During the Great Depression, Fred McGuinness launched his career with the Brandon Sun as a paper career beginning in 1933. His route had him delivering papers in Brandon’s downtown core, to many of the city’s, now, historic or demolished buildings. Four years later he was employed in the city working for CPR telegraphs as a messenger and then as an operator. These early Brandon experiences weaved their way into McGuinness’ newspaper columns, his broadcasts, and his books. In turn, McGuinness’ readers shared with him their own memories about Brandon and its local history.
McGuinness was passionate about the social history of regional communities and the province as a whole. In the 1970s, McGuinness was instrumental in helping to establish the Rural Resource Centre, the predecessor to Brandon University’s SJ McKee Archives. He co-authored several monographs about Manitoba’s social history with Brandon University Professor Ken Coates and published a pictorial history about Brandon. He was also a community booster and was consulted to serve on, promote and write about local, provincial and rural development initiatives. In his obituary, the last piece he would publish in the Brandon Sun, McGuinness wrote that he had a “deep and continuing interest in anniversaries.”
In its editorial piece on the passing of Fred McGuinness, the Brandon Sun commented that McGuinness had a “genuine interest in the stories and memories that are part of every Canadian’s experience…He loved driving through small Westman towns and communities, stopping at the local coffee shop to strike up conversations with the locals.” He continued writing his Diary column for the Brandon Sun and mentoring aspiring writers in his memoir writing workshops until his death 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.
Scope and Content
The subseries consists of records created and collected by Fred McGuinness during his time as a journalist, editor, and freelance writer. As part of his research and writing process, McGuinness kept numerous files on various subjects and continued to add to them throughout his career. He accumulated his local history materials by personally collecting newspapers and clippings, books, and magazine articles; by readers’ forwarding materials for his interest; and from workshop participants submitting memoirs and personal narratives for his interest, review and feedback.
Local history materials consist of newspaper clippings, correspondence, biographical documents and memoirs, obituaries, and manuscript drafts on Brandon (Manitoba) topics including:
the City of Brandon’s origins, anniversaries (75th, centennial), reunions (Victoria 1969, Toronto 1977)
historic buildings and streets (Brandon’s Central Heating System, Brandon’s Fire Department, Brandon Gun ClubBrandon water power plant)
businesses (Assiniboine River ice harvest; Brandon woolen mills, skating arenas; Snellie brothers (Russell, MB); Meighen, Haddad, & Co., Prince Edward Hotel)
citizens and early pioneer/families (Armitage family, Beaubier family, Thomas Black, J.A. Brock, Henry Carroll, Q.C., Chalmer-Harden families, Clement family, Flora Cowan, Eliza Durston, William A. Elliott, Dr. Fleming, Hall family, Eleanor Kidd, Jack Lane, William Langdon, Lindenberg family, A.E. McKenzie, Margaret Muir, William Muir, W.S. Orchard, Mrs. Osmond (Griswold), General Thomas Lafayette Rosser, Harry Spafford, Allena Strath, George Treherne, Wallace family)
institutions (ACC, Brandon Research Station)
military units (181st Battalion)
museums (Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum)
local newspapers
politicians (R.O. Lissaman, Sir Clifford Sifton)
railways (1916 Brandon trainwreck)
religious organizations (Sisters, Faithful Companions of Jesus, Beresford Church)
McGuinness also maintain files on the local history of surrounding communities, including: Birtle, Beresford, Camp Hughes, Hartney, Kemnay, Russell, and Souris.
Notes
Information in the history/biography was taken from “We’re Going to Miss You, Fred,” Brandon Sun, March 24, 2011, A8
Items dating to the 1880s are photocopies and transcripts of original materials
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
A file level inventory is available
Storage Location
2015 accessions
Related Material
John Everitt collection
Clarence Hopkin collection
Provincial Exhibition Association of Manitoba fonds
Lawrence Stuckey collection
Jack Stothard collection
William Wallace papers
Fred McGuinness would write/publish about a topic in a number of forums. Therefore, it is possible work and correspondence pertaining to his research materials may be found in the Fred McGuinness collection Monograph series (McG 5) and subseries: Correspondence (McG 1.2), Brandon Sun (McG 2.2), Neighborly News (McG 2.3), Miscellaneous freelance (McG 3.2), Talks and workshops (McG 6.3). McGuinness also “filed” many clippings between the pages of his books in his personal library (see McG 8 Library series)
Arrangement
Arrangement was artificially created by the Archives. Subseries has been re-arranged according to publication period
These records were produced between 1984 and 1985, the researching and writing period for the book The Pride of the Land: An Affectionate History of Brandon’s Agricultural Exhibition. Published in 1985 by Peguis Books (Winnipeg), Pride of the Land is a 222-page soft cover book, containing hundreds of pictures, and 50,000 words of text.
BU faculty members Dr. Kenneth “Ken” Stephen Coates, Assistant Professor of History, and Mr. Fred McGuinness, Lecturer in Journalism, authored the book. Assisting the writers was a research team of four BU history students, which were referred to as “The Pride Team”: Diane Fowler, Rob McGarva, Bruce Stafeld, and Byron Williams.
The Pride Team was tasked with collecting and synthesizing exhibition documents and other materials in city, provincial, and federal records spanning 100 years. Many local newspapers and committee minutes were consulted.
The authors cover 103 years of Brandon Fair history, starting with the first fair in 1882 followed by the development of other agricultural fairs and exhibitions in Brandon, specifically The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, The Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba, and the Ag-Ex livestock show.
Custodial History
Records were collected and created by McGuinness, Coates, and The Pride Research Team during the process of the creation of the book, The Pride of the Land: An Affectionate History of Brandon’s Agricultural Exhibition. The materials were donated to the SJ McKee Archives by the authors circa 1988. The Archives accessioned the records in 2008.
Scope and Content
The subseries consists of textual records, created and collected during the production of the monograph Pride of the Land. It includes research cards created by the research team, copies of newspaper articles from very early editions of Brandon newspapers (such as the Brandon Sun, Brandon Daily Sun, Western Sun, and The Independent), copies of fair/organizational minutes, photocopies of photographs used in the publication, and chapter drafts. Of particular interest are the detailed summaries of Provincial Exhibition minutes that were specifically produced for each book chapter.
Notes
Information in the history/biography was taken from a Brandon University press release dated June 1985, about the Pride of the Land Project (see file 64)
Description Note: The original accession number is noted on the front of each file folder. The circled number indicates the original file order in the 6-2008 accession
Accruals
Closed
Language Note
Fred McGuinness often uses journalistic jargon to label his files. A “brite” refers to a short, amusing story
Pride of the Land acronyms:
PEM = Provincial Exhibition Association of Manitoba
RCMP = Royal Canadian Mounted Police
WAAA = Western Agricultural & Arts Association
Finding Aid
A file level inventory is available
Storage Location
2015 accessions
Related Material
Provincial Exhibition Association of Manitoba fonds
Arrangement
Arrangement was artificially created by the Archives. Subseries has been arranged according to book chapter. McGuinness often organized his ideas and research materials by potential brite topic
These records were produced between 1986 and 1987, the researching and writing period for the book Manitoba: The Province & The People. Published in 1987 by Hurtig Publishers (Edmonton), Manitoba is a 203-page hard cover book, containing 2 maps, and 58 images.
BU faculty members Dr. Kenneth “Ken” Stephen Coates, Assistant Professor of History, and Mr. Fred McGuinness, Lecturer in Journalism, authored the book. Assisting the writers was a research team of three BU history students: Diane Fowler, Rob McGarva, and Bruce Stadfeld. All three students were former research assistants for The Pride of the Land monograph.
The authors cover 117 years of Manitoba social history, starting with the Red River Settlement and the Dominion of Canada expansion in the 1870s, followed by the war years, and the emergence of modern, contemporary Manitoba.
Custodial History
Records were collected and created by McGuinness, Coates, and the research students during the creation of the book, Manitoba: The Province & The People. The materials were donated to the McKee Archives by the Estate of Fred McGuinness circa 2011. The Archives accessioned the records in 2015.
Scope and Content
The subseries consists of textual records, created and collected during the production of the monograph Manitoba: The Province & The People. It includes copies of newspaper articles from newspapers (such as the Brandon Sun, Brandon Daily Sun, Winnipeg Free Press, and Saturday Night), copies of journal articles about the Red River Valley, Government of Manitoba industrial publications, photocopies and a few original photographs used in the publication, and drafts for chapter “brites.”
Notes
Information in the history/biography was taken from the “Manitoba: The Province & The People’s” acknowledgments section
Accruals
Closed
Language Note
Fred McGuinness often uses journalistic jargon to label his files. A
“brite” refers to a short, amusing story. McGuinness often organized his ideas and research materials by potential brite topic
Finding Aid
A file level inventory is available
Storage Location
2015 accessions
Related Material
Original copies of the July 10, 1899 and July 12, 1899 editions of the Brandon Daily Sun containing articles about the Hilda Blake trial are available in the oversize drawers in the Reading Room
See McG 1.2 Box 3 File 48 for correspondence pertaining to royalties for this monograph
Arrangement
Arrangement was artificially created by the Archives. Files in this subseries have been arranged according to the order in which brites first appear in the book
Original file titles, where available, have been recorded in square brackets after the file title assigned by the Archives
For this subseries, the original photographs have been relocated to the McGuinness collection photograph series (McG 9)
