The idea of the Keystone Centre was first mentioned in 1958, at a meeting of the board of directors of the Manitoba Winter Fair. The Manitoba Winter Fair wanted a new facility because the old Wheat City Arena had a leaking roof and a deteriorating west wall. The old facility also had limited space and the Winter Fair felt it needed more space for expansion. The Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba also had problems with their facilities, such as old barns and poor display areas. The idea of the Keystone Centre was put on hold until 1969, when the boards of the Provincial Exhibition and the Manitoba Winter Fair joined together as the Provincial Exhibition Association of Manitoba and the Wheat City Arena was sold and demolished. The original estimate for the cost of the Keystone Centre facilities was $4.5 million and funding would be proportioned so that the federal and provincial governments would each put in one-third of the money, with the rest coming from local donations. The financial campaign for the Keystone Centre began in 1970, and construction began in November 1970. The grand opening of the Centre was in March 1973, and coincided with the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair of that year.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains many folders full of correspondence, financial statements, meeting minutes and other documents relating to the development and construction of the Keystone Centre from 1970-1974, including those from the Keystone Executive Committee, as well as the Building Committee. Fonds also contains one folder that pertains to the Brandon Area Agricultural Development Survey from 1959. This folder contains the names and locations of all farmers in the Brandon area in 1959. The Brandon Area Agricultural Development Survey was created in 1959, in order to make farming in the Brandon area more profitable. The survey was aided by Doane Agricultural Service from St. Louis, Missouri, who had success creating agricultural development programs in the United States. Fonds also contains folders from the Provincial Exhibition with correspondence, pamphlets, estimates, and studies from the 1960's. There is also one folder belonging to the Manitoba Winter Fair, which contains correspondence and financial statements relating to the Wheat City Arena. Fonds also contains information pertaining to the proposals made in the 1960's, for the building of the Keystone Centre, as well as one folder about the Keystone campaign from 1970-73. There is also one folder about the opening of the Keystone Centre, which contains newspaper clippings and guest lists. Finally, the fonds contains information about a court case involving Albert Bobyk and Robert Stewart. Stewart was the project manager for the Building Committee and Bobyk worked on the Keystone Center. The fonds includes a report about the trial of the two men who were charged with fraud involving their work on the Keystone Centre.
These are the minutes from the meetings of the Arts Banquet committees from 1938 until 1964. They include detailed descriptions of what each banquet would entail.
Storage Location
RG 1 Brandon College fonds
Series 8: Brandon College Students Association
File consists of Arts Faculty Salaries and Promotions Committee form sheet with instructions, memos, correspondence, minutes, Faculty of Arts newsletter, agendas, and new course proposals.
Notes
File was artificially created July 11/06 (CMH).
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series XV: BUFA
Box 3
File consists of committee member lists, memos, minutes, by-laws for the Arts Faculty Council, committee reports, course change submission forms, notices, and a proposal for a four year degree program in Education.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series XV: BUFA
Box 3
This is an artifically created sub sub series.
Pierian Spring was the by-product of a creative writing workshop taught by Dr. Robert Brockway at Brandon University in 1969. The members of the workshop met once a month and at the end of the year they deciced to produce a mimeographed book of poetry written by members of the group. They called it Peirian Spring, after the spot in Thrace from which the Muses came. In subsequent years, Brockway continued to teach the creative writing class as a non-credit extension course, however there were no further publications of Pierian Spring until Winter 1976. The later publications encorporated the writings of members of the group, but also included works by writers from across North America.
Scope and Content
Sub sub series consists of copies of one issue of "Aspen Grove" (1971) and numerous issues of "Pierian Spring" (1969, 1976, 1976-1989). It aslo contains a number of promotional pamphlets created by the Faculty of Arts. Included are pamphlets on: Arts One; the History, Religion, English and Creative Writing, Business Administration, Gender and Women's Studies, Classical and Modern Languages departments; liberal arts degrees: pre-professional programs for early and middle years teachers; Justice System Certificate; graduate programs in Rural Development; and general Faculty of Arts information.
Notes
History/Bio information on Pierian Spring taken from an article in "The Quill" (January 13, 1977).
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 7: Faculties and Schools
7.1 Faculty of Arts
See sub sub series level (RG 6, 8.4.1) for history/bio information.
Custodial History
See sub sub series level (RG 6, 8.4.1) for custodial history.
Scope and Content
File consists of grant application materials including a project proposal, budget template, bios for participating authors, and minutes for the April 20, 2007 meeting of the Aboriginal Literary Festival Committee.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 8: Library Services
8.4 Library special events
8.4.1 Brandon Aboriginal Literary Festival
File consists of Keystone Centre promotional material predating the construction of the building, information on the Keyston Centre fund, correspondence, reports from Management Committee meetings, floor plans and news releases.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 4: Office of the Vice-President
4.2 Office of the Vice-President (Administration & Finance)
Box 8
File consists of Keystone Agricultural Producers info. 1990-1991, Keystone Centre borchure/booklet re: building expansion, copy "All Purpose All Season Keystone Pavilion", blueprints, 1988-1990 info. re: Keystone Centre Expansion
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
MG 3 Brandon University Teaching and Administration
1.14.1 W. Leland Clark - political career
Box 3