Hilton "Hilt" Friesen was born on September 19, 1932 in Steinbach, MB. He owned an independent furniture business in Winnipeg before opening a hobby store in Elmwood. He was an active member of the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club and an amateur photographer who documented historic buildings, especially those relating to railways, around the province. Hilt Friesen died on July 23, 2008 in Winnipeg, MB.
Custodial History
The 35 mm slides in the collection were taken by Hilt Friesen. His widow gave them to Morgan Turney who then passed them on to Gordon Goldsborough of the Manitoba Historical Society. Goldsborough gave them to the McKee Archives in January 2019.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of 735 colour slides. The slides primarily depict railway subdivision stations along the Canadian National Railway (CNR) lines in Manitoba, but there are also stations from Saskatchewan. Additional subject matter includes grain elevators, steel through truss bridges, railway bridges, brickworks, signs, trains and buildings (the Prince Edward Hotel, Cumming & Dobie Coal). The images were taken by Friesen as a result of his hobby interests in railways and photography.
Notes
History/bio information taken from the Manitoba Historical Society website.
Edward Walker was born in Lymm, Cheshire, England in 1836. He emigrated to Canada at age 59 in 1895, from Stockport, England. Walker came to Canada with three of his children - Dora, Daisy and Theo - and settled in Millwood, Manitoba. In childhood, Walker was a victim of polio and walked with the aid of two canes throughout his adult life. Walker was a professional photographer. Once in Canada, he also took out a homestead at N.W. 18-19-229, though it appears that his son Theo did most of the work required to gain title to the property. In addition to his work as a photographer, Walker was appointed post-master for Millwood in 1901, and operated a small store. Edward Walker retired as postmaster in 1920. He died in 1923.
Custodial History
The Walker fonds arrived at the S.J. McKee Archives as part of the Lawrence Stuckey Collection in 2001. While the circumstances are not known, it seems evident that Stuckey acquired the Walker negatives in the course of his professional career as a photographer and collector.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains a variety of images of Millwood, Manitoba and the surrounding agricultural community, its people, and life produced by Edward Walker in the course of his work as a professional photographer. These images were produced from gelatin dry plate negatives, a process introduced around 1880, to replace the wet collodin process in which a photographic solution was applied to a glass plate just prior to exposure. Edward Walker’s pictorial account of life in and around Millwood Manitoba circa 1900, is an important photographic legacy of pioneer life on the upper reaches of the Assiniboine Valley.
The village of Millwood was located in the Assiniboine River valley close to the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border just a few miles northwest of Binscarth and a similar distance southwest of Russell. It came into existence in 1887, with the construction of the Manitoba and North-Western Railway, a road that ran diagonally through the new West from Prince Albert, North West Territories to Portage la Prairie Manitoba.
Notes
Description by Tom Mitchell.
Storage Location
2006 accessions
Storage Range
2006 accessions
Related Material
Several prints were located with the Walker Negatives. These were created by Lawrence Stuckey and have been located with the Lawrence Stuckey collection and identified as "Edward Walker" prints.
RG 6, 8.2.4 (Library - S.J. McKee Archives - Archival displays).
Arrangement
Edward Walker – Millwood negatives
1. Manitoba and Northwestern railway steam shovel loading flat cars for the “fill” c. 1900
2. Completed “fill” near Millwood c. 1900
3. Steam shovel filling flat cars for the “fill”
4. Boy and pony
5. Farmer in field
6. Portrait – man
7. Portrait – man and woman
8. Portrait – man and women
9. Portrait – man
10. Portrait – little girl
11. Baseball game in progress
12. Cottage home
13. Portrait – man
14. Portrait – little girl
15. Gentlemen, horse and dog.
16. Portrait – two men
17. Portrait – mother and daughter
18. Mill and new Mill elevators c. 1896
19. Horse power in harness
20. Construction of railway bridge
21. Construction railway bridge
22. First automobile Millwood
23. Man, horse, carriage
24. Horse, sled filled with dead moose
25. Harvest scene reaper in action
26. Aboriginal people, tee pee
27. North Western railway bridge over the Assiniboine c. 1900
28. Railway trestle near the “Clay Dump”, on west hill near Harrowby
29. Team of horse in harness drawing a sled
30. Boy, horse with steer tethered to horse’s tail
31. Horse drawn wagon with children, woman and dog
The Old Brandon Gun Club was located on 6th Street south of the Canadian National tracks. In a note to Fred McGuinness, Bill Love shares a story about how children trapped pigeons for the glun from stables and church belfries. The birds were later used for pigeon pie.
Custodial History
Photograph given to Fred McGuinness by Bill Love/Lowe?
Scope and Content
Photograph shows large group of men posing with their shotguns in front of a hunting blind or shed. The moustached man kneeling at the end of the second row, right-hand side, wearing a bowler hat has been identified as the grandfather of Bill Love (possibly William D. Love).
On 23 September 1940, McGuinness was seriously injured in a naval accident when his ship ran aground; McGuinness’ leg was broken when the ship’s tow cable snapped and he spent the next 11 months convalescing at Camp Hill Hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia. While in hospital McGuinness contracted scarlet fever and diphtheria and developed osteomyelitis as a complication of his femur facture. McGuinness returned to Winnipeg to continue his convalescence at Deer Lodge Hospital and was ultimately discharged from the navy in 1941.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows Fred McGuinness in traction in a hospital bed, possibly at Camp Hill Hospital.
Photograph shows a number of youth posing at an outdoor swimming pool. Several children are sitting on the diving board, others are standing on the deck. Gallagher McGuinness is standing on the diving board
Notes
This photograph was published with the article "Heald Cops Swim Title," Medicine Hat News, 31 Aug 1961, 8. The caption published below the photograph reads: Happy group of Heald Pool swimmers pose with their NEWS trophy after winning city title Wednesday.
Photograph shows a junior boys hockey team in a hockey rink. The boys are wearing Maple Leafs jersies. Hanging on the boards behind the team is a pennant that reads: The Rotary Club, Medicine Hat, Alta. Gallagher McGuinness is the goalie.
Foxing on matting and photograph, primarily along edges of photograph
Custodial History
Mona McKinnon (nee Corkish) gave photograph to Colleen McGuinness who, in turn, gave it to her father, Fred McGuinness in 2007.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows Mrs. Scott's residence in Kemnay, Manitoba. Members of the family along with two horse-drawn buggies are clearly visible along the front of the house. A possbile church appears to the right of the house in the background.
Notes
Writing on the back of the photograph reads: Margaret Brown Scott, Mother in law to, Frank McGee Sr.
Photograph shows exterior views of five Brandon churches: Baptist Church, Presbyterian Church, St. Matthew's Church, Catholic Church and Monastery, and Methodist Church.
Notes
Part of "Christie's Brandon Series of Six Colored Picture Postcards of Brandon, Manitoba, The Crown Series, Published by Christie's Bookstore, Brandon, Man." [note: missing sixth postcard]. Writing on the front of the photograph reads: Baptist Church, Presbyterian Church Brandon Man., St. Matthew's Church, Catholic Church and Monastery, Methodist Church.
Photograph shows four men posing in front of a wood-framed shop on 8th Street and Rosser Avenue. The men are wearing three-piece suits or vests and long-sleeved shirts. A painted sign above the shop reads: Wright & Wright, Hamilton Stove & Tin Store. Hanging from the exterior walls are various tin items for sale: lantern, ladel, dust pan, pots and pans.
Notes
Writing on the back of the photograph reads: Corner of 8th & Rosser. Photograph is stamped Public Archives Canada.
Photograph shows the buildings of the Brandon General Hospital
Notes
Part of "Christie's Brandon Series of Six Colored Picture Postcards of Brandon, Manitoba, The Crown Series, Published by Christie's Bookstore, Brandon, Man." [note: missing sixth postcard]. Writing on the front of the photograph reads: Brandon General Hospital, Brandon, Man.