Photograph shows a western view of the residential area along Lorne Avenue from St. Augustine's Roman Catholic Church. Roof-tops of Central School, First Baptist, Brandon College, Manitoba Power Plant, and Old City Hall are visible.
Notes
Writing on the front of the postcard reads: Lorne Avenue, looking West from St. Augustine's R.C. Church, Brandon, Man. Writing on the back of the postcard reads: The Valentine & Sons Publishing Ltd., Montreal and London, Printed in Great Britain. A cancelled George VI purple Canada 3 cent stamp has been postmarked: Brandon SP 11 52.
Photograph given to Fred McGuinness by Helen Turner
Scope and Content
Photograph shows a man - George Porterfield - and woman - Mary Porterfield - posing with a vehicle on a farm property.
Notes
Writing on the back of the photograph reads: Taken in the Summer at one of the neighbour homes George & myself. Note attached to the back of the photograph reads: George & Mary got married on June 6th 1923 and lived on the farm. This is their first car.
83 books and other materials (see Material Details Note)
Material Details
49 booklets
3 maps
3 newsletters
18 periodicals
16 pamphlets
35 newspapers [oversize drawer]
History / Biographical
The publications in this series were collected by Fred McGuinness during the course of his career as a newspaperman. McGuinness’ personal library contained over 500 volumes pertaining to local history. He regularly consulted these materials when writing his radio broadcasts, newspaper columns, and monographs. McGuinness was known to file related materials (e.g., correspondence, newspaper clippings, invitations) between book covers of various titles.
McGuinness donated a substantial portion of his personal library to Brandon University’s John E. Robbins Library when he moved to River Heights Terrace (Brandon, Manitoba). That collection can be found in BU’s library catalogue under the McGuinness local history collection. The titles McGuinness retained upon his move were donated to the McKee Archives by his estate in 2011.
Custodial History
Accession 1-2015 contains records created and collected over the course of McGuinness’ career as a newspaper journalist and freelance writer. The Estate of Fred McGuinness donated the materials to the SJ McKee Archives circa 2011. The Archives accessioned the records in 2015.
Accession 20-2009 contain records created and collected by Fred McGuinness over the course of his career as a newspaper journalist and during the research and writing period of the Brandon history book, The Wheat City. Records remained in his possession at his home until their transfer to the McKee Archives on July 28, 2009.
Accession 6-2008 contains records created and collected during the writing of the Provincial Exhibition book, Pride of the Land. Fred McGuinness, who co-authored the book with Ken Coates, donated these records to the McKee Archives circa 1988. The materials relating to Souris, Manitoba, were given to McGuinness by Kay Sullivan in August 2007, and were subsequently deposited in the Archives.
Scope and Content
This series contains publications collected by Fred McGuinness during the course of his lifetime as a newspaperman. McGuinness was a well-known local history enthusiast and frequently wrote about Brandon’s local history. Many of his readers forwarded booklets and pamphlets for his consideration and review.
Materials in this series include books, booklets pamphlets, periodicals, newspapers and maps. Subjects include, but are not exclusive to: the city of Brandon, the town of Souris, memoirs, family histories, Canadian Pacific Railway, and local businesses.
Accruals
Closed
Finding Aid
A file level inventory is available
Storage Location
All library titles, except the newspapers in the McGuinness oversize drawer, are located in Special Collections
Arrangement
Arrangement was artificially created by the Archives.
McG 8 McGuinness library
McG 8.1 Books
McG 8.2 Booklets
McG 8.3 Maps, newsletters, and periodicals
McG 8.4 Pamphlets
McG 8.5 Magazines and newspapers (oversize)
Photograph shows the English Church in Killarney, Manitoba. The entrance to the brick structure is obscured by trees.
Notes
Writing on the front of the postcard reads: English Church, Killarney, Copyright Canada 1908 by Winnipeg Photo Companty, No. 3. Writing on the back of the postcard reads: Photo Post Card by Winnipeg Photo Co., Napinka, Man. The postcard is addressed to Miss Annie Pope of 638 Pacific Avenue, Brandon. A green one cent King George stamp is postmarked Killarney Manitoba 22 July 1908.
The importance of knowledge and education to the Manitoba Wheat Pool is made clear in the The Scoop Shovel, the official organ of the Manitoba Wheat Pool and other co-operatives in Manitoba. Established in the 1920s, The Scoop Shovel owed its existence to a decision by the directors of the Pool to set aside small percentage of income per bushel for educational purposes. R.A. Hoey began to hold meetings to discuss the idea that the Pool was about more than just marketing grain, and in 1926 a Department of Education and Publicity was organized within the Pool. It was directed by J.T. Hull and advised by R.A. Hoey; they expanded and supervised The Scoop Shovel.
They also began to accumulate the educational volumes that would become the Pool library. Hull announced in November of 1926 that the library would be open by the end of the month and reported that: "We have a good representation of works on sociology... On co-operation we have about every book that we can find published in the English language. We have also a good selection of books on economics, history, science, general literature, and rural life. In a word, we have tried to make the library one of usefulness to people whose life is on the land."
He also encouraged Pool members--who were the only ones allowed to use the library at this time--to utilize the library to educate themselves, saying “Use it, for knowledge is power”.
Once the library was open to all Pool members, Hull wrote a regular column for The Scoop Shovel called “In the Library”, in which he would review books and recommend reading in response to frequent questions from members. When the library gained new books, which was almost continually, he would list them and sometimes discuss them.
The library service was a mailing one; the main collection was kept at the Manitoba Wheat Pool central office in Winnipeg and members could request a catalogue of all the library holdings. If they wanted to borrow a book or books on a specific topic, they could write to Hull and the books would be mailed out to the member and returned by mail, all postage costs covered by the Pool Library.
During the crisis of the early 1930s, the library was saved because the Manitoba Co-operative Conference believed it was vital to the success of the Pools and the co-operative movement. The Conference took over administration of the Pool library in 1931, leasing the books and equipment from the Wheat Pool. The library was formally incorporated under a charter after it changed hands, the other charters members being the Co-operative Marketing Board and the United Farmers of Manitoba.
In 1935 the service was made available free of charge to all rural Manitobans with the financial support of the Co-op Marketing Board. By 1939, Manitoba Pool Elevators had begun to prosper again, and took back responsibility for the administration and housing of the library. The traveling library was also established around this time, and hundreds of boxes were distributed to all MPE points. The boxes were rotated and refreshed twice a year.
In 1942 Hull estimated that there were approximately 4,700 books in the Pool Library with an annual circulation of 4,000 to 5,000 books. Operating the library cost around two thousand dollars per year, although the cost was split between the members of the Manitoba Co-operative Conference, at least it was in theory. The Pool library ran as a free service to all rural Manitobans, regardless of whether they were members of the Pool, and the federal government census in 1941 indicates that over half of Manitoba’s population (56%) still lived in rural areas. In 1948, the majority of the Pool Library’s services were rendered unnecessary by an act called the “Public Libraries Act” that had been passed by the Manitoba legislature on April 22, 1948, and would go into effect July 1, 1948. The act provided for the establishing of a provincial “Public Library Advisory Board” that would be appointed by the government. Once the board had been established, the act allowed for the establishment of municipal and regional libraries that would be the administrative responsibility of the municipality or region they served and would be supported by a land tax levied on the population that would have access to the library. All employees of the central provincial library would be considered civil servants.
When the Provincial Library was being established in 1949, the Minister in charge of education--Ivan Shultz--actively sought both the advice of those who operated the Pool Library and the physical resources of the Library. In a letter to W.J. Parker, the President of Manitoba Pool Elevators, Shultz wrote that: "We find that in looking at the province as a whole that the box library service of the Manitoba Pool Elevators is the best developed and the best distributed within the province... We would feel that to a considerable extent you had pioneered in this field and we would be using your accomplishments as a springboard for a wider coverage of the province and an enlargement of the service."
He also requested that Miss E.L. Shields—the Pool Librarian--be released from Pool employment so that the Provincial Library could hire her for a year to aid in setting up the new library system.
An agreement was reached between MPE and the Provincial Library, and the bulk of the Pool Library was transferred to the province. The Pool retained the volumes it wished to keep as reference for its employees, and donated the rest of the open shelf library to the province. The traveling library service was sold at a discount to the province, with the caveat that service not be interrupted during the transfer and that the quality of service to rural Manitoba not diminish once the Library had been entirely transferred to the government. In a letter to Ivan Shultz after the agreement to sell the traveling library had been reached, W.J. Parker wrote that: "...Manitoba Pool Elevators has maintained an open shelf library for a period of some twenty years. These books have been made available to anyone in Manitoba, outside the City of Winnipeg, and the postage both ways was paid by the Pool. We feel it has served a very useful purpose, but that it is not primarily our function and if the government proposes to offer a more complete and universal service we are prepared to retire from the field and avoid what might be considered unnecessary duplication."
Scope and Content
Series contains items once held as part of the Manitoba Pool Library. It has been divided into the following four sub-series: (1) MPE E 1 Manitoba Pool Library publications; (2) MPE E 2 The Scoop Shovel; (3) MPE E 3 The Manitoba Cooperator; and (4) MPE E 4 Pamphlet collection.
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 view from the rooftop of the Prince Edward Hotel. The south side of the Brandon Hotel (most recently the Brandon Inn) and a service station along Prince Avenue can be seen.
Notes
Writing on the back of photograph reads: across the street from roof of P.E. Hotel 1927
Winnipeg, Man. : Warren Co-operative Elevator Association
Physical Description
1 folder ; 38 cm
Notes
By- law no. 5-- Schedule "A"-- Auditors' report-- Warren Co-operative Elevator Association operating account : for the year ended July 31st, 1950-- Board of directors' resolution-- Meeting of the provisional board of directors-- Warren : March 27th, 1948-- Warren Co-operative Elevator Association to the honourable the provincial secretary of the province of Manitoba
Photograph was given to Fred McGuinness by Linda Bilkoski (nee Lepard) of Lac du Bonnet, MB.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows a large group of men, women and children posing in a park. A man in a WWI Canadian uniform is standing in the back row, left-hand side.
Notes
Writing on the back of the photograph reads: Methodist Mission Sunday School Picnic taken in the Assiboine [sic.] Park. 1st 1915. 1915. Mr. Hugh Connolly Minister, Mr. Fred Denstedt, Teacher. Miss Hornbrook, Bible Class teacher. Mr. John Davies, Choir Leader. Mrs. Foreman in the center in dark dress the oldest member & four babies. Mrs. E. Harden, 33-10th Street N., City.
Postcard shows a street scene of Donald Street looking south from the Portage Avenue Intersection.
Notes
Writing on the back of the postcard reads: Aug 9, Dear ruth, Aunt Eva, Aunt Annie and Fred were over to the bowlnig greens tonight. Every one fine. Doddy. Postcard is addressed to Ruth McGuinness, 337-17th St., Brandon, Man. Postmarked: Winnipeg 12 PM Aug 10 1927 Man.
According to Henderson's 1935 Brandon City Directory, the First United Church was located on the corner of 8th Street and Lorne Avenue. The minister at the time was Reverend John H. Garden.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows the Brandon Male Voice Choir dressed in tuxedos and posing before the First United Church's pipe organ. A minister (possibly Rev. John H. Garden) and three women in formal attire are standing in the front row.
Notes
Writing on the back of the photograph reads: return to Bob Hoffman, Box #1, Brandon, R7A 5Y6
A detailed study of serious problems now cofronting all users of the International St. Lawrence Seaway (Montreal-Lake Ontario) and all- Canadian Welland Ship Canal
