See collection level description for history/biography for information on Fred McGuinness.
Custodial History
Records in this series were acquired in four accruals and were in the possession of Fred McGuinness until their donation to the Archives.
Accession 18-2002 records were in the possession of Fred McGuinness until the publication of Only in Canada, a book on the history of the Kinsmen Club of Canada co-authored with BU history professor Ken Coates. In the course of writing the history, records of the Kinsmen Club in Canada were amassed at the McKee Archives and the research materials developed by Coates and McGuinness were simply added to the Kinsmen records circa 1987. The Kinsmen records have since been deaccessioned by the McKee Archives and transferred to Kin Headquarters in Ontario.
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.
Accession 20-2009 contains 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 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. This accession contains records for the following monographs: Manitoba: The Province & The People (1987); The Keystone Province: Manitoba Enterprise (1988); The Wheat City (1988); The Chronicle of Canada (1990); and Old Pathways, New Horizons (1995).
Scope and Content
The series contains records created and collected by Fred McGuinness and writing partners during the production of seven of Fred McGuinness’ monographs. Series has been divided into seven subseries, including: (1) Pride of Land: (2) Only in Canada; (3) Old Pathways, New Horizons; (4) Manitoba: The Province & The People; (5) The Keystone Province: An Illustrated History of Manitoba Enterprise (1988); (6) The Wheat City; and (7) Chronicle of Canada.
Records in the series consist of notes, drafts, correspondence and research materials in the form of photographs and photocopied newspaper clippings, journal articles and book chapters pertaining to Manitoba history.
Notes
Information in the history/biography was taken from Neighborly News column (#934, November 10, 1997)
In the file level inventories, square brackets at end of file names reference the original location of the file in the unprocessed Fred McGuinness collection. The original location is also noted on the front of each file folder
Accruals
Closed
Finding Aid
File level inventories for each subseries are available. See
individual subseries’ descriptions
Storage Location
2015 accessions
Arrangement
Arrangement was artificially created by the Archives. Series has been re-arranged according to publication period with the exception of Old Pathways, New Horizons (1995)
McG 5 Monographs
McG 5.1 Pride of the Land (1985)
McG 5.2 Only in Canada (1987)
McG 5.3 Old Pathways, New Horizons (1995)
McG 5.4 Manitoba: The Province & The People (1987)
McG 5.5 The Keystone Province: Manitoba Enterprise (1988)
McG 5.6 The Wheat City (1988)
McG 5.7 Chronicle of Canada (1990)
Saskatchewan's Fourth Meridian (meridian 110 degrees west of Greenwich) forms the western boundary of the province and is part of the world's longest surveyed straight line.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows two RCMP members in red serge standing next to a monument covered in the Union Jack flag.
Notes
A negative exists for this photo and is stored with the picture.
Saskatchewan's Fourth Meridian (meridian 110 degrees west of Greenwich) forms the western boundary of the province and is part of the world's longest surveyed straight line.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows two RCMP members in red serge standing next to a monument dedicated/marking the Fourth Meridian.
Notes
A negative exists for this photo and is stored with the picture.
Fred McGuinness published 17 articles in Reader’s Digest magazine. His most intensive period of writing for the digest was between 1972 and 1982. McGuinness published his first story, “RAPESEED: Golden Bounty for the Prairie Farmer,” in August of 1972. The story “Mrs. K’s Eggs” (1992) appears to be his final publication with the magazine. McGuinness noted in one of his Neighborly News columns (#701, May 24, 1993) that his account about John Lane and his bluebird boxes, titled “The Man Who Brought the Bluebirds Back” (1973), generated the most readers’ correspondence.
Most of McGuinness’ topics focused on agriculture in the Canadian prairies and included: rapeseed, beef/cattle farming, credit unions, ranching, wheat, soil erosion, trout farming, honey, and birds (killdeers, bluebirds, and turkeys). Several articles – “Northwest of 17,” “Boy with Wheel,” “He’s Got a Good Fist,” and “Mrs. K’s Eggs” – were autobiographical in nature.
McGuinness contributed six articles to the Reader’s Digest book division for their publication, Reader’s Digest Scenic Wonders of Canada: An Illustrated Guide to Our Natural Splendors (1976). His assignment for the book focused on the prairie region and McGuinness contributed segments on Clear Lake/Riding Mountain National Park, Cypress Hills, The Big Muddy, Lake of the Woods, Qu’Appelle Valley, and Valley of the Dinosaurs/badlands of Red Deer Valley.
McGuinness conducted research on a number of topics for Reader’s Digest that did not get published with the magazine and he, therefore, published these stories elsewhere. Subjects included: wild rice, Father Larre, Frederick Phillip Grove, coal on the prairies (“Chores/Chore Boy”), community symbols, researching/writing local history, and a story titled “Hole in the Ground.” McGuinness ultimately published his “Frederick Phillip Grove” (1984) and “Coal Days on the Prairies” (1986) articles with Western People magazine. He would write about wild rice, Father Larre, and community symbols in his syndicated Neighborly News column. McGuinness used his local history research materials for his Brandon Sun Diary columns and possibly for the Friesen publication Local History Style Guide (1984) as well as in his memoir writing workshops. He continued to rework “Hole in the Ground,” a story about the swimming pool at Christmas Tree Farm, until 2009.
Fred McGuinness often used his Reader’s Digest articles as writing samples in his memoir writing workshops. He also continually added materials to his research files after an article was published, and in the case of his Reader’s Digest materials, he built upon his “writing local history” and “community symbols” files.
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.
Scope and Content
The subseries consists of records created and collected by Fred McGuinness during his time as a journalist, editor, and freelance writer in Manitoba. It includes research materials (e.g., newspaper clippings, copies of articles and book chapters, brochures, pamphlets), notes, drafts, copies of published Reader’s Digest articles, and correspondence.
Notes
Information in the history/biography was taken from Neighborly News columns (McG 2.3 file 12, file 17, file 18); letter dated April 29, 1874 to Glen Sutherland from Fred McGuinness (McG 3.1, file 6); and personal e-mail communication from Rick Ediger, Editor, Reader’s Digest, March 25, 2015
In the file level inventories, square brackets at the end of file names reference the original location of the file in the unprocessed Fred McGuinness collection. The original location is also noted on the front of each file folder
Accruals
Closed
Finding Aid
A file level inventory is available
Storage Location
2015 accessions
Related Material
Fred McGuinness would write/publish about a topic in a number of forums. Therefore, it is possible research materials pertaining to this subseries may be found in the Fred McGuinness collection subseries: Correspondence (McG 1.2), Brandon Sun (McG 2.2), Neighborly News (McG 2.3), Miscellaneous freelance (McG 3.2), Local history research (McG 4.1), and Talks and workshops (McG 6.3)
Arrangement
Arrangement was artificially created by the Archives. Subseries has been re-arranged according to publication period
Saskatchewan's Fourth Meridian (meridian 110 degrees west of Greenwich) forms the western boundary of the province and is part of the world's longest surveyed straight line.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows the platform party at the dedication of the Fourth Meridian monument.
Saskatchewan's Fourth Meridian (meridian 110 degrees west of Greenwich) forms the western boundary of the province and is part of the world's longest surveyed straight line.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows the platform party at the dedication of the Fourth Meridian monument.
Saskatchewan's Fourth Meridian (meridian 110 degrees west of Greenwich) forms the western boundary of the province and is part of the world's longest surveyed straight line.
Scope and Content
Photograph shows the platform party at the dedication of the Fourth Meridian monument.
File consists of reference materials regarding university libraries in Ontario gathered for the purpose of planning the use and/or expansion of the John E. Robbins Library at Brandon University. It includes two photographs of Carelton University Library.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 4: Office of the Vice-President
4.2 Office of the Vice-President (Administration &Finance)
Box 1
Photograph shows Fred McGuinness at a Pierre Burton book signing for "The Promised Land." Mr. Burton is seated at table in the concourse of the Brandon Shoppers' Mall in front of Doigs.