This artifically created series consists of records and items that did not fit into any of the preceeding series.
Custodial History
See fonds level description of custodial history of A. E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd.
Scope and Content
This series consists of materials used for the Centennial Exhibit of McKenzie Seeds and miscellaneous publications.
It has been divided into three sub-series, including: (1) Centennial Exhibit; (2) Miscllaneous; and (3) Scrapbooks.
Storage Location
RG 3 A.E. McKenzie Company fonds
McS 6 Miscellaneous
The A. E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd. has had a Board of Directors since its incorporation in 1906. The first Board consisted of A. E. McKenzie, S. A. Bedford, the director of the Experimental Farm, H. L. Patmore and W. A. McCracken. Following A.E. McKenzie’s death, the government of Manitoba appointed the members of the Board under the arrangements made with the establishment of the A.E. Mckenzie Foundation.
According to the general by-laws (c. 1960) of A. E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd., the Board of Directors annually, or more often if required, elected from among themselves a President, a Vice-President and a General Manager. They were also responsible for appointing an Assistant General Manager, and a Secretary and a Treasurer. If needed, they would also appoint an Assistant Secretary and an Assistant Treasurer. A majority vote of the Board was required for the election or appointment of the above officers. Those individuals elected or appointed to their offices by the Board could be removed at the pleasure of the Board. The Board also had the power to fix the salaries of all of the officers of the Company. By resolution, it could pass this responsibility to the General Manager.
Custodial History
See fonds level description of custodial history of A. E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd.
Scope and Content
This series consists of Board minutes/meetings, management consultant reports, financial records, documents and miscellaneous records.
It has been divided into five sub-series, including: (1) Documents; (2) Minutes/Meetings; (3) Management Consultant Reports; (4) Miscellaneous; and (5) Financial Records.
Storage Location
RG 3 A.E. McKenzie Company fonds
McS 1 Board of Directors
The Seed Marketing Company Ltd. was located at P. O. Drawer 1885, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and, later, at 382 Maryland Street, Winnipeg. Created by the A. E. McKenzie Co. Ltd., this company was incorporated under Dominion Charter by Federal Letters Patent, dated March 18, 1930. As well, the company was registered only in Manitoba under the provisions of the Manitoba Companies Act.
A. E. McKenzie made the application for the charter under the name A. E. McKenzie Co. Ltd. and, from 1933, the Board of Directors was made up of employees of A. E. McKenzie Co. Ltd. Although the authorized capital stock of the company was 500 no par value shares, only 50 of these were issued and allotted at a price of $10 per share.
According to a letter written by A. E. McKenzie to the Acting Director, Department of the Secretary of State, Companies Division, Ottawa, Ontario, the company was created with a specific purpose in mind. During the years 1930-1933, A. E. McKenzie Co. Ltd. accumulated a large quantity of oats for seeding purposes, at a time when crops were generally poor due to extended drought. These seeds, as well as wheat, barley and flax were supplied to farmers on a signed order in the name of Seed Marketing Co. Ltd. Parties, either individuals or municipalities, took a "Seed Grain Mortgage" from the Seed Marketing Co. as a method of payment. This enabled the farmers, who had little or no money, to plant crops. Presumably following harvest the mortgage was paid off.
On the whole the idea of supplying distressed farmers with seed through a Seed Grain Mortgage was fairly successful. In addition to selling the seed directly to the farmers, seed was also sold to rural municipalities, from whom payments were assured. The municipalities, in turn, assumed responsibility for payment from the farmers to whom they had supplied the seed purchased from the Seed Marketing Company.
The original Board of Directors was as follows: A. B. Downing, J. L. Lowes, F. B. Roberts, F. C. Thompson, and J.A. Young. Each received 1 share each in the company. H. J. Morden, a former member of the Corporation, held the other 45 shares from Winnipeg.
From 1933-1936, J. A. Young was President of the company. Following his death in 1936, the position was given to A. B. Downing, who acted as President of the Seed Marketing Company until illness forced him to step down in 1959. In 1960, J. L. Lowes became President, and the following members of A. E. McKenzie Co. Ltd. became Directors: R. R. West, Miss E. A. Yeo and J. R. McPhail.
The Seed Marketing Company had been kept alive under its original charter in case A. E. McKenzie Co. Ltd. might have cause to use it for some other purpose. Eventually, the company was considered in default by the federal government for neglecting to fill Annual Returns for the year 1962. At that time, the company was informed that it was no longer considered a subsisting corporation, and, as such, was no longer entitled to the sole use of its corporate name. That same year, A.E. McKenzie Co. Ltd. relinquished interest in the Seed Marketing Company Ltd., and the remaining Directors resigned their positions.
The name "Seed Marketing Co. Ltd." was also used by A. E. McKenzie Co. Ltd. on two other occasions. Around 1948, the name was used in Ontario under authority of an Extra Provincial License from the Province of Ontario, especially in labeling cartons of a Lawn Grass mixture to meet price competition in Quebec, the Maritimes and Towers Discount Department Stores.
Prior to 1948 the name was used to in the purchase of Forage Crop Seeds in northern Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Custodial History
See fonds level description of custodial history of A. E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd.
Scope and Content
This series includes minutes from meetings of the Board of Directors and shareholders of the company. It also includes correspondence between McKenzie, Lowes, Wm. Johnson, the Department of the Secretary of State, W.E. Chiswell - Comptroller for McKenzie Seeds, Robert Steen and various other individuals dealing with the incorporation of the company, its charter and letters of patent. Some of the records deal with the failure of the company to file annual returns for the years 1963 and 1964. The series also contains financial records including annual summaries/reports, corporation income tax returns, and return of information and particulars under the Manitoba Companies Act.
Also included within the series is a book (27.5 x 38 x 3 cm) containing the letters of patent incorporating the Seed Marketing Co., the general by-laws of the company, and minutes from meetings of its Board of Directors.
Information regarding the Seed Marketing Co. is located in Series 2 (Office of the President/GM), sub-series 2 (J. Lasby Lowes), Historical Topics file 23 of the A.E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd. fonds.
The offices of the President and General Manager were established in 1896 with the creation of A. E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd. These positions were held jointly by the one officer of company until 1975, when the Board of Directors of the Company divided the two positions, thereby relieving the President from management of plant operations.
Under the General By-Laws of the Company, the President, when present, presided over all Board of Directors meetings. He also signed all documents that may have required his signature and performed any other duties assigned to him by the board. The President exercised general supervision and control over the business of the Company and performed such duties as are usually associated with the office of President of Chief Executive officer of a company.
The General Manager had full power and authority to manage and direct the business and affairs of the Company. He was also responsible for employing and discharging agents and employees of the Company. After A.E. McKenzie gifted the majority of his company shares to the Government of Manitoba in 1945, the General Manager remained responsible for all operations of the Company. However, the General Manager found himself accountable to a Board of Directors comprised mainly of government appointees.
A. E. McKenzie held the offices of President/General Manager from 1896 until his death in 1964, at which time J. Lasby Lowes succeeded him. Following Lowes' retirement in 1968, A.R. Swanson was appointed by the government to fill the positions. Anthony J. Maruca became President of A.E. McKenzie Co. Ltd. in 1972. In 1975, the Board of Directors appointed William Moore the first individual to hold the position of General Manager without also occupying the President's office. At the same time, Mr. Pat Kelleher was named the new interim President. Following Kelleher's resignation, Moore was appointed President of the company. Keith Guelpa became President around 1984 following Moore's departure from the company to face criminal charges arising from his activities as an officer of the company. Raymond West assumed the position after Guelpa’s departure.
Custodial History
See fonds level description of custodial history of A. E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd.
Scope and Content
Series consists almost entirely of records and documents generated by the first two President/General Managers of A.E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd. In addition to the records created by A.E. McKenzie and J. Lasby Lowes in their capacity as President/General Manager, records pertaining to the various properties owned by the Company are also included. The series also contains marketing documents, including catalogues and sales literature, as well as a reference library comprised of twenty titles dealing with business and the seed industry and some records dealing with the President/General Managers following Lowes' retirement.
The series has been divided into seven sub-series, including: (1) A.E. McKenzie; (2) J. Lasby Lowes; (3) Comptroller; (4) Properites; (5) Marketing; (6) Reference Library; and (7) Miscellaneous Publications/Correspondence.
Storage Location
RG 3 A.E. McKenzie Company fonds
McS 2 Office of the President/General Manager
Customers and employees of A.E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd. donated some of the records in this series. Others were taken for insurance purposes, while some of the records involve McKenzie subsidiaries. Some of the records may have been taken as advertisements or for promotional reasons. Most of the records were generated by the company itself and deal exclusively with McKenzie Seeds and its business operations or the seed industry.
Custodial History
Photographs in sub-series 5.14, 5.15, 5.16 were donated to McKenzie Seeds by Irene Cullen, Josiph Airey, and Alan R. Mundie respectively.
See fonds level description of custodial history of A. E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd.
Scope and Content
Series consists primarily of black and white photographs pertaining to A.E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd and the seed industry. Included are photographs of the McKenzie Building, plant and field workers and equipment, executives, particular events at McKenzie Seeds and product photographs. A complete list of categories can be found below.
The series is arranged as follows:
5.1 McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd. Executives
5.2 Construction at McKenzie Seed Co. Brandon (two files)
5.3 Exterior Photographs of the A. E. McKenzie Co. Building
5.4 McKenzie Seed Co. Plant Operations and Workers (two files)
5.5 McKenzie Seed Co. Equipment and Plant - Head Office 1983
5.6 McKenzie Seed Co. Field Operations and Workers
5.7 McKenzie Seed Co. Strike 1944
5.8 Fires at McKenzie Seed Co. 1910, 1945, 1972
5.9 McKenzie Seed Co. Centennial Exhibition 1996
5.10 Miscellaneous McKenzie Seed Co. Photographs
5.11 People Connected to McKenzie Seed Co.
5.12 Princess Anne's Visit to McKenzie Seed Co. 1982
5.13 Onion Set Production Book
5.14 Irene Cullen Photographs - McKenzie Seeds Employee Photos
5.15 Josiph Airey Photographs - McKenzie Product Photos
5.16 Alan R. Mundie Seed Production Photographs
5.17 Steele Robertson/Steele Briggs Seeds Photographs
5.18 Seed Packet Display Units Photographs
5.19 Product Photographs
5.20 Parade Photographs
*5.21 Oversized Photographs
5.21.1 Drawer #1: Executive Photographs
5.21.2 Drawer #2: Office and Equipment/Plant Photographs
5.21.3 Drawer #3: Miscellaneous Oversized Photographs
5.21.4 Drawer #4: Artifacts
Notes
* The term "drawer" in the Scope and Content Filed for sub-series 5.21, referes to the oversized map drawers in the McKee Archives reading room.
Errol Black's article on the strike at McKenzie Seeds (sub-series 5.7) titled “25c an hour; 48 hours a week; more toilets; less cats: the labour struggles of the "girls" at the A.E. McKenzie Company in Brandon,” was published in Prairie Forum, spring 1992 vol 17 no 1 pp. 33-59.
Finding Aid
An inventory is available for the artifacts, as well as each of the photograph sub-series.
Storage Location
RG 3 A.E. McKenzie Company fonds
McS 5 Photographs
Related Material
MG 1 (A.E. McKenzie Fonds), sub-series 1 (Brandon College Inc.) of the A.E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd. fonds contains photographs relating to the History of Brandon College Inc. booklet.
Series 1 (Board of Directors), sub-series 5 (Financial), of the A.E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd. fonds contains some photographs in the file entitled Steele Briggs Spring Campaign for Edmonton. The pictures are part of a sales booklet.
Steele Briggs related photographs are located in the scrapbook in Series 3 (Acquisitions), sub-series 2 (Steele Briggs) of the A.E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd. fonds.
The Lovstrom locale first came to the attention of Dr. Nicholson through conversations with landowners Mr. and Mrs. Herb Lovstrom in 1985. Lovstrom is a multi-component archaeological locale located 25km south of Brandon overlooking the Souris River channel. The landowner’s surface collection and the presence of bone and artifacts in a cultivated field indicated the presence of one or more sites.
Limited testing was conducted in 1985 and 1986, followed by major excavations in 1987, 1988 and 1991. Eight sites of block excavations with a total of 132 1m2 excavation units were completed. The locale area extends approximately 500m north from the edge of the Souris Valley escarpment and over 200m east from the Jock’s Creek escarpment.
Physical and biological environment As has been noted above, the locale is bounded on the south by the Souris channel and on the west by the incised channel of Jock’s Creek and a till plain extends to the north and the east. This plain is characterized by buff colored glacial till with numerous rocks embedded in the surface. Surrounding these rocky knolls are dark-soil hollows where the various cultural occupations are found. The depth of the topsoil layer suggests a long term grassland cover with the present oak forest likely developing in historic times due to the elimination of bison grazing and the controlling of prairie fires in late historic times. A small cleared patch of farmland is found within the boundaries of the locale area. This area has provided a substantial surface collection of artifacts.
Present vegetation in the area is a mosaic of aspen/oak forest groves and mesic grass prairie that includes introduced species such as brome grass. In poorly drained areas, willow and red osier dogwood are present. The Lovstrom locale is found in a forested area dominated by oak with an under story of saskatoon, chokecherry, pin cherry, and hazelnut brush. Poison ivy is abundant as well as sarsaparilla.
The major faunal resources in Precontact times would have been bison, with elk and mule deer playing a minor role. Antelope may have been present also. Small animals included snowshoe hare, cottontails, porcupines and beaver. Canids, including wolf, coyote, fox and domesticated dog were present, as well as mustelids such as badger, mink, and weasel. Fragments from a fisher were also recovered in the excavations.
Summation.
The Lovstrom locale has eight sites. The sites were designated and excavated as Blocks A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H. Many of the sites are multi-occupations.
The Vickers materials are primarily confined to Blocks D, E, F, G and H. Vickers Focus materials overlie Blackduck/Duck Bay materials. Blackduck and Duck Bay materials are found in the lower levels of all excavation blocks and in most test units. The Vickers occupations at the Lovstrom locale, based upon ceramic wares and an overlapping of C14 dates, appear to have been contemporary with the Lowton type site to the east, near Belmont. A small protohistoric occupation was identified overlying part of Block D. Faunal remains are abundant with bison clearly dominating the assemblages. Lesser amounts of canid are present as well as small mammals including beaver, hare and mustelids. Small amounts of avian species are also present.
Publications
Nicholson, B.A.
2011 The Role of Pocket Gophers (Thomomys talpoides) in Restructuring Stratigraphic Relationships at the Lovstrom Site. Canadian Journal of Archaeology 35:323-331.
Nicholson, Bev, Scott Hamilton, Matthew Boyd and Sylvia Nicholson
2008 A Late Plains Woodland Adaptive Strategy in the Northern Parklands: the Vickers Focus Forager-Horticulturists. Invited Paper for Papers in Northeastern Plains Prehistory, eds. Michael G. Michlovic and Dennis L. Toom, North Dakota Journal of Archaeology Vol. 8:19-34.
Nicholson, Bev and Scott Hamilton
2001 Cultural Continuity and Changing Subsistence Strategies During the Late Precontact Period in Southwestern Manitoba. Canadian Journal of Archaeology 25:53-73.
Nicholson, Bev
1996 Plains Woodland Influx and the Blackduck Exodus in South-Western Manitoba During the Late Precontact Period. Manitoba Archaeological Journal 6(1):69-85.
Nicholson, Bev and Mary Malainey
1991 Report on the 1991 Field School Excavations at the Lovstrom Site (DjLx-1), Southwestern Manitoba. Manitoba Archaeological Journal 1(2): 51-93.
Nicholson, Bev and Jane Gibson
1990-91 Lovstrom Site Field Report, 1987 Excavations. Saskatchewan Archaeology 11&12:46-68.
Nicholson, Bev and Ian Kuiijt
1990 Field Report and Interpretations of the 1988 Archaeological Excavations at the Lovstrom Site (DjLx-1) in Southwestern Manitoba. North Dakota Journal of Archaeology 4:166-205.
Nicholson, Bev
1990 Ceramic Affiliations and the Case for Incipient Horticulture in Southwestern Manitoba. Canadian Journal of Archaeology 14:33-60.
Nicholson, Bev
1986 The Lovstrom Site: Culture Contact in Prehistory. Manitoba Archaeological Quarterly 10(1):35-71.
Scope and Content
The Series has been divided into nine sub-series, including (1) Survey (2) Block A; (3) Block B (4) Block C; (5) Block D; (6) Block E; (7) Block F; (8) Block G; (9) Block H
Radiocarbon date reports have been scanned in multi-page PDF files.
History / Biographical
North Lauder Radiocarbon Date report by IsoTrace Laboratory for Atkinson site #TO-13365.
Radiocarbon dating
The technique of radiocarbon dating was developed by Willard Libby and his colleagues at the University of Chicago in 1949.
Radiocarbon dating is used to estimate the age of organic remains from archaeological sites. Organic matter has a radioactive form of carbon (C14) that begins to decay upon death. C14 decays at a steady, known rate of a half life of 5,730 years. The technique is useful for material up to 50,000 years. Fluctuations of C14 in the atmosphere can affect results so dates are calibrated against dendrochronology. Radiocarbon dates are calibrated to calendar years.
Dates are reported in radiocarbon years or Before Present. Before Present refers to dates before 1950. The introduction of massive amounts of C14, due to atomic bomb and surface testing of atomic weapons, has widely increased the standard deviation on all dates after A.D. 1700 causing these dates to be unreliable.
Accelerated mass spectrometry can more accurately measure C14 with smaller samples and can date materials to 80,000 years.
Scope and Content
Sub sub series contains radiocarbon dates from: Atkinson site and Flintstone Hill.
Record of site excavation unit 3 at the Crepeele site 2004.
Scope and Content
Site records of excavation units may include: level summaries, floor plans, feature sheets, wall profiles, unit summaries and any other additional information relating to the unit.
Record of site excavation unit 3 at the Sarah site 2003.
Scope and Content
Site records of excavation units may include: level summaries, floor plans, feature sheets, wall profiles, unit summaries and any other additional information relating to the unit.
Record of site excavation unit 3 at Graham site 2005.
Scope and Content
Site records of excavation units may include: level summaries, floor plans, feature sheets, wall profiles, unit summaries and any other additional information relating to the unit.
Record of excavation unit 3 at the Atkinson site 2003.
Scope and Content
Site excavation records of excavation units may include: level summaries, floor plans, feature sheets, wall profiles, unit summaries and any other additional information relating to the unit.
Record of excavation unit 3 at the Atkinson site 2004.
Scope and Content
Site excavation records of excavation units may include: level summaries, floor plans, feature sheets, wall profiles, unit summaries and any other additional information relating to the unit.
Site excavation records of excavation units may include: level summaries, floor plans, feature sheets, wall profiles, unit summaries and any other additional information relating to the unit.
Record of site excavation test unit 3 at the Lovstrom survey 1985.
Scope and Content
Site records of excavation units may include: level summaries, floor plans, feature sheets, wall profiles, unit summaries and any other additional information relating to the unit.
