The Order of United Commercial Travelers of America (UCT) is a fraternal benefits society. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio on January 16, 1888 by eight traveling salesmen (commercial travelers) for the purpose of providing accident insurance for traveling salesmen, protecting the rights of its members and aiding those dependent upon them.
UCT came to Canada in 1898 with the creation of Winnipeg Council No. 154. The organization gradually spread westward with Councils established in Regina, Saskatoon, Calgary and Brandon. Brandon Council No. 448 was granted a charter on December 12, 1908.
Brandon Council No. 448 incorporated in 1984. Soon after they purchased and renovated the UCT Hall (now East Port Hall) at 530 Richmond Avenue East. The goals of Brandon Council No. 448 are "to improve our community, meet new friends, improve fellowship, to discover the best in ourselves and others, and to derive satisfaction from helping others." UCT Brandon Council No. 448 supports a number of organiztions and programs in Brandon; to raise money, the Council holds a weekly bingo (first held on May 9, 1963) and a canteen at bingos. As well, they participate in an anuual ticket raffle within Manitoba.
The governing body of UCT in the United States and Canada is the Supreme Council, which is located in Columbus, Ohio. States or groups of states and provinces are divided into Grand Jurisdictions; Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta make up a Grand Jurisdiction, of which Brandon Council forms a part. The Grand charter was granted on June 10, 1911. Prior to 1911, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta formed part of the Grand Jurisdiction of Minnesota and North Dakota.
Custodial History
The UCT Brandon Council #448 decided to donate their records to the McKee Archives after selling their meeting hall (UCT Hall - now East Port Hall). Records were stored in East Port Hall on Richmond Avenue East until their donation in January 2008.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of: Brandon UCT Council scrapbooks (1974-1999, 1997-2006); Brandon Council minutes (1990-1996); unidentified attendance registers (probably Brandon); Minutes of the Grand Council of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta (1911-17, 1919); Proceedings of the Grand Council of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta (1914-15, 1917-19,1922-35, 1937-62, 1964, 1966-75, 1977, 1981-83, 1988-89); Minutes and Correspondence of the Grand Council of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta (1958-59); Annual Reports to the Grand Council Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta from various councils (1948, 1949, 1950, 1952); Grand Council of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta documents including Cash Book (1911-1948) and Ledger (1911-1948); Proceedings of the Supreme Council (1964-68); Proceedings of the Grand Council of Illinois (1956-57); Proceedings of the Grand Council of Minnesota and North Dakota (1931, 1949); Swift Current Council, minutes (1939-45, 1959-71), membership and financial records (1937-63); Lethbridge, attendance register (1914-1930, 1933-55); Regina, membership [nd]; Miscellaneous documents: Constitution and Bylaws UCT of America, 1962; The UCT Story 1888-1988, compiled by William C. Shortt; and 9 b/w photographs, various sizes.
Notes
History/Bio information taken from the UCT webstie available at: http://www.uct.org/History.html (February 2008), from "The UCT Story: Do you Know It?" by James B. Chrisp, and published in the May 18, 1986 edition of the Sunday Sunday, and the Brandon Council #448 pamphlet. Description by Christy Henry and Tom Mitchell.
The Brandon Ladies Auxiliary #112 of the United Commercial Travelers of America received its charter on October 30, 1937 at their first meeting, which took place in the Rose Room of the Prince Edward Hotel in Brandon, Manitoba. At this time the membership of the Ladies Auxiliary #112 consisted of 27 Sisters. Brother Ernie Tatton, Grand Counselor at the time, presented the Ladies Auxiliary with their Bible in May 1938. Winnipeg Auxiliary #48 gave the Brandon Auxiliary their Bible Book Mark and Saskatoon Auxiliary #23 gave them their gavel.
Initial meetings were held in the Rose Room of the Prince Edward Hotel on Saturday evenings, when the Brothers would meet after their weekly travels. Meetings were then moved to the Kelly Block on 8th Street. Here the Sisters would meet downstairs and the Brothers upstairs. Meetings were usually followed by dancing, singing, and lunch downstairs. Meetings were held in the Masonic Temple, the Knights of Columbus Hall, the Orange Hall, the Oddfellows Hall, and eventually in the UCT Hall. Throughout all the location changes, a social hour was still held with the Brothers.
The Brandon Auxiliary always performed the ritualistic and floor drill work. Originally, patrols only joined the Officers when Brandon Auxiliary was hosting a Grand Session. Patrols, with matching outfits, soon became a part of the floor work at every meeting. Officers were required to wear the proper attire. Capes were introduced in 1940 and white shoes, stockings, and dresses in 1941. Membership swelled over the years and 50 years after being inaugurated the Brandon Auxiliary could claim 136 Sisters.
The Brandon Ladies Auxiliary #112 was always very active within the larger community, especially with fundraising and charitable donation. Initially the Brandon Auxiliary supported the Red Cross by sewing and knitting. The Brandon Auxiliary also supported the Canadian Cancer Society at this time by making dressings. Rummage sales and teas were used to fundraise at the time. Teas were used in conjunction with the wives of the Steam Plant to purchase equipment for the first school in Brandon that taught developmentally delayed children. The Brandon Auxiliary also did fundraising teas, Walk-a-thons, bazaars, and raffles for the Camroc workshop, which was built for older handicapped students.
Bingo games were used to raise funds as well. Other projects of the Brandon Ladies Auxiliary include:
1. Builders of Women – provides help to needy girls and women and gives a scholarship out at the Festival of the Arts. In 1969 the Ladies Auxiliary refurnished the third floor of the YWCA.
2. Cancer – assistance with the annual canvas, ride and run events, putting on an event with a speaker and film, and a survey of sisters who had their annual pap test.
3. Handicapped Children – purchase of equipment for the handicapped classes at George Fitton School and the COR Enterprises (formerly Camroc) workshop. One sister was a volunteer for their swimming and bowling classes, among other things.
4. The Three Benevolent Funds
5. May E. Tisdale Educational Fund – donated to this fund every year, usually in memory of deceased sisters.
6. Brandon General Hospital Special Equipment Fund – every year a sum was included in the Ladies Auxiliary budget to purchase special equipment for the Brandon Hospital.
Civic Service donations included the Mental Health Centre Christmas gifts, three Christmas hampers for needy families, Canadian Diabetes Association, Manitoba Heart Fund, and Brandon Figure Skating Club.
In 1962, the Auxiliary's 25th birthday, their first Dessert Party and Bake Sale was held. This had the stated objectives of growing and working together as a group and raising money for the organization. This became an annual event. Sisters who had attended for 25 years were honoured at the Auxiliary's 36th birthday celebration. Every birthday after that, sisters who had attended for 25 years were guests at the dinner and presented with a corsage and a gift. Sick and bereaved were also remembered at these functions. In the 1980s the Ladies Auxiliary continued to support the UCT Brandon Council #448 in the Annual Travellers Day Parade, Grand Sessions, and other functions.
In the early 1990s the United Commercial Travelers voted to allow women to join the Councils. This marked the beginning of the end for the Auxiliaries. However, ladies who had no connection to a Council could join an Auxiliary now whereas before only a wife, sister, or granddaughter of a Council member could join.
The final Grand Auxiliary Sessions were held in Brandon in May 2003. By this point only three auxiliaries were still active across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta and all had difficulty recruiting new members. Most of the membership at this time was elderly and unable to take office or work at teas and other such events. Calgary and Regina's Auxiliaries were down to less than twelve members. Brandon still had more than 90 on the membership roll but only about 20 attended meetings regularly and it was becoming difficult to fill Officer positions.
The final Dessert and Bake Sale was held in October 2002 and was the 40th such event. With the demise of the Grand Auxiliary in 2003, it was decided that Brandon would continue to operate; however, after a year it was decided that Brandon would no longer operate as a formal auxiliary. Monthly luncheons would now be held with December being a Christmas Party supper. The last formal meeting was held in the Parkview Seniors complex on March 22, 2004.
The money in the Grand Auxiliary's account was distributed to the three remaining auxiliaries based on how much had been contributed over the preceding ten years. Brandon received $2,500 and had about $5,000 in their account. When formal meetings were discontinued it was decided to donate $5,000 to the “A Bed for You, A Bed for Me” campaign of the Brandon General Hospital. Approximately $1,100 was given to their Chairs from Mentally Challenged and Builders of Women to use as they pleased.
All members on the membership roll were contacted and asked if they wished to remain members. Several decided not to but 50 members remained. Each member under 80 paid a $5 membership fee in April or October. Beginning in 2004, $1 was collected from every member that attended a luncheon to pay for stamps and cards sent to those who were ill, lost a loved one, turned 80, etc. Fundraising is limited to selling Riverview Curling Club Lottery Calendars for which the Ladies Auxiliary #112 received $4. In 2005 $128 was collected and $25 donated to five different charities.
In 2006, sisters of the Auxiliary still worked at the Fairview Daffodil Tea for Cancer, put on the January birthday party at Hillcrest Place, worked the Big Craft Sale at the Keystone Centre in October, worked with the Salvation Army Kettles at Christmas, and sold carnatons for multiple sclerosis and daffodils for the Cancer Society. Luncheons held averaged about 20 members and 25 at Christmas.
Custodial History
Records were created and collected by the members of the Brandon United Commercial Travelers Ladies Auxiliary #112. The collection was donated to the S.J. McKee Archives in March 2007.
Scope and Content
Collection consists of records that document the origin, activities, and ultimately the disbandment of the Brandon Ladies Auxiliary #112 of the Order of the United Commercial Travelers of America. These records were created and accumulated during the nearly 70 year existence of the UCT Ladies Auxiliary #112.
The collection consists of the minutes of their meetings from November 1939 to November 1991, photographs of the members, and sign-in books from October 1937 to March 1991. It also contains the account ledger from April 1972 to March 1997. Several scrapbooks containing photographs and newspaper clippings related to the activities and members of the Ladies Auxiliary and the United Commercial Travelers, spanning the nearly 70 lifespan of the organization, are also included in the collection.
Both the United Commercial Travelers Council #448 and the United Commercial Travelers Ladies Auxiliary #112 were very active in raising funds for various charitable organizations. Money was raised for the Brandon General Hospital, as well as for George Fitton School to assist with their special education program. Organizations such as the Red Cross, the Canadian Cancer Society, special needs organizations, United Way, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, and several other organizations all received the benefits of UCT fundraising. Scholarships were also given out. Teas, dessert and bake sales, sewing and knitting, rummage sales, Walk-a-thons, bazaars, and raffles were all used to raise money for charitable donations.
Collection also contains various artifacts including a gavel, the original charter of the Ladies Auxiliary #112, nomination balls, officer's badges, a Bible, and the cloth used for the draping of a deceased member's charter. Also included is a handbook detailing the rituals carried out by the United Commercial Travelers of America.
Notes
History/biographical information provided by Sister Bernice Nerbas of the UCT Ladies Auxiliary #112. Copies of their history are found in the collection. Description by Joseph Dauphinais (October 2013).
The Order of the United Commercial Travelers of America (UCT) fonds (5-2008), 4 photographs in the CKX fonds (11-2010.U5, 11-2010.U6a, 11-2010.U6b, 11-2010.U6c), Jack Stothard collection (4-2013)
31 cm textual records;
1 b&w photograph - approx. 50 x 20cm (torn in half);
1 ribbon from the International Pool Conference of 1928
History / Biographical
Leslie Victor Robson was born in Deleau, Manitoba in 1893. Following graduation from the Manitoba Agricultural College in 1915, he began a career in farming near Deleau, Manitoba. Robson married Edna Chapman in 1917. He was active in farm organizations, the co-operative movement and the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation. Robson focused his farming activities on raising purebread polled herefords. His stock was exhibited across Canada and the United States and sold in Great Britain, Japan and Czechoslovakia. In 1977, he was made a member of the Canadian Hereford Honour Roll. Leslie Victor Robson died in 1977.
Custodial History
This fonds was donated to the McKee Archives in 1995 by Clarke M. Robson of Deleau, Manitoba.
Scope and Content
This fonds contains booklets and issues of newspapers from the Canadian prairie provinces concerning the CCF, the Independant Labor Party, the UFM, the Canadian farming co-op movement, Manitoba Pool Elevators, and the early NDP. Also included are publications of the CCF including "The Commonwealth," the Canadian Department of Agriculture, the League for Social Reconstruction, the NDP, the UFM, and Manitoba Pool Elevators. The single photograph is a group picture of mostly men taken at the International Wheat Conference of 1926 in St. Paul, Minnesota. It includes Colin H. Burnell, Fawcett W. Ransom, and Dick Mahoney.
William Wallace was born in Scotland around 1859. In 1881, when William was twenty-two, he emigrated to Canada with his father and brother. Once here they settled near what is today Forrest, Manitoba. The following spring they moved to the northwest margin of settlement in Manitoba, homesteading in the Shellmouth area. Wallace remained a resident of the region for the rest of his life. William Wallace was active in community affairs. He was appointed to the post of Secretary-Treasurer of the Shellmouth Municipality in 1887, and he held the position until 1904. In 1909, Wallace was injured in a railway accident, and he had to give up farming. He moved to Shellmouth and took up the position of postmaster, which he held for twenty-seven years. He died in 1945, and is buried at Shellmouth cemetery, Manitoba.
Custodial History
The letters contained in the fonds remained in the possession of Margaret Wallace, who was the original recipient of the correspondence. She emigrated to Canada in 1904. At some point the letters passed to William Wallace who kept them in his possession in Shellmouth. In 1941, William contacted Professor E. J. Westcott of Brandon College regarding the fonds. He offered it to the College for safekeeping. Westcott accepted the letters. Westcott passed the letters on to various officers and staff at Brandon College and then Brandon University. Since 1982, the collection has resided in the S. J. McKee Archives at Brandon University.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of hundreds of letters that William Wallace and his brother, Andrew, wrote to their sister, Maggie, from 1881 until 1904. The first letter, dated 22 March 1881, was written by both William and Andrew aboard the S.S. Prussia as they sailed to North America from Scotland. The last letter was written on 4 January 1904 by William. It was written to inform Maggie and her husband that William had reserved a homestead in their name. This letter marks the end of the fonds. Later that spring Maggie and John emigrated to Canada to be with her family.
William was keenly interested in everything going on around him; his letters and Andrew's reveal what life was like for inexperienced settlers on the Canadian agricultural frontier in the last years of the ninteenth century. Fonds touches on a variety of social, political and economic themes.
Notes
CAIN No. 202641. A partial accession of the Wallace collection was completed in 1992 by Eileen McFadden.
The Roseland Church was built in 1883 as a Presbyterian church, funded in large part by the Roseland Ladies Aid Society. In 1912, thirteen years before formal union between these two denominations took place, the Roseland Presbyterian Church was united with a local Methodist congregation. The Roseland Church was closed for a few years following the Second World War. However, the Church was revived and it continued to function until 1969, when it was officially closed. Subsequently, the building was sold and moved, and a cairn was placed where the church had been located.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1997. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains a minute book for the Roseland Church from 1882-1969, a summary of the organization and development of the Roseland Church, clippings dealing with the history of the community of Roseland, and a summary history of the Roseland Curling Rink.
The United Farmers of Manitoba was founded in 1920. It was an inclusive farmers' organization established to replace the Manitoba Grain Growers' Association. The UFM supported farmer candidates in the 1920 provincial election. In 1922, it helped elect the UFM government of John Bracken (1922-42). The UFM also participated in federal politics, supporting twelve successful candidates in the 1921 federal election. The UFM was financed by its members. Its membership varied from 15,700 in 1923, to 3700 in 1931. In 1939, the UFM became the Manitoba Federation of Agriculture.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1997. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds includes documents relating to the membership, both male and female, of the Wingham branch of the United Farmers of Manitoba and the United Farm Women of Manitoba. Documents dealing with the position of the branch on prohibition c. 1922, discussion within the branch of the "wheat pool" movement, annual reports for the organization, newsletters, correspondence on matters political and agrarian, and records relating to the activities of the branch as a cooperative buying agency are also included. Fonds also contains minutes of the provincial convention of the UFM and correspondence from the central office of the UFM.
Berbank Women's Aid was founded in 1919. It was, in large part, the Berbank Red Cross under a new name. The principal project of the original Berbank Ladies Aid was the construction of the Berbank Church, which was accomplished in 1919. In 1962, the organization was renamed the Berbank United Church Women. With the closing of the Berbank church in 1966, the Berbank United Church Women were dissolved.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1997. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
This fonds consists of various minute books of the Berbank Ladies Aid, and its successor organization, dating from 1919 to 1965.
C. J. Barnes was born in Brandon, Manitoba in February 1884. His parents were native Nova Scotians who arrived in Brandon in the early 1880s. In 1884, the family settled on a homestead near the present town of Lauder. This homestead was sold in 1899, and the family moved to farm in the district of Medora. C. J. Barnes took over the operation of this farm in the early 1900s. He farmed until 1924. Barnes was educated in schools in the Truro School District and the village of Lauder. He was active in the original Territorial Grain Growers' Association.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee archives in 1997. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains a pamphlet written and published by C.J. Barnes titled Seventy Years in Southwestern Manitoba. The pamphlet contains an account of life in rural southwestern Manitoba from the 1880s through to the 1940s. The pamphlet is based on a variety of sources including diaries written by Mr. Barnes' father. Fonds also includes some hand-drawn maps not included in the published version of the pamphlet, as well as four letters c.1962, between C.J. Barnes and Rev. Robert Harvey in his capacity as a columnist for the Brandon Sun.
The Fairfax/Elgin United Church was formed in 1921, combining the Methodist (founded in 1889), and Presbyterian (founded in 1887) congregations in these communities. In 1968, the Elgin and Souris congregations joined and, in 1969, the original Elgin United Church was sold to the Fairfax Community Club.
Custodial History
The fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1997. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains minute books (1922-1968), account books (1953-1970), account statements (1966-68), one annual report (1967), and documents of insurance and property transfer (1960-1970) concerning the Fairfax/Elgin United Church.
The United Grain Growers, a farmer controlled co-operative elevator association, was established in 1917, with the amalgamation of the Grain Growers Grain Company (1906), and the Alberta Farmer's Co-operative Elevator company (1913). Its original purpose was to provide a co-operative alternative to privately owned grain elevators.
Custodial History
This collection was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1997. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Collection includes copies of correspondence between T.A. Crerar, President of United Grain Growers and Colin Burnell, President, Manitoba Co-operative Wheat Producers (1925-26); correspondence directed to the Shareholders of United Grain Growers (1926-38); minutes of a meeting between representatives of the United Grain Growers and the provincial wheat pools (1937); as well as a variety of publications about the history and activities of the United Grain Growers (1917-18, 1927, 1929, 1951, 1956).
The name Berbank was created by combining the names of two local districts: Riverbank and Bertha. Both were located south of Brandon in the Rural Municipality of Oakland. The Berbank Church was built in 1919. Its construction grew out of the work of the Berbank Red Cross founded in 1917. The Berbank Church was a "union" church, constructed in anticipation of the formation of the United Church of Canada. In 1966, the Berbank congregation joined with the Nesbitt congregation to operate out of the Nesbitt United Church. The final service at the Berbank United Church was held in 1966.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1997. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains a document titled "Berbank Church History." This document is partially in a printed format with a portion handwritten. Fonds also contains minute books and legal documents pertaining to the ownership of the land upon which the Church was constructed.
Reg Forbes was born September 16, 1924. He and his wife Clara have two children, Bob and Faye. Forbes served in the Royal Canadian Air Force as a Navigator during World War II. From 1945-1949, he attended the University of Manitoba where he received his B.Sc.A. While working as Village Councillor and as Secretary-Treasurer for the Pilot Mound Hospital, Forbes initiated the "Save the Soil Campaign," a soil conservation programme that became province-wide, between 1952-1962.
From 1956-1975, Forbes was the Principal of the Agricultrual Extension Centre in Brandon, where he reorganized the Adult Education Centre into the Agricultural Extension Centre. During this period, Forbes was a founding member of the West-Man Regional Development Corporation and a founder of the Manitoba Committee on Rural Leadership. He was also instrumental in the amalgamation of the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair and the Provincial Exhibition and in the resulting construction of the Keystone Centre.
From 1975-1977 Forbes was a Commissioner for the Grain Handling and Transportation Commission (Hall Commission/GHTC). Following his work with the Commission, Forbes was employed as the General Manager of the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba (1977-1979), the Director of the Grain Handling & Transportation Section of the Manitoba Department of Agriculture (1979-1983), the Industrial Commissioner for the Brandon Industrial Commission (1983-1986), and as the Westarc Group Inc. Project Director for delivery under contract of Canadian Rural Transition Programme in Manitoba.
Forbes also held a number of voluntary and elected positions, such as Long-term Director and President of the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair and of the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba. In 1970-1971, he was the President of the Agricultural Institute of Canada, and from 1978-1981, Forbes was the first chairman of the Agricultural Advisory Committee of the Canadian Broadcasting Corportation. He was also a member of the Canada West Foundation Board, the Brandon University Board of Governers (1974-1976), and the Federal-Provincial Transportation and Industrial Development Advisory Committee (TIDAC). Forbes is also a Fellow of the Agricultural Institute of Canada. In 1977, he received the Jubilee Medal and in 1987, he was given the Distinguished Agrologist Award by the Manitoba Institute of Agrologists.
Custodial History
Reg Forbes donated his working collection of briefs, correspondence and other documents relating to his work as a commissioner of the Grain Handling and Transportation Committee (GHTC) to the McKee Archives c. 1985.
Scope and Content
The majority of the collection consists of records created and received by the Royal Commission on Grain Handling and Transportation (GHTC). Included are documents detailing numerious hearings from all four Western provinces. In addition to the GHTC hearings, there are also a number of documents given to the GHTC as reference material. These include information on the Snavely Commision, documents for the province of Alberta, various reports, the Prairie Regional Studies in Economic Geography (No. 1-27) and General Information. The collection also includes two maps given to the GHTC.
60 photographs (b/w) and 18 negatives; 3 cm textual records
History / Biographical
Rubina Isabella Miles (née McGregor) was born October 9th, 1909, in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, the only child of Kate (née Rowe) and William McGregor. Her father, William Thom McGregor was a native of Scotland who, before coming to Canada, travelled to Australia and New Zealand, and served in the Boer War. Ruby Miles and her parents migrated to Australia in 1921. In 1925, the family moved to Papua New Guinea where Mr. McGregor was employed as Head Stockman on the Giligili Estate, part of the Commonwealth Copra Company. The family returned to Canada in 1929. In 1940, Ruby married Leonard "Len" Miles, a native of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Following the Second World War, they settled in Brandon, Manitoba. Ruby spent her adult life as a homemaker. She died in April 2003.
Custodial History
The records came into Ruby Miles' possession through her husband (correspondence while he was overseas) and through the death of various family members. Following the death of Ruby Miles, the collection was donated to the S.J. McKee Archives by Errol Black, the executor of her estate.
Scope and Content
Collection includes c. 15 letters from Kate McGregor, to her parents Mr. and Mrs. A.A. Rowe of Brandon, Manitoba. The letters were written in the years 1925-1929, when Mrs. McGregor and her family were living in Papua New Guinea. Collection also includes photographs and photographic negatives containing images of the Giligili Estate in New Guinea. Collection contains correspondence with Len Miles during his service overseas in the Second World War, as well as Len Miles' service record, death certificate and various memorabilia from his time in military service. Finally, the collection includes various news clippings, documents and correspondence received or retained by Ruby Miles.
The idea of the Keystone Centre was first mentioned in 1958, at a meeting of the board of directors of the Manitoba Winter Fair. The Manitoba Winter Fair wanted a new facility because the old Wheat City Arena had a leaking roof and a deteriorating west wall. The old facility also had limited space and the Winter Fair felt it needed more space for expansion. The Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba also had problems with their facilities, such as old barns and poor display areas. The idea of the Keystone Centre was put on hold until 1969, when the boards of the Provincial Exhibition and the Manitoba Winter Fair joined together as the Provincial Exhibition Association of Manitoba and the Wheat City Arena was sold and demolished. The original estimate for the cost of the Keystone Centre facilities was $4.5 million and funding would be proportioned so that the federal and provincial governments would each put in one-third of the money, with the rest coming from local donations. The financial campaign for the Keystone Centre began in 1970, and construction began in November 1970. The grand opening of the Centre was in March 1973, and coincided with the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair of that year.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains many folders full of correspondence, financial statements, meeting minutes and other documents relating to the development and construction of the Keystone Centre from 1970-1974, including those from the Keystone Executive Committee, as well as the Building Committee. Fonds also contains one folder that pertains to the Brandon Area Agricultural Development Survey from 1959. This folder contains the names and locations of all farmers in the Brandon area in 1959. The Brandon Area Agricultural Development Survey was created in 1959, in order to make farming in the Brandon area more profitable. The survey was aided by Doane Agricultural Service from St. Louis, Missouri, who had success creating agricultural development programs in the United States. Fonds also contains folders from the Provincial Exhibition with correspondence, pamphlets, estimates, and studies from the 1960's. There is also one folder belonging to the Manitoba Winter Fair, which contains correspondence and financial statements relating to the Wheat City Arena. Fonds also contains information pertaining to the proposals made in the 1960's, for the building of the Keystone Centre, as well as one folder about the Keystone campaign from 1970-73. There is also one folder about the opening of the Keystone Centre, which contains newspaper clippings and guest lists. Finally, the fonds contains information about a court case involving Albert Bobyk and Robert Stewart. Stewart was the project manager for the Building Committee and Bobyk worked on the Keystone Center. The fonds includes a report about the trial of the two men who were charged with fraud involving their work on the Keystone Centre.
The first Women's Institute in Canada was created by Mrs. Adelaide Hunter Hoodless in Stoney Creek, Ontario, on February 19, 1897. The Women's Institute was created to unite rural women with the hopes that this would help women improve their homes and communities. The motto of the Women's Institute became, "a nation could not rise above the level of its homes." The group was to be non-partisan and non-sectarian to allow for maximum participation. The Women's Institute became one of the very few ways for rural women to meet and share ideas and problems with others. The Women's Institute spread throughout Canada and reached Manitoba in 1910, when Morris and Valley River, Manitoba, formed Women's Institute branches. The Women's Institute branches in Manitoba were known as Home Economics Societies until 1919, when they became branches of the Manitoba Women's Institute. The Home Economics Societies specialized in community service work. At first, the groups concentrated on home management and child care, and eventually they became involved with social and political issues. In addition to community work, the Women's Institute branches also invited many guest speakers to their meetings and promoted education and the dissemination of information to rural women on subjects such as canning, growing fruits and vegetables, dental hygiene and rural electrification. The Manitoba Women's Institute continues its work today.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned in 2002 by the McKee Archives. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
This collection has been artificially created and consists of miscellaneous newspaper and magazine clippings, handbooks, newsletters, photos and song sheets collected by various unknown Manitoba Women's Institute branches. Some newletters included in the collection are "Institute News" from the Manitoba Women's Institute, "National Farm Forum Guide", "Federated News" from the Federated Women's Institute of Canada and "The Country Woman" from Associated Women of the World. The newspaper clippings in the collection relate to Women's Institute branches around Manitoba and the rest of Canada.
Related women's institute collections in the McKee Archives include:
Manitoba Women's Institute; Minnedosa Women's Institute; Cordova Women's Institute; Clanwilliam Women's Institute; Rathwell Women's Institute; Strathclair Women's Institute; Crocus Women's Institute; Southwest A Region - Manitoba Women's Institute; Douglas Women's Institute
The Binscarth Women's Institute began in 1928, as a division of the Manitoba Women's Institute. It was organized for rural women to come together in a social setting. The members of the Institute participated in fund raising for community projects initiated by the Institute. The Institute also undertook to organize community events. The last meeting of the Binscarth Women's Institute took place in 1967. The organization was never formally dissolved.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned in 1997 by the McKee Archives. Prior custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains minutes, financial records, and other material created by the Binscarth Women's Institute from its creation in 1928, to its final gathering in 1967. Aside from minutes and financial records, the fonds contains records of the Canadian Centennial celebrations of 1967, planned by the Institute.
Related women's institute collections in the McKee Archives include:
Manitoba Women's Institute; Minnedosa Women's Institute; Cordova Women's Institute; Clanwilliam Women's Institute; Rathwell Women's Institute; Strathclair Women's Institute; Crocus Women's Institute; Southwest A Region - Manitoba Women's Institute; Douglas Women's Institute
In July 1928, Verna Althea Whitfield married William Arthur Gamey (b. 1892) in Winnipeg. For the first year of their marriage they both taught at Lockport, before moving to Winnipeg in 1929. Their only child, William Roy, was born there. In 1933, the Gameys moved to the Gamey family farm located at N1/2 12-16-22, near Strathclair. Verna's nephew Robert Kerr, from Kelowna, B.C. joined the family in 1949. Art and Verna left the farm in the spring of 1956, and moved into the house formerly owned by an aunt, Miss Bella Gamey. Art Gamey was a staunch supporter of the Co-operative movement and the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF). He died in January 1968.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1997. Prior custoridal history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains documents relating to the Manitoba Farmer's Union, including copies of its publication "The Voice of the Farmer" (1961); the United Church of Canada, primarily Strathclair (1960-1989); the Manitoba Women's Institute and the National Institute for the Blind (1959-1976); the Manitoba Federation of Agriculture (1945-1961); the Birtle Presbyterian Church (1986-1989); the Social Credit League in Manitoba and B.C. (1947, 1953); the Manitoba Provincial Council of Women (1958-1959); the Manitoba Centennial Corporation (1966-1968); and the Shoal Lake Fair and Hamiota Exhibition (1949-1981).
Fonds also contains diaries (1923-1926); various political publications, newspaper clippings, and correspondance, primarily concerning the CCF and the New Democrats (1945-1971); the Cooperative Union of Canada (1949-1964); and the Manitoba Farm Forum (1942-1963). Included as well, are clippings from the Brandon Sun dealing with a wide variety of topics (1970-1991); publications on home/farm/highway safety (1949-1975); and the Manitoba Pool Elevators (1950-1955).
Fonds also contains correspondence to and from both Verna and Art Gamey.
Notes
History/Bio information taken from "Our Story to 1970" published by the R.M. of Strathclair and compiled by The Centennial History Committee (pp. 255-257).
RG 4 Manitoba Pool Elevators; Women's Institute collections: Manitoba (8-2002), Strathclair (7-2002), Rathwell (6-2002), Minnedosa (2-2002), Cordova (4-2002), Clanwilliam (3-2002), Crocus (5-2002), Douglas (20-2006), Binscarth (12-1997), Southwest A Region (26-1997); and the Greenway Fair (35-2006).
Hector Ross Hume was born on December 8, 1902, in the R.M. of Glenwood to John Hume and Jean Gordon. He grew up on the family farm, section 29-7-22, later known as Abergeldie Stock Farm, and attended Whitefield School and then Souris High School. Along with his father, Ross operated the 640-acre farm near Souris, Manitoba, where they sold purebred Angus cattle, shopshire sheep, Yorkshire swine, seed grain and had a government approved flock of hens. John Hume retired in 1947, and died in January 1953.
Ross married Mina Radcliffe on December 20, 1929. Together they had one daughter, Margaret (b. April 11, 1932). In the fall of 1953, Ross lost part of his right arm in a farming accident; he continued to operate the farm with the help of his wife for an additional year before the couple sold the farm to Henry Gordon and moved to Souris where Ross obtained a job as Business Manager of the Souris Hospital.
Mina Hume died on February 14, 1960, and shortly thereafter Ross enrolled in a correspondence course in accounting with the Central School of Chicago and in a two year course in Hospital Administration, with the University of Saskatchewan. Upon graduation in 1962, Ross became the Administrator of Souris and Hartney hospitals, a position he held until 1972. Following his retirement, Ross wrote two books - "The Hospital Tree Grows Tall" and "Tale Wagging By and Old Time" - which he published and sold locally.
During his time on the farm, Ross was a member of the Manitoba Cattle Breeders Association and a member of the local Agricultural Society. He was also secretary of the latter organization. From 1968-1981, Ross was on the Board of Directors for Victoria Park Lodge, and for a while in the 1970s, he was on the Board of Directors for the Souris Hosptial.
Ross Hume died on January 9, 1986 at Victoria Park Lodge in Souris, Manitoba.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1997. Prior custoridal history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds includes Ross Hume's tabulations and tables of statistics relating to prairie agriculture. The data includes market information (sources the Winnipeg Free Press) for the years 1890 to 1940, derived from correspondence with Cora Hind of the Winnipeg Free Press. The fonds also includes a variety of other statistical data. Some of this data was derived from the work of Hume's father, John Hume. (See The Country Guide (February 1943) article included in the fonds).
Notes
History/Bio information taken from The Hume Family entry in "The People of Souris and Glenwood: from the earliest beginnings to the present" published by Souris and District Heritage Club Inc. (2006). Description by Christy Henry.
The Manitoba Action Committee on the Status of Women (MACSW) was formed by a group of women who had participated in the preparation of a comprehensive brief to the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in 1967. The Manitoba Volunteer Committee, formed in 1967, then went on to hold its first public meeting in 1970, adopt its constitution in 1973, and build up a membership of over 400 women by 1981. Until its demise in 2000, MACSW was the only feminist lobby group in Manitoba. Nothing has since taken its place.
MACSW was run by the membership and a Provincial Coordinating Committee (composed of members and staff), which met at least three times annually in various parts of the province. This made the workings of the Provincial organization more accessible for women throughout the province. Feminist process was used in all meetings and decisions were made by consensus. During the 1980s and 1990s, there were four MACSW branches: one each in Brandon, Winnipeg, Dauphin (Parkland Status of Women) and Thompson (Thompson Action Committee on the Status of Women). There were individual members in all areas of Manitoba, and for a few years in the 1990s, a Rural Coordinator networked with individual members outside of the four branch locations and helped coordinate provincial activities.
From the beginning, funding was short-term. Operations were run on a shoe-string and with the help of dedicated volunteers. The funding allowed for wages was poverty-level, forcing the organization to operate only part-time with part-time staff in order to provide staff with a reasonable salary.
As governments changed their funding objectives and methods, it became harder and harder for MACSW to maintain its presence as the only feminist lobby within Manitoba. When Status of Women Canada stopped funding core operations and only allowed for “project funding,” the job became impossible to do. Projects meant research and the publication of a document each year, and the work was to be coordinated among the various branches. Work on the project was necessarily additional to the daily tasks of the coordinators of the various offices. It became impossible to operate four branches, a provincial coordinating function and prepare a publication in conjunction with an annual project--all with a total budget of approximately $120,000.00 per year. Although an astonishing amount of work was accomplished by dedicated women under these circumstances, MACSW was unable to continue. MACSW closed its doors in Winnipeg in 1998, Brandon in 1999, and then throughout the province.
The primary activities of MACSW were political action (working for legislative change), public education about women’s issues, and providing resources, referrals and advocacy services to women in need of such support. Where possible, joint actions were planned with other groups in the community sharing similar concerns. The Coordinating Committee met quarterly, including representatives of three standing committees (finance, communications and membership) and up to ten members-at-large. Other committees were set up as members showed an interest in particular issues. At various times, there were committees on media monitoring, political action, labour, day care, education and so on. Branches had their own “mini-committees,” which worked with the Provincial committees on issues in common. Consultation between the branches, between Quarterly Meetings, was done by phone, mail or e-mail.
MACSW strove to advise women on issues of interest through films, guest speakers, speaking engagements, information tables, and working with other groups to present conferences and seminars, public meetings and so on. They also lobbied all levels of government and researched and wrote position papers and briefs for commissions and hearings.
MACSW members also liaised and networked by sharing their resources and working with other women’s groups, such as (in the Brandon area) Women for Equality, The Westman Coalition for Equality Rights, and The Western Manitoba Women’s Resource Centre. They organized and responded to government and public requests for input through research, conferences and the actions of their sub-committees. The media sought out MACSW for comment upon issues of the day.
Throughout the approximate 30 years of its existence, MACSW was respected as an informed and highly effective organization working on behalf of women. No other feminist organization has taken the place of MACSW. However, lobbying and education on behalf of women continues on an ad hoc basis through former MACSW members who have been empowered through their experiences in MACSW to speak up for change and improvement in the status of women in Manitoba, Canada and the world.
Custodial History
The Manitoba Action Committee on the Status of Women disbanded during the mid 1990s, due to lack of funding. Acting on behalf of the organization, Paula Mallea donated the records to the McKee Archives in 2003.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains minutes of governing bodies (local and provincial) from 1979-1992, correspondence files of the Brandon MACSW, scrapbooks of the Brandon Action Committee (1972-1992), Action Newsletters (1979-1999), records of AGM (1982-1990), and extensive miscellaneous files dealing with activities, workshops and research concerns of the Brandon local of the Manitoba Action Committee of the Status of Women. These include files dealing with violence against women, rural women, northern women, child abuse, social policy, sexual orientation, feminism, poverty, prostitution, pay equity, and racism, among others.
Frank Robb was Assistant Secretary Treasurer for School District of Brandon No. 129 and Curator of the B.J. Hales Natural History Museum exhibition for Brandon's 75th Anniversary (1957). Robb left Brandon ca. 1969 and relocated to Minaki, Ontario.
Custodial History
Frank Robb sent the slides to Fred McGuiness ca. 1986. McGuiness gave them to Eileen McFadden at the McKee Archives in April 1986.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of 155 slides taken by Frank Robb, an inventory for the slides prepared by Robb and a letter from Robb to Fred McGuiness regarding the slides and memories of Brandon ca. 1950s.
