See biographical sketch of A.E. McKenzie under RG 3 Series 2 (Office of the President/General Manager), sub-series 1 (A.E. McKenzie).
Custodial History
See fonds level description of custodial history of A.E. McKenzie Seed Co. Ltd.
Scope and Content
The manuscript group contains records pertaining to A.E. McKenzie's personal life, such as personal correspondence and family documents. Records dealing with McKenzie's involvement with Brandon College, the Brandon Allied Arts Council and the Brandon Board of Trade are also included.
It has been divided into five sub-series, including: (1) Brandon College Inc.; (2) A.E. McKenzie Foundation; (3) Brandon Allied Arts Council; (4) Brandon Board of Trade; and (5) Miscellaneous.
RG 1 Brandon College fonds in the McKee Archives contains additional
information on A.E. McKenzie, particularly his involvement with Brandon College.
A photograph of A.E. McKenzie is located in oversized drawer #5 of the Brandon College photograph series.
See fonds-level description for Stephen Adolph Magnacca fonds.
Custodial History
See fonds-level description for Stephen Adolph Magnacca fonds.
Scope and Content
Series consists of antiquarian objects, such as postcards and theatre programs; an anonymous manuscript entitled "There's Something About British Israel;" clippings about Louis Riel; documents about Thomas Mayne Daly, notably Magnacca's manuscript entitled "Our First Mayor;" and documents of the Daly House Museum.
Storage Location
Stephen Adolph Magnacca fonds - Box 2
Storage Range
Stephen Adolph Magnacca fonds - Box 2
Arrangement
Box 2
2.1 2 Brandon Mail newspapers 1884
2.2 Postcards and invitations 1888-1911
2.3 Theatre programs from London, England 1896
2.4 1 Citizen’s Examiner newspaper 1926
2.5 Clippings re: Coronation Day 1937
2.6 Clippings re: Louis Riel 1967-72
2.7 Scrapbook about Manitoba history [197-]
2.8 Biographical information about T. Mayne Daly 1962-79
2.9 Biographical information about T. Mayne Daly [1978]
2.10 Biographical information about T. Mayne Daly 1978
2.11 Manuscript: “Our First Mayor,” by S. A. Magnacca 1978
2.12 “Our First Mayor” and a pamphlet about Daly 1979
2.13 “Our First Mayor” and a clipping re: H. Mayne Daly 1978
2.14 Correspondence re: publishing of “Our First Mayor” 1978
2.15 Documents of the Daly House Museum 1977-9
2.16 Documents of the Daly House Museum 1978-81
2.17 Correspondence of Grace Magnacca and the Daly House Museum 1981
2.18 Documents of the Manitoba Historical Society 1978-9
2.19 Manuscript: “Something About British Israel,” anonymous [191-]
2.20 Documents re: St. Matthew’s Cathedral 1952-63
See fonds-level description of the Stephen Adolph Magnacca fonds.
Custodial History
See fonds-level description of the Stephen Adolph Magnacca fonds.
Scope and Content
Series consists of clippings about military activities, especially those of soldiers; audiocassettes of speeches and radio broadcasts; documents about celebrations at Shilo; and newsletters of the Brandon Flying Club.
Storage Location
Stephen Adolph Magnacca fonds - Box 2
Storage Range
Stephen Adolph Magnacca fonds - Box 2
Arrangement
Box 2
3.1 Audiocassettes of British broadcasts and local mayoral speeches [196-]
3.2 Photocopies of The Quill [1916 and 1919] and a speech to university students about the military [196-]
3.3 Clippings re: S. A. Magnacca and soldiers 1961-75
3.4 Clippings re: military activities 1935-75
3.5 Clippings re: military activities 1956-75
3.6 Documents re: governmental celebrations 1964-9
3.7 Programs of military functions 1967-78
3.8 Brandon Flying Club newsletters 1974
3.9 Posters and documents of Shilo celebrations 1967-752.1
See fonds-level description Stephen Adolph Magnacca fonds.
Custodial History
See fonds-level description Stephen Adolph Magnacca fonds.
Scope and Content
Series consists of 21 photos. Included are pictures of Stephen Adolph Magnacca as mayor (1961-1969), Freedom of the City photos (1967), and a print of Thomas Mayne Daly (ca. 1880s).
Métis fiction writer Beatrice Culleton Mosionier was born in the St. Boniface area of Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1949 and after some time in Toronto, she moved back to Winnipeg. She attended George Brown College, 1970, and Banff School of Fine Arts, 1983. Aside from writing, Beatrice worked for a number of years at Pemmican Publications, a Manitoba publishing house. She has written works of fiction aimed at both adults and children.
Custodial History
Both drafts were sent to Sam Corrigan, Native Studies Department, Brandon University, by Greg Young-Ing, Managing Editor of Theytus Books in August 2001 for deposit in the Archives.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of the first draft (galley draft) and the final edit of "In the Shadow of Evil" by Beatrice Culleton Mosionier. It also includes a press release from Theytus Books Ltd. regarding the publication of the novel.
Notes
History/Bio information taken from the Manitoba Author Publication index at http://www.mbwriter.mb.ca/mapindex/m_profiles/mosionier_b_c.html (February 2007) and the Native American Authors Project at http://www.ipl.org/div/natam/bin/browse.pl/A34 (February 2007).
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.
These documents were created between 1910 and 1972 by the administration of the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba.
Custodial History
See sous-fonds RG2SF1 for custodial history.
Scope and Content
This series includes various contracts and agreements between the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba and companies hired for the fair. These companies include musicians, entertainment, stage hands, concessions and more. The series also includes inventories, by laws, the 1920 Act of Incorporation. Most of the documents are from 1957 to 1962.
Notes
Inventory of documents in the series is available in the printed finding aid.
Storage Location
RG 2 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds
RG2SF1 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba
The minutes were created by the summer fair Board of Directors and the various committees and sub-committees associated with the Board.
There is ample evidence in the minutes of the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba that the administrative structure was largely one by committee. By 1903, there were at least nine separate committees. These committees were Grounds and Buildings, Sports and Attractions, Public Comfort, Advertising and Printing, Privileges, Gates, Finance, Excursion and Transportation, and Prize List. Of these committees only Public Comfort, Privileges, and Excursion and Transportation were comparatively short-lived. These committees are not mentioned after 1903, 1920, and 1925, respectively. The remaining six committees all survive in various forms to this day.
In 1908 there is mention of a Speed committee, which dealt with the racetrack at the fairgrounds. This committee was in existence until the early 1970s, when racing, along with the condemned grandstand, was discontinued. By 1915 there is mention of a Reception committee that continues on until the mid-1970s.
In the 1920 minutes several committees are mentioned. The committees included Concessions, Grandstand, Accommodation, Police/Security, and Wild Birds and Animals. The Wild Birds and Animals is not mentioned in further minutes, but Grandstand and Accommodation are mentioned into the mid 1950s. Both the Concessions and Police/Security are mentioned until the late 1970s.
In 1925, there are several new committees mentioned. They include Heavy Horse, Light Horse, Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, Sheep, Swine, Farm Boy’s Camp, Poultry, Grains and Grasses, Horticulture, Dairy Competition, Machinery Row, Natural History, Fine Arts and School Exhibits, and Livestock Parade. The enormous expansion of committees is a reflection of the expansion of the exhibition. Almost all aspects of farming now had its own committee, and an effort to help young people continue in farming was made with the forming of camps for farm boys. All of these committees were long lived, although not necessarily with the original title. From approximately 1930 to 1940, all of the Cattle were lumped together, but by 1950 a Commercial Cattle committee was mentioned, and by 1974 there was also a Special Agriculture Display and Exotic Breeds. By 1979 there were Steer Show and Bull Sale committees. Around 1930, a Calf and Colt Competition committee was also added.
In 1930 there is mention of a Dining Room committee, but it is not mentioned again. In response to changing society, a Car Parking committee was created around 1935. This committee remained under various titles through to today. Another short-lived committee, Grandstand Gates, is mentioned from about 1935 to 1940. For some time there was also a Band Competition committee. It is mentioned from 1940 to 1945, and then not again until 1979.
In 1950 there was a Dogs committee, but no further mention is made of this committee. From 1955 to 1960 there was a separate Fire committee, until it was amalgamated with Police/Security. In 1955 two new committees are mentioned. These are the Trade Fair and Homecraft committees. While the Trade Fair is not mentioned after about 1960, the Homecraft committee seems to have been in existence until the mid 1970s.
A 4-H and Junior Activities committee was formed around 1960 to take the place of the Farm Boy’s Camp. This committee continued the exhibition’s attempts to keep young rural people interested in farming.
In the minutes for 1970, two more committees are mentioned. They are the Food and Beverage and the Bees and Honey committees. While one would suppose that the Food and Beverage Services committee was a new title for the Concessions committee, the Concessions committee is also mentioned. The Bees and Honey committee is mentioned until about 1974 in committee minutes.
By 1974 three more committees are mentioned in the minutes. They were the Baby Fair committee, which was a petting zoo, the Expansion, Project and Grants committee and the Midway committee. While the Midway and Baby Fair committees lasted until at least the late 1970s, the Expansion, Projects and Grants committee is not mentioned past the mid 1970s. Also mentioned in 1979 are the Pork Congress, Family Fair, Entertainment, and Exhibitor’s Lounge committees.
Custodial History
See sous-fonds RG2SF1 for custodial history.
Scope and Content
The records consist of minutes created by the Board of Directors, Shareholders, and various committees and subcommittees of the Provincial Exhibition. It should be noted that while the minutes are extensive, they are not organized according to committee. Rather, they are organized by the year in which they were created.
Notes
Inventory of documents in the series is available in the printed finding aid.
Storage Location
RG 2 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds
RG2SF1 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba
See Administrative History for RG2SF1 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba.
Custodial History
The records were housed with the MEA until c1986 when they were transferred to the S.J. McKee Archives at Brandon University.
Scope and Content
The series include various files from the Provincial Exhibition from 1980 and 1982. The contents include staff meetings, mailing lists, insurance, contracts, tenders, trophies and ribbons, animal events and shows, exhibits, results, etc.
Notes
Inventory of documents in the series is available in the printed finding aid.
Storage Location
RG 2 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds
RG2SF1 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba
The Prize Lists and Programs are products of the Prize List Committees and the Programs Committees respectively. The committees were attached to the Board of Directors. The history of the committees can be traced from 1903 to 1979 by using Appendix 1 in the printed finding aid.
Custodial History
See sous-fonds RG2SF1 for custodial history.
Scope and Content
The series consists of five boxes containing the prize lists and programs from the summer fairs. The prize lists and programs encompass virtually all events held at the summer fair. The programs include daily programs, as well as the programs for specific events and competitions. The competitors for each class are also listed. The prize lists include all classes and list the amount of prize money or the prize to be won in each class.
Notes
Inventory of documents in the series is available in the printed finding aid.
Storage Location
RG 2 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds
RG2SF1 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba
This series is a product of the Publicity committee of the Board of Directors. The collection has minutes from this committee from 1903, when it was known as the Advertising and Printing committee, until approximately 1979. The name change occurred in the 1920s.
Custodial History
The records were housed with the MEA until c1986 when they were transferred to the S.J. McKee Archives at Brandon University.
Scope and Content
The series contains copies of the news releases that went out to various forms of media before, during, and after the Provincial Exhibitions from 1984 to 1990.
Notes
Part of RG2SF1. Inventory of documents in the series is available in the printed finding aid.
Storage Location
RG 2 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds
RG2SF1 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba
See Administrative History RG2SF1 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba.
Custodial History
The records were housed with the PEM and the MEA until c1986 when they were transferred to the S.J. McKee Archives at Brandon University.
Scope and Content
This series contains records from the horse races from 1935 to 1949. These ledgers contain information regarding the horse, the horse’s owner, who entered the horse, who is riding or driving the horse, where the horse is from, the color, sex, gait and age of the horse, what race he is entered in, and what prize money is to be won. As well, the series contains the original results files from 1984 and 1985. These files include the results of several different events and competitions, and include information on the exhibitor and exhibit, as well as the prize money to be collected.
Notes
Inventory of documents in the series is available in the printed finding aid.
Storage Location
RG 2 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds
RG2SF1 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba
The records are a product of the administrative staff of the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba.
Custodial History
The records were housed with the PEM and the MEA until c1986 when they were transferred to the S.J. McKee Archives at Brandon University.
Scope and Content
The series contains letters regarding complimentary tickets in 1951 and 1955. As well, the series contains examples of tickets, badges, and ribbons used or worn by guests and exhibitors to the provincial exhibitions from 1955 to 1973. There is also a pin from the 1909 Inter-Provincial Fair.
Notes
Part of RG2SF1. Inventory of documents in the series is available in the printed finding aid.
Storage Location
RG 2 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds
RG2SF1 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba
Many of these records were donated to the Board by exhibitors and participants in the fairs. Some are advertisements sent to the Provincial Exhibition Board by businesses such as Conklin Shows. Professional photographers, who were likely hired by the Board, generated others. As well, Brandon Sun photographers took a large number of the photos throughout the century. In the 1980s, the Sun photos were reprinted and then the reprints were added to the Exhibition’s collection. Privately owned photos were also reprinted and added. Publishing houses generated some photographs, probably as services to participants and organizers of the fairs. Finally, the Canadian and Manitoba governments created a few of the photos.
Custodial History
Exhibitors and participants in activities at the summer fair donated many of these records to the Provincial Exhibition Board. The Manitoba Provincial Archives in Winnipeg housed other records, of which the McKee Archives acquired copies. Most of the records were stored in the offices of the Provincial Exhibition Association of Manitoba until they were brought to the McKee Archives ca. 1986.
Scope and Content
Series consists primarily of black and white photographs pertaining to the Provincial Exhibition. Subjects of the records vary over the century, but overall subjects included are buildings and grounds, horses, livestock, exhibits, youth activities, entertainment, and dignitaries. Almost all of the materials are in excellent condition.
BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS
The graphics that depict the buildings and grounds of the summer fair are both ground and aerial photos. From the records generated between 1900 and 1930, there are pictures of the Crystal Palace, the Wheat City Arena, the Experimental Farm, the horse barns, the racetrack, and the grandstand. The pictures dating from the forties through the sixties are of the racetrack, the grandstand, the Provincial Display Building, the Trade Fair Building, and the Main Gate. The records from the 1970s and the 1980s feature the Keystone Centre, cattle buildings, and horse stables.
HORSES
Graphics from the 1890s through the 1980s feature various light and heavy horses, from single horses to eight-horse teams. Pictures dating from the first fifty years of the fair are of stallion and purebred shows. Also depicted are racing events such as chuck wagon, bike, and single rider races. Graphics of equestrian events like jumping and hackney classes date from World War II until the 1980s. Dating from the fifties to the seventies are photos of children's events like costume classes and pony competitions. Finally, pictures of barrel racing and horse pulling competitions date from the 1970s and 1980s.
LIVESTOCK
Livestock photos, which date throughout the twentieth century, are mostly of cattle and swine, but there are a few pictures of buffalo and sheep. Cattle photos depict purebreds such as Holstein, Jersey, Hereford, and Angus. Swine pictures are of Yorkshire sows and boars, as well as of market hogs.
POULTRY AND EGGS
Graphics depicting poultry and egg shows date between 1950 and 1985.
EXHIBITS
Photos of exhibits taken throughout the century feature home-craft displays such as clothes and quilts. Tack rooms, farm implement shows, and club displays, like those of the Brandon Lion's Club, are also consistent throughout the period. Other graphics of exhibits are particular to certain years: in the late 1940s through the 1950s auto shows are featured; and from the fifties to the eighties commercial exhibits are prominent.
YOUTH ACTIVITIES
Graphics of children and teens' activities form a large part of MG 1. From the 1920s and 1930s, there are pictures of boys and teens who attended the Farm Boys' Camp. Photos taken at the Agricultural and Homemaking School in the late 1940s and early 1950s depict male teens learning about mechanics, welding, and electricity. Photos of female teens at the camp depict weaving, sewing, and cooking classes. In the records dating from 1957 to the 1980s, photos feature both pig and calf scrambles. As well, some pictures are of male teens participating in seed, poultry, and judging courses. Photos of female teens during these years show them participating in such activities as clothes-making, 4-H Queen contests, and fashion shows.
ENTERTAINMENT
Entertainment pictures include graphics of the midway, the carnival and travelling acts, parades, and miscellaneous events. Pictures of the midway are both aerial and ground photos, and date from 1913 to the 1970s. Ferris wheels and carousels are the main rides featured until the 1960s, after which many motorized rides like the Wild Mouse and the Tidal Wave are prominent.
Carnival pictures throughout the century include shots of aisles along which several attractions are set up. Photos of clowns and other costumed people are numerous. Graphics of travelling acts depict parachutists (1920s), follies (1950s), exotic dancers (1950s), trained animals (1950s-1970s), singers and bands (1970s-1980s), and trapeze artists (1970s).
Parade photos date throughout the century, and feature pipers, horses pulling carriages, people riding horses, clowns, soldiers, floats, and members of various clubs.
Miscellaneous events graphics include pictures of horseshoe throwing competitions, square dancing shows (1950s), fiddling contests (1970s), smash-up derbies (1980s), and tractor pulls (1980s).
FIRST NATIONS PEOPLE
There are seven photos of First Nations people at the summer fair. In all but one of the pictures, they are in traditional costume. Depicted are pow-wows, parades, a female teen sewing a mukluk, and tee-pees. These records date from 1914 to 1969.
DIGNITARIES
Pictures of dignitaries are of members of the Provincial Exhibition committees and boards; federal, provincial, and municipal politicians who attended the summer fair; and various business, medical, and judicial representatives. Especially notable are the group photos of the Board of Directors for the years 1894, 1900, 1941, 1949, 1951, 1952, and 1968.
The graphic materials of RG2SF1 are useful for many purposes. For one, they offer a rich visual history of the fair. Agricultural historians will find poultry, horse, livestock, horticultural, and farm implement images informative. Such images describe how farming has changed through the last century. The records offer many clues into the cultural history of Brandon and surrounding area. The nature of the carnival, for instance, changes. At the turn of the century, attractions of various booths were not advertised overtly; one had to pay before they were given hints as to what they were going to view. By the Second World War, however, attractions’ exteriors were more garish. Because the carnival was more open in its advertisements, one can determine that the boundaries between the private and public shifted in the first forty years of the twentieth century.
The pictorial history of the exhibits at the fair reveals much about the city’s culture. The pictures from the post-World War II era, for example, are indicative of the period’s climate of consumerism: a commercial display building was built and commercial exhibits were added to the displays of the fair. Also signified in the postwar photos is the emphasis upon family values that pervaded the fifties; for instance displays of home-crafts became prominent in these years.
Social historians will find in these records a vibrant portrait of the social composition of twentieth-century Brandon. The community’s leaders, for example, are represented in the pictures of the Boards of Directors. From these photos, one can ascertain the social characteristics of Board members: white, male, and middle class. Parade photos are also indicative of social composition, as organizations from all classes of society participated in parades. Agricultural clubs, unions, women’s organizations, and church groups are just a few of the entries featured in the parade pictures.
Historians of gender will find that throughout the fairs’ years definitions of femininity changed. In the early fairs, women are shown in their booths at home shows, demonstrating their association with the private sphere. During the Second World War, some photos start to appear of women doing secretarial work. After World War II, however, gender norms constricted. Pictures of female teens taking classes at the Agricultural and Homemaking School depict them learning about how to run a well maintained home: they learn about sewing, cooking, and weaving. In the seventies, gender boundaries again shifted: for example, female teens began to participate in the previously male-only calf scramble events.
Finally, these records are useful for any historian of Brandon and area history. There are thousands of people from the region featured in these records. Different places and buildings in Brandon are also a prominent part of the collection. Together, the pictures of RG2SF1 offer a vivid history of both Brandon and the Provincial Exhibition.
Storage Location
RG 2 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds
RG2SF1 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba
Related Material
Pictures of the Provincial Exhibition may also be found on the National Archives of Canada website. The Western Canadian Pictorial Index in Winnipeg, Manitoba, houses additional graphic records of the summer fair.
Arrangement
Item-level descriptions of the graphics of RG2SF1 through RG2SF4 are located on a
searchable database. This database is entitled “Brandon Photographs” and can be read using Microsoft Access. “Brandon Photographs” is located on a 3½ floppy disk entitled “Provincial Exhibition Association of Manitoba fonds Series 9” included in this finding aid. The description of each photograph on this database includes the following information: accession number, title, date, place, physical description, scope and content, notes, creator, and copyright. By searching the database, individual photographs can be located easily. See the printed finding aid for instructions on how to use the photograph database.
Graphics for RG2SF1 through RG2SF4 are located in boxes. Graphics larger than 24 x 35 cm are located in the image mapcase, which is located in the reading room. The graphics are filed chronologically by accession number. The arrangement is as follows:
Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds; RG2SF1-RG2SF4, Series 9
Boxes 1 through 15, as follows:
Box 1 EX0001 to EX0125
Box 2 EX0157 to EX0263
Box 3 EX0265 to EX0399
Box 4 EX0400 to EX0499
Box 5 EX0500 to EX0599
Box 6 EX0600 to EX0699
Box 7 EX0700 to EX0799
Box 8 EX0800 to EX0899
Box 9 EX0900 to EX0921
Box 10 EX1000 to EX1099
Box 11 EX1100 to EX1199
Box 12 EX1200 to EX1299
Box 13 EX1300 to EX1399
Box 14 EX1400 to EX1499
Box 15 EX1549 to EX1859
The records were created by a member of the administrative staff of the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba.
Custodial History
The scrapbooks were housed at the PEM and MEA until c1986 when they were transferred to the S.J. McKee Archives at Brandon University.
Scope and Content
The scrapbooks mainly contain newspaper clippings that deal with the Provincial Exhibitions of various years. Most pictures and articles that appeared in various newspapers during this time are included in the scrapbooks.
Notes
Part of RG2SF1. Inventory of the documents in the series is available in the printed finding aid.
Storage Location
RG 2 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds
RG2SF1 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba
See Administrative History RG2SF1 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba.
Custodial History
The scrapbooks were housed at the PEM and MEA until c1986 when they were transferred to the S.J. McKee Archives at Brandon University.
Scope and Content
The file consists of various records that in some way involve the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba, but do not belong to a specific series. There are newspaper clippings, a cartoon, a file believed to have originated with the Schidlof family, and some letters.
Notes
Inventory of the documents in the series is available in the printed finding aid.
Storage Location
RG 2 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds
RG2SF1 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba
The documents were created by members of the Board of Directors, and others involved with the management of the winter fair.
Custodial History
See sous-fonds RG2SF2 for custodial history.
Scope and Content
The series includes several copies of the MWF Constitution, a 1908 constitution, 1909 MWFFSA shares belonging to John Bradley, a 1968 agreement for the non-military use of property, and several agreements between the MWF and several other companies spanning the dates 1934 to 1963.
Notes
Part of RG2SF2. Inventory of the documents in the series is available in the printed finding aid.
Storage Location
RG 2 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds
RG2SF2 Manitoba Winter Fair
These minutes were created by the Board of Directors and the Shareholders at the meetings that they held from 1908 to 1932. The Board of Directors was created in 1908. While the collection currently houses minutes from 1908 to 1932, it is evident from Prize Lists and Programs that the Board of Directors structure evolved in the following way.
The structure of the winter fair was quite different from the summer fair. Instead of having a committee structure, the winter fair had both committees and representatives from various agricultural associations. The representatives were part of the Board of Directors. In 1908 these representatives included men from the Horse Breeders’ Association, the Cattle Breeders’ Association, the Sheep Breeders’ Association, the Swine Breeders’ Association, the Poultry Breeders’ Association, the Brandon Winter Fair and Fat Stock Association, and the Manitoba Agricultural College. With the addition of representatives from the Manitoba Clydesdale Association, and the Manitoba Seed Growers’ Association, these committees continued virtually without change until 1930.
By the 1930s, several more representatives joined the Board of Directors including the Winnipeg Livestock Exchange, the Manitoba Percheron Association, the Canadian Shorthorn Association, and the Hereford Association. By 1935 there were also representatives from the Prairie Thoroughbred and Racing Association, the Manitoba Boards of Trade, the Western Manitoba Board of Trade, the Aberdeen Angus Association, and the Canadian Percheron Association. The Canadian Clydesdale Association joined the Board by 1940.
By 1950, several more agricultural associations had joined the Board of Directors. They included the Brandon Light Horse Society, the Brandon Chamber of Commerce, the Manitoba Veterinary Association, the Minister of Agriculture, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, and the Canadian Red Poll Association. By 1955, a representative from the City of Brandon rounded out the representatives on the Board of Directors.
The first committees of the Board of Directors began in 1908 with the formation of the Brandon Winter Fair and Fat Stock Association. The committees included an Executive, Horse, Livestock, Cattle, Sheep, Swine, Poultry and Seed. By 1915 there were also Program, Prize/Accounts, Carcass, Exhibits/Public Comfort, Building, and Provincial Government committees. Most of these later committees were not long lived, or were not mentioned much past 1915. A Judging Competition Committee was added in 1925 and lasted until sometime in the 1940s. In 1950 an official Finance committee was formed, as well as a Gates/Tickets committee. By 1955, three more committees had been added including 4-H/Junior Activities, Light Horse and Heavy Horse.
By the 1960s, a Publicity committee was also added. In 1965 there were several committees formed including Police/Traffic/Parking, Concessions, Calf/Pig Scrambles, Baby Fair, Flower Show and the Fall Feeder Show and Sale. A Fashion Show committee was added by 1970. In 1975 a Property committee is also mentioned.
The 1980s appear to have been a time of great growth for the winter fair, as there was a large increase in the number of committees. By 1985 the following committees had been formed: Dance, Hitching Ring, Steer Show, Bull Sale, Western Breakfast, Egg Show, Entertainment, Exhibitor’s Lounge, VIP, Cattle Parade, Calcutta, Winter Fair Sponsors, Casino and Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. These committees continued for the most part through into the 1990s.
Custodial History
See sous-fonds RG2SF2 for custodial history.
Scope and Content
The series includes the minutes from meetings held from 1908 to 1932. An interesting aspect to these records is that they include the first meetings held by the newly formed winter fair Board of Directors. The early minutes are an interesting look into the formation of an organization.
Notes
Inventory of the documents in the series is available in the printed finding aid.
Storage Location
RG 2 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds
RG2SF2 Manitoba Winter Fair
This series was created by a committee attached to the Board of Directors of the winter fair.
Custodial History
See sous-fonds RG2SF2 for custodial history.
Scope and Content
The series contains financial statements from 1925 and 1926, as well as financial records from the 1930s to 1969. There is also a transfer ledger from the years 1939 to 1953. There is a box with the statement of prizes won from 1972 to 1977.
Notes
Inventory of the documents in the series is available in the printed finding aid.
Storage Location
RG 2 Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Association fonds
RG2SF2 Manitoba Winter Fair
