ARCH 2: North Lauder Locale
The North Lauder locale has a long archaeological and geological history that is important for understanding the forces that shaped the region. Archaeological research in the locale shows that the area has been occupied by humans for at least the past 6,500 years. Environmental forces provided an area of diverse resources that attracted early peoples.
Environment of the Lauder Sandhills
The North Lauder locale is part of the greater Lauder Sandhills area. The glaciers that covered this region began to recede approximately 11,000 years ago leaving a large lake known as glacial Lake Hind. The Souris River, the Lauder Sandhills and the Oak Lake Aquifer are remnants of the environmental and geological forces that shaped the region.
The Lauder Sandhills region is characterized by a landscape of sand sheets and stabilized sand dunes interspersed with a variety of wetlands. This complex topographic and hydrological situation favoured the development of an island mosaic of mixed forest, wetland and meadow, surrounded by mixed grass prairie. The result was a large, isolated ecotone which provided a rich variety of subsistence resources for hunter-gatherers.
Research in the Lauder Sandhills
Archaeologists from Brandon University have been conducting research in the Lauder Sandhills since 1991. Research in the North Lauder locale has focused on the Atkinson site, a 6,500 year old hunter-gatherer site and Flintstone Hill.
The Atkinson site
The Atkinson site is one of the oldest excavated sites in Manitoba and has been Radiocarbon dated to 6,500 years before present. The Atkinson site is located on the bank of the Souris River and was discovered when a hearth (fire pit) was seen eroding out of the bank. Based on the date of the site and the kind of lithics (stone tools) present it is considered a Gowen occupation. The Atkinson site is evidence that bison hunters were active on the northern plains at a very early date. Similar sites have also been found on the High Plains in the U.S. and are referred to as the Mummy Cave Complex.
The Atkinson Site is of great importance as it is the first undisturbed site of this type to be excavated in Manitoba and extends the range of these sites south and east from the type-sites in central Saskatchewan.
Flintstone Hill
The geomorphology of the glacial Lake Hind Basin over the past 11,000 years is known primarily through the study of a cut bank along the Souris River. Flint Stone Hill contains the most complete stratigraphic record for the post-glacial period on the northern plains. The site has been extensively studied by geoarchaeologists, geologists and paleoenvironmentalists over many years and their findings have contributed to our understanding of the region.
The North Lauder locale Borden designations of Atkinson site DiMe-27 and Flintstone Hill site DiMe-26.
Borden System
Archaeological sites in Canada are identified by the Borden system, which is a uniform site designation system. The country is divided into grids based on latitude and longitude in blocks of 10 x 20 minutes. The first 4 letters indicate the block and the following numbers indicate the actual site. For example the area of the Lauder Sandhills in southwestern Manitoba is identified by the letters DM and the North Lauder locale within that area is DiMe. The Atkinson site is DiMe-27 and the Flintstone Hill site DiMe-26. As new sites are discovered they will be numbered sequentially.
Scope and Content
The Series has been divided into two sub-series, including (1) Atkinson site DiMe-27 and Flintstone Hill site DiMe-26.
The Lovstrom locale first came to the attention of Dr. Nicholson through conversations with landowners Mr. and Mrs. Herb Lovstrom in 1985. Lovstrom is a multi-component archaeological locale located 25km south of Brandon overlooking the Souris River channel. The landowner’s surface collection and the presence of bone and artifacts in a cultivated field indicated the presence of one or more sites.
Limited testing was conducted in 1985 and 1986, followed by major excavations in 1987, 1988 and 1991. Eight sites of block excavations with a total of 132 1m2 excavation units were completed. The locale area extends approximately 500m north from the edge of the Souris Valley escarpment and over 200m east from the Jock’s Creek escarpment.
Physical and biological environment As has been noted above, the locale is bounded on the south by the Souris channel and on the west by the incised channel of Jock’s Creek and a till plain extends to the north and the east. This plain is characterized by buff colored glacial till with numerous rocks embedded in the surface. Surrounding these rocky knolls are dark-soil hollows where the various cultural occupations are found. The depth of the topsoil layer suggests a long term grassland cover with the present oak forest likely developing in historic times due to the elimination of bison grazing and the controlling of prairie fires in late historic times. A small cleared patch of farmland is found within the boundaries of the locale area. This area has provided a substantial surface collection of artifacts.
Present vegetation in the area is a mosaic of aspen/oak forest groves and mesic grass prairie that includes introduced species such as brome grass. In poorly drained areas, willow and red osier dogwood are present. The Lovstrom locale is found in a forested area dominated by oak with an under story of saskatoon, chokecherry, pin cherry, and hazelnut brush. Poison ivy is abundant as well as sarsaparilla.
The major faunal resources in Precontact times would have been bison, with elk and mule deer playing a minor role. Antelope may have been present also. Small animals included snowshoe hare, cottontails, porcupines and beaver. Canids, including wolf, coyote, fox and domesticated dog were present, as well as mustelids such as badger, mink, and weasel. Fragments from a fisher were also recovered in the excavations.
Summation.
The Lovstrom locale has eight sites. The sites were designated and excavated as Blocks A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H. Many of the sites are multi-occupations.
The Vickers materials are primarily confined to Blocks D, E, F, G and H. Vickers Focus materials overlie Blackduck/Duck Bay materials. Blackduck and Duck Bay materials are found in the lower levels of all excavation blocks and in most test units. The Vickers occupations at the Lovstrom locale, based upon ceramic wares and an overlapping of C14 dates, appear to have been contemporary with the Lowton type site to the east, near Belmont. A small protohistoric occupation was identified overlying part of Block D. Faunal remains are abundant with bison clearly dominating the assemblages. Lesser amounts of canid are present as well as small mammals including beaver, hare and mustelids. Small amounts of avian species are also present.
Publications
Nicholson, B.A.
2011 The Role of Pocket Gophers (Thomomys talpoides) in Restructuring Stratigraphic Relationships at the Lovstrom Site. Canadian Journal of Archaeology 35:323-331.
Nicholson, Bev, Scott Hamilton, Matthew Boyd and Sylvia Nicholson
2008 A Late Plains Woodland Adaptive Strategy in the Northern Parklands: the Vickers Focus Forager-Horticulturists. Invited Paper for Papers in Northeastern Plains Prehistory, eds. Michael G. Michlovic and Dennis L. Toom, North Dakota Journal of Archaeology Vol. 8:19-34.
Nicholson, Bev and Scott Hamilton
2001 Cultural Continuity and Changing Subsistence Strategies During the Late Precontact Period in Southwestern Manitoba. Canadian Journal of Archaeology 25:53-73.
Nicholson, Bev
1996 Plains Woodland Influx and the Blackduck Exodus in South-Western Manitoba During the Late Precontact Period. Manitoba Archaeological Journal 6(1):69-85.
Nicholson, Bev and Mary Malainey
1991 Report on the 1991 Field School Excavations at the Lovstrom Site (DjLx-1), Southwestern Manitoba. Manitoba Archaeological Journal 1(2): 51-93.
Nicholson, Bev and Jane Gibson
1990-91 Lovstrom Site Field Report, 1987 Excavations. Saskatchewan Archaeology 11&12:46-68.
Nicholson, Bev and Ian Kuiijt
1990 Field Report and Interpretations of the 1988 Archaeological Excavations at the Lovstrom Site (DjLx-1) in Southwestern Manitoba. North Dakota Journal of Archaeology 4:166-205.
Nicholson, Bev
1990 Ceramic Affiliations and the Case for Incipient Horticulture in Southwestern Manitoba. Canadian Journal of Archaeology 14:33-60.
Nicholson, Bev
1986 The Lovstrom Site: Culture Contact in Prehistory. Manitoba Archaeological Quarterly 10(1):35-71.
Scope and Content
The Series has been divided into nine sub-series, including (1) Survey (2) Block A; (3) Block B (4) Block C; (5) Block D; (6) Block E; (7) Block F; (8) Block G; (9) Block H
See collection level description of the Joseph H. Hughes collection for biographical information.
Custodial History
See collection level description of the Joseph H. Hughes collection for custodial history.
Scope and Content
Accession 1-2008 (32 cm textual records and 1 map; 1906-1916; predominant 1909-1915). As mayor, city Alderman and prominent city businessman, J.H. Hughes came into possession of many city government, civic, and business records during the first decade and a half of the twentieth century.
The accession consists of city records, information on contemporary city utility services and companies including tenders for the construction of the Brandon street railway, documents concerning grain elevators, lumber production, newspaper clippings, as well as personal and city correspondence - including a proposal from the Canadian Northern Railway to construct the Prince Edward Hotel.
Accession 6-2009 (2.26 m textual records; 1882-1920). Records in the accession deal with the business affairs of Hughes & Company. Accession also contains records related to the personal affairs of J.H. Hughes.
Records from 1882-1889; predominant 1882 include: business corresondence. Much of the correspondence is between Hughes and his business associates T.T. Atkinson and Mr. Kennedy at Rat Portage in Ontario. Mr. Bambridge, who ran the Souris Yard is also mentioned frequently. There is also corresopndence related to the Reid Farm, Hughes' first commercial faming venture. Various documents are concerned with J.H. Ashtown Hardware, the Manitoba Government Immigration and Intellegence Office, Butler Paper & Co., Canadian Pacific Rail, Boston and Maine Rail, Keewatin Mills, Charmichael Clothing, The Hudson's Bay Company and the City of Brandon
Records from 1889-1893 include: financial records including debts owed to or by J.H. Hughes & Company; correspondence between the company and partners and employees regarding the running of the lumber company in Brandon, Souris, Rat Portage and Rainy River (shipping of goods, camp supplies, maintenance of mills, ordering of goods, trade with other lumber companies); legal records pertaining to litigation regarding debts; correspondence with the Department of the Interior, the Department of Crown Lands, and the Department of Indian Affairs; correspondence regarding real estate in Brandon and land sales in the various regions of the lumber and grain company's operation; correspondence between J.H. Hughes and his borthers A.J. Hughes, Charles B. Hughes, his cousin J.R. Hughes and his father J.C. Hughes regarding both business and personal matters. Also includes telegraphs, postcards, magazine subscriptions, and Masonic brochures.
Records from 1893-1895 include: business correspondence between Hughes & Atkinson Co. and lumber supliers in Ontario and the midwestern United States. The records deal with the activities of the company, including payment of accounts, ordering and shipping of lumber and lumber related goods.
Records from 1897-1901 include: business letters, postcards, telegrams and memorandum of the Hughes and Long Lumber Company.
Records from 1907, 1913-1915; predominant 1914 include: business correspondence, product information and legal correspondence generated and/or recieved during business activities. There are also a series of miscellaneous files containing material related to Brandon municipal politics.
Records from 1915 include: business and personal correspondence to Hughes & Company pertaining to the J.H. Hughes Lumber Co. and farming ventures in Saskatchewan.
Records from 1911-1920; predominant 1919 include: business receipts and correspondence of Hughes & Company under the management of Willard C. Hughes, as well as family correspondence that is both personal and business-related. Business activities are largely related to the company's rental property in Brandon and farms in south eastern Saskatchewan, including Storybooks, ASK. It also includes some correspondence related to the Brandon Board of Trade and Civics (Willed Hughes was Chairman of the Power Committee). Records also include correspondence urging the province to construct an electrical transmission line to Brandon from Winnipeg, the possibility of a detachment of the Royal North West Mounted Police re-locating to Brandon, the operation of the Soldiers Re-Settlement Board, and the vacating of the Winter Fair building, which had been used to house interned World War I prisoners starting in the spring of 1915. References to the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 and the Teamsters Strike in Brandon of 1919 also occur in the correspondence.
Notes
Accession 21-2008 was processed and described as part of a Historiography class assignment in September and October 2008. The fonds was broken down into smaller components (1-3 boxes of records) spanning a few years and each student was assigned all the records in a particular time frame. Description by Christy Henry, Tom Mitchell, Andrew Dagley, Jill Sutherland, Laurel Neustaedter, Kylie Staslia, Tim Banman, Christine Shumay, Aimee Brown and Erica Smith.
Box contains bound volumes of Manitoba Wheat Pool and Manitoba Pool Elevators central office meeting minutes. Volumes in this box include:
Manitoba Wheat Co-operative Producers, Ltd. July 1923 – May 1929; Manitoba Wheat Pool June 1929 – June 1934
MPE Minute Book May 1925 – July 1937
MPE Minute Book Sept 1953 – July 1959
MPE Minute Book August 1946 – July 1953
Box contains bound volumes of Manitoba Pool Elevators central office meeting minutes. Volumes in this box include:
MPE Minute Book Sept 1953 – July 1959
MPE Minute Book Oct 1959 – July 1964
MPE Minute Book Oct 1964 – Oct 1968
MPE Minute Book Oct 1968 – July 1971
Box contains unbound Manitoba Pool Elevators central office meeting minutes including MPE Board of Directors minutes January 15-16,1985 to July 17,1996.
Box contains unbound Manitoba Pool Elevators central office meeting minutes. Folders in this box include: unbound minutes of MPE Annual and Special Meetings 1976-98; Prospectus Nov 28 1997; MPE Annual Meeting Minutes 1990 and 1991; MPE Delegates Meetings 1989-1998; MPE Board of Directors Meetings July 16 1997 – May 19 1998; MPE Board of Directors Meetings August 20 1996 - June 18 1997; Agricore / AWP / MPE Board of Directors Meetings June 12 1998 – Oct 30 1998.
This box contains minutes generated by local MPE associations, collected by the central office. Records include the following:
79a. Cromer 1978-1980
79b. Cromer 1977-1978
80a. Dauphin 1977-1978
80b. Dunrea 1977-1980
81a. Gladstone March 1 1979 – Nov 24 1980
81b. Gladstone Feb 2 1977 – Jan 17 1979
82. Edwin Jan 10 1977 – March 3 1981
83a. Isabella Feb 4 1977 – August 28 1980
83b. Lauder April 20 1979 – Nov 13 1980
84. Lyleton Dec 13 1977 – Nov 24 1978
85a. Jordan April 2 1979 – Dec 11 1980
85b. Jordan Jan 31 1977 – Feb 26 1979
86. Moore Park Jan 4 1977 – April 11 1979
87a. Napinka Jan 17 1977 – Nov 14 1980
87b. Nesbitt Feb 8 1979 – Nov 27 1980
87c. Nesbitt Jan 6 1977 – Dec 18 1978
87d. Ninga Feb 16 1977 – July 28 1980
88a. Pierson Dec 20 1978 – Nov 26 1980
88b. Pierson Jan 20 1977 – Dec 20 1978
89a. Souris Jan 10 1975 – Nov 30 1976
89b. Sperling May 8 1978 – Dec 10 1980
89c. Sperling March 21 1977 – Jan 31 1979
90. Tilston June 9 1977 – Nov 16 1978
91. Waskada Jan 10 1977 – Dec 12 1980
92. Bradwardine Feb 11 1981 – Nov 16 1981
93. Cromer Jan 13 1981 – Nov 27 1981
94a. Dunrea Sept 23 1985 – Nov 27 1989
94b. Dunrea March 24 1981 – Feb 14 1985
95a. Beresford July 31 1986 – Nov 14 1986
95b. Beresford Jan 13 1981 – April 3 1986
96a. Gladstone Nov 19 1986 – Nov 28 1989
96b. Gladstone Nov 3 1983 – Oct 11 1986
96c. Gladstone Jan 23 1981 – Jan 4 1984
This box contains minutes generated by local MPE associations, collected by the central office. Records include the following:
97. Isabella Jan 28 1981 – July 21 1981
98a. Jordan Oct 23 1984 – Oct 6 1989
98b. Jordan Nov 8 1982 – Oct 3 1984
98c. Jordan Jan 15 1981 – Sept 27 1982
99. Lauder April 21 1981 – March 28 1983
100. Napinka Jan 12 1981 – Oct 28 1985
101. Nesbitt Jan 5 1981 – Nov 24 1982
102a. Pierson Sept 21 1987 – Dec 20 1989
102b. Pierson Sept 21 1983 – April 16 1987
102c. Pierson Jan 9 1981 – June 23 1983
103a. Sperling Jan 8 1987 – Nov 20 1989
103b. Sperling Dec 8 1983 – Jan 8 1987
103c. Sperling Feb 4 1981 – Dec 8 1983
104a. Waskada Sept 12 1984 – Nov 29 1989
104b. Waskada Jan 5 1981 – July 24 1984
105. Dominion City Oct 28 1987 – July 30 1990
106. Fannystelle March 5 1987 – Feb 19 1990
107. Minto Feb 17 1987 – Feb 27 1989
108. Poplar Point Jan 22 1987 – Jan 9 1991
109. Rathwell Feb 5 1987 – March 6 1990
110. Riverton August 5 1983 – Oct 29 1990
111. Silverton Nov 10 1987 – Jan 1990
112a. Brunkild Feb 5 1992 – Nov 29 1993
112b. Brunkild Jan 8 1990 – Jan 8 1992
113a. Brunkild Oct 6 1986 – Dec 11 1989
113b. Brunkild May 18 1984 – Sept 2 1986
113c. Brunkild Jan 5 1981 – Feb 6 1984
114a. Brunkild Dec 4 1978 – Dec 8 1980
114b. Brunkild Jan 4 1977 – Nov 29 1978
114c. Brunkild Jan 6 1975 – Dec 5 1976
This box contains minutes generated by local MPE associations, collected by the central office. Records include the following:
115a. Brunkild Nov 28 1972 – Dec 2 1974
115b. Brunkild Oct 29 1970 – Nov 8 1972
115c. Brunkild Nov 14 1968 – Nov 9 1970
116a. Beresford Feb 19 1992 – May 13 1998
116b. Beresford August 17 1992 – Dec 14 1991
117. Dunrea Jan 12 1990 – May 31 1993
118a. Jordan Feb 11 1994 – May 27 1996
118b. Jordan Nov 21 1989 – Nov 25 1993
This box contains minutes generated by local MPE associations, collected by the central office. Records include the following:
119a. Sperling April 24 1995 – July 17 1997
119b. Sperling April 13 1994 – March 31 1995
119c. Sperling Jan 16 1992 – March 21 1994
119d. Sperling Jan 15 1990 – Dec 17 1991
120. Gladstone April 5 1990 – May 31 1993
121. Waskada March 12 1990 – May 26 1993
122. Pierson Feb 15 1990 – March 23 1993
123. Durban Oct 29 1993 – Nov 19 1995
124. Erikson Oct 29 1993 – Dec 15 1994
125. McAuley Nov 18 1993 – Nov 2 1995
126. Morris Dec 1 1993 – Nov 14 1995
This box contains bound volumes of audited financial statements for local MPE associations. The records include the following:
Local Assoctiation Financial Statements 1925-26; 1926-27; 1927-28; 1928-29 A-H; 1928-29 I-W; 1929-30 A-H; 1929-30 I-W; 1930-31 A-H; 1930-31 I-W; 1931-32 A-Ed; 1931-32 El-Md
This box contains bound volumes of audited financial statements for local MPE associations. The records include the following:
Local Association Financial Statements 1931-32 McA-Wo; 1932-33 A-Ed; 1932-33 El-Md; 1932-33 McA-Wo; 1933-34 A-Ed; 1933-34 El-Md; 1933-34 McA-Wo; 1934-35 A-Ed; 1934-35 El-Ma; 1934-35 McA-Wo
This box contains bound volumes of audited financial statements for local MPE associations. The records include the following:
Local Association Financial Statements 1935-36 A-Ed; 1935-36 El-Ma; 1935-36 McA-Wo; 1936-37 A-Ed; 1936-37 El-Ma; 1936-37 McA-Wo; 1937-38 A-Elm; 1937-38 Elp-McC; 1937-38 McT-Woo
