east side of the buildings. Photograph was taken during winter.
Photograph is looking northwest and shows the J.R.C. Evans Lecture Theatre, the A.E. McKenzie Building and the link from across the quadrangle in fall.
Photograph is looking north, probably from the roof of the Dining Hall, and shows the south side of the J.R.C. Evans Lecture Theatre, the A.E. McKenzie Building and the link between the two buildings. Photograph also shows the quadrangle to the south of the Evans Theatre and on of the H-Huts to the west of Clark Hall.
