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
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 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.
Photograph shows an eastern view of the hospital grounds, including the 1922 hospital building.
Notes
Part of "Souvenir of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada [viewbook], Printed by Photogelatine Engraving Co. Limited, Ottawa." Dates obtained from the Burchill's Music Store Henderson's Brandon City Directory listings (1927-1929). Writing on the front of the photograph reads: Hospital & Nurses Home, Brandon, Man.
Matting has been cut to size and the back is water-stained
Custodial History
Photograph was given to Fred McGuinness by Linda Bilkoski (nee Lepard) of Lac du Bonnet, MB.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows a group of 14 men outside a wood-framed building. The men are likely employees of McDiarmid Lumber.
Notes
Date range based on establishment of McDiarmid & Clark and employment periods for members of the Chalmers family based on Henderson's Brandon City Directory.
Photograph was given to Fred McGuinness by Linda Bilkoski (nee Lepard) of Lac du Bonnet, MB.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows a group of 47 men standing in a yard in front of a large brick building. Writing on the back of the photograph identifies these men as employees of the Hanbury Manufacturing Company.
Notes
Writing on the back of photograph reads: 1907 or 1908, Habury's Men, (Jack Patton, Ed Chalmers), E. Harden. C. Sanfords, Sam Chalmers.
Given to Fred McGuinness by George Creighton, 1980?
Scope and Content
Photograph shows two men seated in a sleigh pulled by two oxen. Behind the men is a wooden building with a M.H. & L Co. Ltd. sign on its side.
Notes
Writing on the front of the photograph reads: 7.3.80. file family letters. picture of dad's store at Hamiota. M.H.& L. > Manitoba Hardware & Lumber Co. George Creighton gave me this. McG.
Photograph was given to Fred McGuinness by Linda Bilkoski (nee Lepard) of Lac du Bonnet, MB.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows a group of 24 males alongside a wood-framed building. The individuals are likely employees of McDiarmid Lumber. The ages of employees range from children to middle-age.The men appear to be wearing their "Sunday-best." Some men have smoking pipes, another man is holding a dog.
Notes
Date range based on establishment of McDiarmid & Clark and employment periods for members of the Chalmers family based on Henderson's Brandon City Directory.
Photograph was given to Fred McGuinness by Linda Bilkoski (nee Lepard) of Lac du Bonnet, MB.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows a group of 17 men stading in a lumber yard.
Notes
This picture is the same as the negative in the Lawrence Stuckey collection. Stuckey obtained a copy of the photo from George Lepard, father of Linda Bilkoski (nee Lepard). Date range based on employment dates of Edward Chalmers. Ed Chalmers was the brother of Catherine Harden (nee Chalmers), mother to Edith Harden, who in turn, is the wife of George Lepard.
Photograph shows a group of four men standing on a platform at the entrance of the Dominion Express Company. William Frederick McGuinness stands on the left.
Postcard is of a combine bailing hay in the north end of Brandon at the junction of First Street and Veterans' Way. The Brandon city skyline is in the background and the orange Pioneer Grain elevator can be seen on the left side of the postcard.
Notes
Writing on the front of the postcard reads: Brandon, The Wheat City. Back of the postcard reads: Brandon the Agricultural and Industrial center for southwestern Manitoba; Photo by Sandy Black; Printed in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, by Leech Printing Ltd.
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 a southwestern view of Clark Hall and the Brandon College Original Building. The Citizen Science Building is absent from the campus grounds.
Notes
Part of "Souvenir of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada [viewbook], Printed by Photogelatine Engraving Co. Limited, Ottawa." Dates obtained from the Burchill's Music Store Henderson's Brandon City Directory listings (1927-1929). Writing on the front of the photograph reads: Brandon College, Brandon, Man.
Photograph shows two separate views. One is of the main entrance of (Old) City Hall on Princess Avenue. The other view shows the ediface of the YMCA building as well as the adjacent St. Paul's United and First United Churches on 8th Street.
Notes
Part of "Souvenir of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada [viewbook], Printed by Photogelatine Engraving Co. Limited, Ottawa." Dates obtained from the Burchill's Music Store Henderson's Brandon City Directory listings (1927-1929). Writing on the front of the photograph reads: City Hall - Brandon, Man; YMCA, St. Paul's United & First Church United, Brandon, Man.
Cando Contracting Ltd. was found in 1978 by Gord Peters and Rick Hammond. The company began as a small rail line dismantling and salvage company operating out of Brandon, Manitoba. The company changed its name in 2013 to Cando Rail Services Ltd., which supplies railway support services (e.g., engineering and track services, industrial rail services, mechanical services, rail car storage, railway material sales, short line operations, transload services) to industry and the rail sector. The company maintains its headquarters in Brandon, Manitoba, and has regional offices located in Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Whitby, and Adel (Iowa). (Source: www.candoltd.com, accessed 05 Dec 2015)
Scope and Content
Photograph shows Gord Peters standing in front of the rail car that forms the entrance of Cando Contracting Ltd. in Brandon, Manitoba
Founded in 1977, Super Thrifty is considered Manitoba's largest independent retail drug store organization. At the time of its founding, Super Thrifty had five drug stores in operation, three in Brandon, one in Hamiota, and one in Rivers.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows Greg Skura standing in front of the Super Thrifty Centre at 381 Park Avenue East.