3.85 m textual records; 880 photographs (220 negatives); 26 slides
Physical Condition
Good
History / Biographical
The Brandon School of Nursing was established in 1921, at the Brandon Hospital for Mental Diseases (hereafter B.H.M.D.). It was first alluded to in 1913, when the Superintendent of the B.H.M.D., J.J. McFadden, recommended it as a means of enhancing the reputation of the hospital. In 1919, the Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene released a highly critical report on the state of custodial institutions for the mentally ill in Canada that paved the way for reforms such as the establishment of psychiatric nursing schools. In 1920, the new superintendent, Dr. Charles A. Baragar, in his first annual report, again mentioned the need for trained nurses and instructional facilities in which to train them. Lectures began at B.H.M.D. in October of 1920 for attendants and nurses, but they were not compulsory and were not part of a formal program of studies. This was followed in 1921 with the establishment of the School of Nursing through which courses were offered beginning in 1922. The program consisted of a two year Mental Nurses Diploma Course, and a shorter "demonstrative" course that was required for all employees of the B.H.M.D. who elected not to enroll in the diploma course. The Class of 1923 was the first class of graduates from the Brandon School of Nursing. They were, by all accounts, the first graduates in all of Western Canada with a diploma in Mental Nursing. In 1924, wages at the B.H.M.D. were adjusted to take into account the completion of formal training in psychiatric nursing. In 1925, a short lived affiliation with the St. Boniface General Hospital in Winnipeg, that ended in 1927, was begun. That year also saw the beginning of a graduate studies course. In 1930, the diploma course grew to a three year program. In 1986, as many aspects of the B.H.M.D. - now referred to as the B.M.H.C. (Brandon Mental Health Center) - were phased out in favor of community based care, the B.M.H.C. School of Nursing was incorporated into Brandon University's School of Nursing, which began to offer a 2 year Post-Diploma Degree in Nursing and Mental Health.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 2000. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Sub sub series consists of a collection of records dealing with the history of the School of Nursing at the Brandon Mental Health Centre. The records consist primarily of administrative documentation created by the school dealing with various internal issues, such as student recruitment, graduation services - including an almost complete collection of graduation programs - and records dealing with the behavior of the students. Administrative records also refer to external issues faced by the B.H.M.D. as a whole, such as its burgeoning patient population and the constant problem of adaquate accommodations for patients, staff, and student nurses. The collection also includes staff recollections, and correspondence from within and from outside of the B.H.M.D. Also included are documents relating directly to the history of the School of Nursing and of the B.H.M.D. as a whole. A smaller amount of curriculum materials, including instruction manuals, notebooks, and hand-written lecture notes are also included. Publications from within the B.H.M.D.., including "The Opinion" from 1970-1990, and the "The Ego" 1956 - 76 (seven editions) are also included, as well as a collection of outside publications dealing with psychiatric nursing, mental diseases, medical ethics, and heredity. Fonds also includes medical dictionaries and handbooks of different nursing institutions such as the Victorian Order of Canadian Nurses. Lastly, the collection includes approximatley 880 photographs, 220 negatives, and 26 slides, that provide a graphic portrayal of the history of the Brandon Mental Health Centre.
Notes
A detailed inventory for the textual records exists. An inventory for the photo collection is also avaiable. The description for this sub sub series was written by Mike White (2002).
Access to these materials is restricted. Those interested in the collection should consult the Archivist.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 7: Faculties and Schools
7.5 School of Health Studies
Related Material
Other material relating to the BHMD./BMHC. are housed at the Manitoba Provincial Archives.
Arrangement
The sub sub series is organized into eight sub sub sub series, including: (1) History; (2) Correspondance; (3) Administrative Records; (4) Curriculum Materials; (5) Publications of B.M.H.C.; (6) Outside Publications; (7) Photographs, Slides, and Negatives; and (8) Miscellaneous Items.
Field journals have been scanned in multi-page PDF files. Artifact catalogues are PDF files in spreadsheet format. Photographs are in jpeg format.
History / Biographical
Based on the results of the testing in 2002 and the radiocarbon date of 6,500 years before present, further excavation was warranted at the Atkinson site. In 2003 Field Chief Holly Alston and crew Shayne Kolesar and Andrea Richards opened a 42m test excavation (units 1 - 4) that included the hearth area.
The site area was covered with a huge sand dune that was slowly sliding into the river as the supporting bank eroded away. As the dune was removed a late woodland camp was found at the dune interface and a large chunk of charcoal dated this occupation to 440+/-60 B.P. cal.1440A.D. This indicated that the dune was a relatively late incursion over the site. This occupation is likely connected to subsequent testing to the east in 2005 that came to be known as Atkinson II.
Methodology:
The crew began shovel shaving the upper strata with the intention of establishing an arbitrary datum when artifacts were encountered or when a level 25cm above the hearth was reached. At 25cm above the hearth an arbitrary surface datum was established and excavation in 5cm levels began. The overbank deposited matrix was a dense, compacted silt clay and it was necessary to soak the excavated materials in buckets and then water screen the material with a high pressure pump over ¼ inch hardware cloth.
Lithic flakes were found at 10cm below datum, above the hearth level. In the next level, large bone, a broken projectile point and additional flakes were found. Increasing amounts of bone and lithic flakes were found as the excavation continued through levels 3 to 5. The top of the hearth was identified at 28cm below datum, below a 2cm layer of well-sorted sand. This sand layer was confined to a small area directly overlying the hearth. It was considered to be a deliberate quenching of the hearth.
After the conclusion of excavating level 6 the hearth was profiled and photographed. The charcoal and ash layer of the hearth was shown to be directly below the sand layer. Levels 6 and 7 revealed a bison bone bed that was consistent with primary and secondary butchering including elements from the vertebral column and appendicular skeleton. Two additional Gowen (Mummy Cave Series) projectile points were also recovered adjacent to the hearth. Level 8 continued to produce larger amounts of bone and many lithic flakes. Level 9 produced a few bone fragments and a small number of lithic flakes. At the conclusion of the excavations, the crew shoveled sand down from the dune to protect the site over winter and through any subsequent spring flooding.
Scope and Content
Sub-sub-sub series contains: Summary information of field methology, number and co-ordinates of excavations, personnel and their staff position; Field journals are daily records of recoveries, features and activities at the site; Site records include excavation level and unit summaries, feature sheets, profiles; sample records and maps; Artifact catalogues are lists and identifications of all artifacts recovered; Photographs are of excavation units, features, the landscape and personnel.
