The Original Brandon Fire Hall was located on the east half of the north side of the 600-block of Princess Avenue. The hall was in operation from 1884 to 1911.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows Brandon's first fire hall on Princess Avenue. The hose tower and stable are visible. The horse-drawn ladder wagon is parked on the street in front of the hall and the rescue ladder is extended against the tower. Five firefighters are standing on the ladder and two are standing at its base.
Notes
Writing on the back of the photograph reads: Mrs. E. Harden, 6th Street
The Original Brandon Fire Hall was located on the east half of the north side of the 600-block of Princess Avenue. The hall was in operation from 1884 to 1911.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows Brandon's first fire hall on Princess Avenue facing east. The hose tower and stables are visible. The three horse-drawn ladder wagon is parked is on the right. Pairs of horses are harnessed to two hose wagons. A dog sits on the street before the parked wagons.
Notes
Writing on the back of the photograph reads: 1903 or 1905, "First Fire Hall," Princess Avenue, Brandon, Man.
The vertical wheel at the front of the wagon raised the telescoping ladder.
The horizontal wheel at the rear was used for steering the wagon.
This unit, with a small motor truck tractor, remained in service until at least 1942.
One of these horses was sold to a local deliveryman. Every time a fire brigade passed, the horse went to the fire - whether [the deliveryman] did or not! (Info: BFD driver Ted Harden - "Squeek"'s uncle)
Custodial History
For custodial history see the collection level description of the Lawrence Stuckey collection.
Scope and Content
Three-Horse Ladder Wagon [in front of new Fire Station]
Notes
Additional information provided by the Fred McGuinness collection (20-2009).
Erected in 1889, on the southeast corner of Rosser Avenue and 7th Street at 806 Rosser Avenue, this block was designed by Brandon architect W.H. Shillinglaw. At the time of its construction the structure housed the Nation & Shewan Department Store, one of Brandon’s largest and most successful drygoods businesses, owned and operated by Fred Nation and Alexander Shewan.
Major improvements were made to the store and an annex was added in 1910. Some of the renovation additions included, but were not limited to, an updated frontage with new copper sash windows and prismatic glass tops, plate glass windows, new fixtures and carpet. With the renovations the floor space of the business was to be almost doubled. The stock of the business also increased, with the Brandon Weekly Sun reporting that when finished, Nation & Shewan would be a “store of which the citizens of Brandon will be justly proud.” The drygoods firm operated until Nation’s death 1926, when it became known as A. Shewan Limited. From 1933 to 1944, the business was known as Shewan and Son. Shortly thereafter, the Metroplitan Stores Ltd began operating out of the Nation & Shewan Block.
In 2000, the Town Centre prepared to knock down the Red Apple Building, formerly the Nation & Shewan Block. The demolition was to make way for the new atrium and entrance for the mall, and begin a new period of redevelopment at the downtown shopping centre.
[History/Bio written by Christy Henry (SJ McKee Archives) and Eileen Trott (Daly House Museum), researched by Morganna Maylon, for 2015 photographic exhibition "Gowen's Brandon: Then and Now".]
Custodial History
Photograph was given to Fred McGuinness by Linda Bilkoski (nee Lepard) of Lac du Bonnet, MB.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows a display of women's clothing and accessories in the window at Nation & Shewan. A sign reads: 1914 Spring Opening commences on Wednesday March 25th.
Notes
Writing on the back of the photograph reads: Mrs. E. Harden, 33-10th St., City. According to the Henderson's Brandon City Directories, Catharine "Kate" Harden (nee Chalmers) worked as a cashier at Nation & Shewan from 1913 to 1914.
Photograph was in possession of Mrs. Ruby Miles, who passed the image on to Fred McGuinness. McGuinness makes reference to Mrs. Miles and this photograph in his Sunbeams column (Brandon Sun 14 September 1978).
Scope and Content
Photograph shows a wagon displaying advertisements for Taylor's Infants-Delight Toilet Soap and Dyson's Red Cross Baking Powder. The Gilmore Advertising Company appears to be responsible for the advertising and the wagon is numbered "No.3". The horsedrawn wagon is facing north on 18th Street and is parked in front of Brandon College's Original Building. An elderly man is seated at the reigns of the wagon and another man is seated at the rear. Standing to the left of the wagon is a man holding a can of Dyon's baking powder. Standing to the right of the wagon is a young man holding a cardboard ad of an infant holding a bar of soap in a wash basin.
Notes
Writing on the back of the photograph reads: Mrs. R. Miles. Cover shot. The photograph is stamped Davidson & Gowen, Photographers, Brandon, Man. Note: The two men standing in the photograph appear to be in another photograph where they are advertising O-Pee-Chee gum (see 20-2009.96).
Photograph is stained and water damaged. A newspaper clipping about William (Billy) Muir is glued to the top left hand corner of the mat. The image is exfoliated in the right hand corner. The negative has been reverse printed.
History / Biographical
Coombs & Stewart opened the first general store in Brandon in 1881, which was located on 6th Street and Pacific Avenue. According to G.F. Barker (Brandon: A City, 1977, 291), William (Billy) Muir worked at the store until he opened his own grocery store in 1888.
Custodial History
Donated to Fred McGuinness by Allena Strath (nee Coombs).
Scope and Content
Photograph shows the Coombs & Stewart general store located on the corner of Pacific Avenue and 6th Street. A group of men pose in front of the wood-framed store.
Notes
Back of photograph reads: One of first stores in Brandon, Coombs...[?]
Photograph shows a possible CPR train stopped on the tracks at the base of a mountain. Train employees and passengers are posing alongside the train.
Notes
Writing on the front of the photograph reads: Train #1033 "Pacific Express" in Kicking Horse Pass near Golden / Trueman & Caple Photo, Vancouver, BC / Wishing You A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Date obtained from Margery Hadley McDougall, "R.H. Trueman, Artist and Documentarian," BC Studies, No. 52, Winter 1981-82, pp.129-141.
Photograph was removed from a photo album. Photograph is ripped.
History / Biographical
According the 1911 Henderson's Brandon City Directory, the Brandon Fire Department - headquartered at Seventh Street and Princess Avenue - had 16 permanent firemen. For equipment the department had one steamer, two chemicals, two hose wagons, one hose reel, one aerial aldder, one hook and ladder wagon, and 10 horses. The city had 34 electric fire alarm boxes and 114 fire hydrants. The pumping station had a capacity of 3.5 million gallons in 24 hours. By 1914, the Brandon Fire Department had 19 permanent employees on its roster and added 2 more horses as well as an 80 horsepower combination motor truck.
Custodial History
Photograph was given to Fred McGuinness by Linda Bilkoski (nee Lepard) of Lac du Bonnet, MB.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows two horse-drawn fire wagons in front of the Brandon Fire Station No. 2. One wagon has a hose, the other wagon has an extension ladder.
Notes
Writing on the back of photograph reads: Ed Harden, Driver on the left, 1914, 11th McTavish. 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).
Photograph was removed from a photo album. Photograph is creased and has tape residue.
Custodial History
Photograph was given to Fred McGuinness by Linda Bilkoski (nee Lepard) of Lac du Bonnet, MB.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows the interior of Brandon Fire Hall No. 2. The wagon engines are in the foreground. The firemen stand in the background, holding the bridles of the horses that are standing at the entrances of their stalls. The interior of the hall shows a brick floor and tin ceiling. Stairs lead to a wooden door that is likely the entrance to the living quarters and offices on the second floor.
Notes
Writing on the back of photograph reads: Ed Harden, Driver on the left, 1914, 11th McTavish. 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).
For custodial history see the collection level description of the Lawrence Stuckey collection.
Scope and Content
View of Prince Edward Hotel under construction.
Notes
For details regarding construction negotiations between the City of Brandon and Canadian Northern Railway, see Brandon: A City, by G.F. Barker, page 126.
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