Alexander Hector Black was born on August 31, 1901 in Oak River, MB. Alex lived in the Oak River area his entire life, farming until he retired in 1976. He married Blanche Edith Paddock (1905-1985) on October 14, 1936 and together they had four children: Frank, Margaret, Melvin and Eileen. The couple moved into Oak River in 1976, and Alex remained in the home until 1997. Alex was active in the community as a member of the church board, teasurer of the church, and Sunday School Superintendent. He was also a member of the school board and the Pool Elevator board, as well as a director of the Agricultural Society (1925-198?). Alex Black died on April 1, 1999 in Hamiota, MB. He is buried at Oak River Cemetery.
Custodial History
As part of the Westman Oral History Collection, this collection was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. The original tapes from the Westman Oral History project were deposited in the Brandon Public Library. Copies of these originals were made by Margaret Pollex of the Brandon University Language Lab at the request of Eileen McFadden, University Archivist in the early 1990s. These copies compose the collection held in the McKee Archives.
Scope and Content
Item is an audiocassette tape containing an interview with Alex Black about his life from crofter to a modern farmer. Interviewer is Stan Henry.
Notes
History/bio information from the records and Black's obituary. Transcript by Rhys Fletcher (2023). Description by Christy Henry.
Language Note
English
Audio Tracks
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Peter Alexander (P.A.) Alex McPhail was born on July 11, 1897 in the RM of Elton. Raised on the family farm in Forrest, MB, he was the eldest son of Archie and Mary McPhail who came to Manitoba from Ontario. Alex took over the farm in 1915, and farmed there until 1949, when he and his family moved to Brandon. During the First World War, Alex was a lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He married Effie Irene Weir (1900-1999) in 1933 and together they raised four children: Ronald, Malcolm, Archie and Donna. Effie and Alex were both active members of their community. Alex was especially involved in the agricultural community and won many prizes over the years for his livestock. From 1954-1965, Alex was the General Manager for the Provincial Exhibition Association of Manitoba and the Manitoba Winter Fair. He also served one term as the president of the Canadian Association of Exhibitions. Additionally, Alex was on the Brandon General Hospital board, the Brandon College board, and was a member of the Kiwanis and Shriners clubs. He was also involved in local sports. Both Alex and Effie McPhail were active members of the United Church. Alex McPhail died on June 28, 1989 in Brandon, MB. He is buried at Humesville Cemetery.
Custodial History
As part of the Westman Oral History Collection, this collection was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. The original tapes from the Westman Oral History project were deposited in the Brandon Public Library. Copies of these originals were made by Margaret Pollex of the Brandon University Language Lab at the request of Eileen McFadden, University Archivist in the early 1990s. These copies compose the collection held in the McKee Archives.
Scope and Content
Item is an audiocassette tape containing an interview with Alex McPhail about his family history, agriculture, the Provincial Exhibition Association of Manitoba and the Manitoba Winter Fair. Interviewer is Frank Anderson.
Notes
History/bio information from the records and the description for the Effie and Alex McPhail collection at the Daly House Museum. Transcript by Alana Donohoe (2017). Description by Christy Henry.
Language Note
English
Conservation
Preservation copy made 2021 (R. Hess)
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Alfred Fowler was born in 1903, in Toronto, Ontario. At the age of 23 he began working for Canadian National Railways (C.N.R.) in the company's telegraph accounting department. He remained employed there for 45 years, with the exception of the years 1940-45 when he served with the Royal Canadian Artillery during World War II. During his service he was stationed at Shilo, Manitoba, where he met his future wife, Elsie Bowen. They were married late in 1944, and in 1945 returned to Toronto. Fowler remained in Toronto until his death in 1969. Throughout his life, Mr. Fowler was an ardent amateur photographer.
Custodial History
All 105 prints in this collection were created by Davidson & Gowen, a photography business located in Brandon. It seems likely that they were created for display and/or for commercial sale as part of the November 7, 1912 "Harvest" edition of The Brandon Sun. Alfred Fowler acquired a copy of the Davidson and Gowen prints during his stay at C.F.B. Shilo during the Second World War. In 1946 Alfred Fowler left Brandon returning to his home in Toronto. With the death of Alfred in 1969 the collection passed to his wife, Elsie Fowler. Elsie died in 1987, also in Toronto. Her estate passed to her nephew, Byron Forsyth, a Brandon resident. Byron brought the collection back to Brandon and in 1999 donated it to the McKee Archives.
Scope and Content
The prints concern various subjects in Brandon, Manitoba c. 1911-1912 including Brandon residences, store fronts/businesses, streetscapes, churches, the Brandon Fair, parks, hotels, institutional structures (ie hospitals, City Hall) and rail yards (both Canadian Northern and Canadian Pacific) in the city. These images provide a visual record of Brandon in the years just before the Great War.
Notes
CAIN No. 202647. All addresses listed for photographs in the Fowler collection were derived from Henderson's Directories (1911, 1913).
Location Copy
Copies of the photographs are in the green binder on the reference shelf in the reading room. Negatives for CPR photographs have been placed with 6-1999.10 (CPR Railway depot).
See collection level description for the James Douglas Wall collection.
Scope and Content
Image of the town of Baldur, MB. Visible is the L. Curtis Block. Canadian Northern rail cars are in the foreground with horse drawn carts and men working on road and town buildings behind.