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The Manitoba Historical Society NewsletterVol.39No.3

March/April2007

Annual Multicultural DinnerThe Manitoba Historical Society invites you to

itsannualMulticulturalDinner,Tuesday,17AprilattheManitobaJapaneseCanadianCulturalCentre180McPhillipsStreet[westside–justnorthofthelightsatWilliamAve.]TheCulturalCentrehasalargeparkinglotandmoreparkingspaceisnextdooratWeldersSupply,150McPhillipsThe#33bus stopsnear theCentre.Doors open at 5:00 with dinner at 6:00 pm.

EnjoyauthenticJapanesedishessuchastempuravegetables,teriyakichickenandsushi.Afterdinner,therewillbetraditionalJapaneseentertainment.TheguestspeakerisJudge Art Miki whowillbetalkingabouttheJapanese-CanadianexperienceinManitoba.Costperpersonis$20.CalltheManitobaHistoricalSociety office at (204) 947-0559 by 12 April to confirm your attendance. Visa or Mastercard accepted.

President’s Message: Washington and Riel

Officially the SevenYearsWarbeganin1756in Europe, althoughthe North Americancontestants had beenengagedformanyyearsinadesperatestrugglefortheallegianceoftheAboriginal peoples inthe Ohio country andfor sovereignty overtheregion.TheFrenchhadtriedtoasserttheirclaim in 1749 by sending a military expedition,

led by Pierre-Joseph Céleron de Blainville (1693-1759), that planted lead tablets all along the Ohio andAllegheny Rivers stating the French claims totheregion.TheFrenchin1752and1753builtmilitaryposts in the area. In the latter year the British sent a

Dr.J.M.Bumsted

youngmilitiamajorwithasmallpartytodeliveraletter to the French commandant at one of the French posts,FortLeBoeuf,claiming theOhioValleyandrequestingtheFrenchtoleave.Theyrefused.Inturn,theBritishgovernorofVirginiawasauthorizedtouseforcetoexpeltheFrench.Hesentthemajorbackayearlaterwithaforceof159men,backedbyapartyofAboriginals,toestablishafortontheOhio.Ontheway,theexpeditionconfrontedasmallFrenchpartyofthirtymencommandedbyJosephCoulondeVilliersde Jumonville (1718-1754), which was travelling east

BillFraser

Louis Riel standsonthegroundsoftheManitobaLegislature.

Vol.39,No.3,2007 Time Lines

� Manitoba Historical Society

toseewhethertheVirginianshadenteredwhattheFrenchregardedastheirterritory.Ifhehad,hewastobeorderedformallytowithdraw.Jumonville’spartywas specifically ordered not to provoke trouble; he wasonadiplomaticnotamilitarymission.

On 28 May 1754, some of the Virginians entered the French camp, which was not well guarded. Inthe course of the ensuing melee, Jumonville (who had been wounded) was dispatched in traditional Aboriginal fashion with a tomahawk by one ofthe warriors. “You are not yet dead, my father,”Tanacharison said to the wounded Frenchman intherituallanguageofthetime,andsohekilledhim.Theyoungmajor,aVirginiaplanternamedGeorgeWashington,subsequentlydidhisbesttodenythatJumonville had been murdered, arguing that theFrenchhadhostileintentions.Itwasinthiscontextthat the name of George Washington entered thelargertapestryofhistory.

Few of us believe that George Washingtonwas perfect, but many would concede that he wasprobablyasstainlessasamilitaryleaderandpublicfigure can be. But Washington had lost control of his aboriginal allies in 1754. He later ordered the devastationofIroquoisvillagesintheMohawkValley,and,asaslaveholder,foughttorestoreblacksfreedbytheBritish.HadtheAmericanslosttherebellionagainsttheBritish,hemightwellhavebeenhangedfortreason–orforthemurderofoneofthemanymenexecutedbyhisillegalauthority.

When I heard recently that Manitoba wasconsideringastatutoryholidayforFebruary,IthoughtimmediatelyofWashington,whosebirthdayformanyyears was the occasion for theAmerican statutoryholiday in that month. Not surprisingly, my mindthen leaped to that other “Father of his Country,”LouisRiel,whohasalwaysbeendeniedthathonourchiefly because of the death of Thomas Scott. Perhaps thetimehascometorecognizethatthedistinctionsbetweencriminalsandstatesmenareoftenveryslight,not by attempting to argue that Scott deserved to die butsimplybyacceptingthatbadthingsaredoneinthe heat of battle.

I offer three arguments in mitigation of Riel’s behaviourin1869-70.First,almostallobserversthenand since have accepted that Canada had treatedtheRedRiverMétisdisrespectfullyin1869,andhadbroughtonitselftheresistanceforwhichRielcametobethespokesman.Secondly,itisatleastarguablethat when he allowed Scott to die, Riel was at the headofalegitimategovernmentthathadmovedintoapowervacuuminRedRiverinlate1869.Canada

alwaysdeniedthattheprovisionalgovernmentwaslegitimate,butofcourse,thatiswhatonedoeswhendealingwithchallengestoauthority.EvenSirJohnA.Macdonaldwaspreparedtoadmit,ashewroteina letter to William McDougall on 27 November, that “anassumptionofthegovernmentbyyou,ofcourse,putsanendtothatoftheHudson’sBayCompany’sauthorities. There would then be, if you were notadmitted into the country, no legal governmentexisting,andanarchymustfollow.Insuchacase,nomatter how the anarchy is produced, it is quite open by the lawofnations for the inhabitants to formagovernment ex necessitate for the protection of lifeand property, and such a government has certainsovereign rights by the ius gentium.” Macdonald’sscenario was fulfilled, and one of the “sovereign rights”thatensuedwasthatofmaintaininglawandorder–bywhatevermeansnecessary.AlthoughtheCanadian government and Canadian courts at thetimehadrefusedtoacceptthisdefenseforthedeathof Scott, that refusal was really a political rather than a legaldecision.Finally,theresistancethatRielledhadnotreallyfailed.Instead,mostofitsaimshadbeenfulfilled, and it is hard to see Riel and his movement in1870asunsuccessful.Incomplete,perhaps,butnotabortive.

Thinkaboutit.J.M.Bumsted

BillFraser

Wesley Hall,theoriginalbuildingaroundwhichtheUniversityofWinnipeghasdeveloped,underwentanextensiverenovation,with new exterior stonework and interior remodelling. Forthesympatheticwaythattherenovationswereconducted,theUniversity of Winnipeg, along with Corbett Cibinel Architects and AlphaMasonryLimited,receivedHeritagePreservationAwardsfromHeritageWinnipeg.

Manitoba Historical Society �

Time Lines Vol.39,No.3,2007

Sir John A. Macdonald DinnerThe Sir John A. Macdonald Dinner Committee

would like to thank all those who attended the annual dinner,andgratefullyacknowledgethesupportandgenerosityofoursponsors,donorsandparticipants.Theproceedsofthisimportantfundraisingeventplaya vital and necessary role in financing much of the work of the Society, and enable us to continue offering andprovidingmanyofourservicesandprogramstoourmembersandthepublic,suchasourCentennialFarmandCentennialOrganizationawardprograms,andourpublications,Time Lines andManitoba History.Thankyouforhelpingustokeephistoryalive!

Participants

Hon.JohnHarvard Hon.PeterBjornsonJimIngebrigsten KeithBurr,Vets Unit 60MichaelBumsted Pipes and DrumsJimBlanchard HarryDuckworthMargaret Sweatman Judith Hudson Beattie Valenzuela

Sponsors

Alsip’sIndustrialProducts RobertG.DarlingIvanEyre Mrs.W.StewardMartinBob & Evelyn Sutton Winnipeg Free Press

Silent Auction Donors

BurtonLyseckiBooks Canada’sNationalFrancisCarroll HistorySocietyDeltaMarshFieldStation EdwardCarriereSalonEnoraeBistro GreatPlainsGreenfield Books PublicationsCarl & Sandra Mott James Lawton PartnersDr.JohnLehr MBChamberOrchestraMBChildren’sMuseum ManitobaConservationMB Lotteries Commission Mariaggi’s Theme SuiteMHSDalnavertMuseum& HotelVisitorCentreGiftShop ModaFiniHairPartnersinthePark DesignersPrairie Fire Press Inc. Prairie PathfindersPrairieTheatreExchange RoyalWinnipegBalletEmilyStamp TheatreProjectsCouncillorLillianThomas ManitobaUniversityofManitobaPress WawanesaMutualWellingtonWestCapital InsuranceWinnipeg Art Gallery Averill Whitfield

Silent Auction

CarlJames MariaZbigniewicz

The Provencher RoominthehistoricFortGarryHotelwasthesetting for the 2007 Sir John A. Macdonald Dinner.

GordonGoldsborough

GordonGoldsborough

MHS patron the Honourable John Harvard,Lieutenant-GovernorofManitoba,broughtgreetings.

GordonGoldsborough

Margaret Sweatmanspokeonherexperienceswritinghistoricalfiction. Her talk appears in the next issue of Manitoba History.

Vol.39,No.3,2007 Time Lines

� Manitoba Historical Society

New Sponsor for Centennial Business AwardsFor the past eight years Ken Zealand, either

personally or through his CharteredAccountantbusinesses (Ken A. Zealand Chartered Accountants and Myers Norris Penney), has sponsored the Centennial BusinessAwards,forwhichweareextremelygrateful.Thisyear,wehaveanewsponsor:theAsperSchoolofBusiness,attheUniversityofManitoba,underDean(Dr.) Glenn Feltham, with the active participation ofMr.SteveJames,ExecutiveDirectoroftheAsperMBAProgram.Thisisanexcitingdevelopment,andwe hope it will bring the program more attention in thebusinesscommunity.Thecommitmenthasbeenmade for threeyears,andwehope its successwillleadtoanevenlongerassociation.

NormallyattheSirJohnA.MacdonaldDinner,we present three awards; however, none were made thisyear.Wehadapproachedthreeinsurancebrokers.While they were enthusiastic about the honour,theywere toobusy toget theapplications inearlyenoughtocompletetheresearchrequiredandhavethe plaques made. Perhaps the new motor vehiclelicensingprocedureswere toodraining, somethingwedidnotconsiderwhenweapproachedthem.Wehopetopresenttheawardsduringthecomingyear.Weappreciatereceivinginformationaboutbusinessesthatwouldqualifyfortheawards.

Judith Hudson Beattie (chair),KenZealand&DavidDeane,Committee Members

WinnipegFoundation

An MHS project to digitize a collection of historically significant books, and make them freely available on our web site, wasfeaturedinthe2006AnnualReportoftheWinnipegFoundation.Whenunveiledlaterthisyear,thecollectionwillincludefully-searchableversionsofsuchbooksasTen Years in Winnipeg (Begg & Nursey), Both Sides of Manitoba (Galbraith), Reminiscences of a Raconteur (Ham), Extraordinary Tales From Manitoba History(Chafe), and The Assiniboine Basin (Kavanagh). Another part of the projectwillbetwocolorfeaturesinupcomingissuesofManitoba History - the first time that color has been used in our journal. We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Winnipeg Foundationforthisproject.

Dalnavert DalnavertishostingaSpring Tea on Saturday, 24

Marchfrom1:00to3:00pm.Thepriceis$17.50perperson.Therewillbe teasamplingandadeliciouslight lunch. Details on entertainment or a speakeraretobeannounced.Add-ontoursoftheMuseumareonly$2.50each.Reservationsarerequired.Pleasecall Dalnavert at (204) 943-2835 for information or to book.

MHS History Book ClubThe book club meets from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at theDalnavertVisitorsCentre.Visitorsandnewmembersarewelcome.

�9 March: Céline Kear will lead a discussion onAnnaJameson’sWinter Studies and Summer Rambles in Canada. Please confirm attendance to Marg Kentner at (204) 943-2835.

�6 April:Judy Valenzuela willleadadiscussionon JamesHouston’sRunning West (McClelland & Stewart, 1989) [other books or articles about Thanadelthur includeSylviaVanKirk,“Thanadelthur”,The Beaver, Spring 1974 pp. 40-45; Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Vol. II; Rick Book’s Blackships/Thanadelthur (Heartland, 2001)]. Please confirm attendance with Judy at (204) 475-6666.

7 May:Pot luck at6:00pm,booksfornextyear.Pleaseconfirm attendance with Judy, at (204) 475-6666.

Manitoba Historical Society �

Time Lines Vol.39,No.3,2007

Obituaries

William Paul Thompson,PhD,professoremeritusofArchitecturalhistoryattheFacultyofArchitectureattheUniversityofManitobadiedinWinnipegon24 December 2006 at 64 years of age. He was born andeducatedinUSAbuthespentmostofhiscareerinWinnipeg.Billwasanarchitectandarchitecturalhistorianspecializinginpreservationandrestoration.HewaspresidentoftheManitobaHistoricalSocietyfrom1980to1982.After33yearsserviceheretiredin2002fromtheUniversityofManitoba,wherehehadgivencoursesinhistoryandtheoryofarchitectureandinpreservationofarchitecture.Hisresearchprojectsincludeddatabasesforidentifyingstylesandtypesofbuildings,programsformaintenancemanagementofhistoricbuildingsandmethodsandproceduresforestablishingculturalconservationregions.HereceivedtheMcWilliamsMedalfromtheManitobaHistoricalSocietyforhisbook,Winnipeg Architecture: 100 years(first published in 1975 and revised in 1984). Other worksrelatingtoManitobaincludedamajorreportandfeasibilitystudyonWinnipeg’s Historic Warehouse Area (1976) and Design Guidelines for Historic Residences in Brandon (1985).In1992,hewasrecognizedforhis

lifetimeworkwhenhewasawardedtheCanada125medalfor“achievementsinadvancingknowledgeofand the conservationofCanadianarchitecture.” In1996,hewontheUniversityofManitoba’sOutreachawardfor“outstandingservicetoManitobathroughachievementsinneighbourhoodconservation.”

Bente Cunnings, a MHS member, died inWinnipegon22Januaryattheageof80years.ShewasborninDenmarkwhereshewasinvolvedwiththeDanishundergroundduringWorldWarII.Shewastrainedasanurse inDenmarkandnursedforfouryearsinEnglandbeforeimmigratingtoCanadain 1955. She nursed at TB Sanitariums at Ninette and thePasbeforebecomingtheDirectorofNursingforManitoba Sanitariums. She received two degreesfrom the University of Manitoba, a Bachelor ofNursingin1963andaBachelorofInteriorDesignin1969.From1969to1973,shewasExecutiveDirectorof the ManitobaAssociation of Registered Nurses.Aftersheretiredfromnursingherinterestincrafts,especially pottery, led to another career, creating birds in clay. Over the years, she frequently attended MHSevents.

Manitoba Historic Fur Trade Tour18&19August2007

Exclusivetourlimitedto12persons$1899.00+GSTCDNperpersondblocc.

Walk in the footsteps of the early explorers and HBC fur traders

For details contact:Heartland International Travel & Tours

204-989-9630 or 1-866-890-3377info@heartlandtravel.cawww.heartlandtravel.ca

Includes: NorwayHousetour,Churchill’sSloopCove&Fort Prince of Wales tour (see Beluga Whales on the boat trip to the Fort), York Factory tour, private charter flights

Winnipeg/NorwayHouse/Churchill/Gillam/Winnipeg&Gillam/YorkFactory/Gillam,experttourguides

throughoutentiretour,overnightChurchillhotel,allmealsandtransfers.

Vol.39,No.3,2007 Time Lines

6 Manitoba Historical Society

Heritage Day Events, �9 February �007OnHeritageDay,19February,ataceremonyatthe

UniversityofWinnipeg,HeritageWinnipegpresentedconservationawardsofexcellenceintheinstitutionalcategory to: The University of Winnipeg,AlphaMasonry Limited and Corbett Cibinel Architects for Wesley Hall (515 Portage Avenue), Winnipeg Regional HealthAuthority,DeerLodgeCentre,andCohmeyerArchitectsfortheWomen’sMemorialTributeLodge(200 Woodlawn Street). A distinguished service award waspresentedtoRichardWalls,A.D.I.DesignworksLimitedforongoingconservation.SpecialPresident’sAwardswerepresentedtoBonnieKorzeniowskiMLAfor St. James for her efforts to promote the restoration oftheWomen’sTributeBuildingandtoJerryLemay,a Winnipeg teacher for his efforts to create the Ecole LaVérendryeHeritageClassroom.

Before the Heritage Winnipeg awards werepresented,theHistoricSitesandMonumentsBoardofCanadaunveiledaplaquetocommemorateWilliamHespeler (1830-1921) for his key role in recruiting some 7000 Mennonites to move from Europe tothe Canadian Prairies between 1874 and 1880. For more information on William Hespeler and theplaqueunveiling,seetheFebruaryissueofManitoba History.

ParksCanada

On19February,at theUniversityofWinnipeg,ParksCanadaunveiledaplaquecommemoratingtheroleofWilliamHespeler(1830-1921) in fostering early Mennonite settlement of southern Manitoba. Shown (L-R) are Dawn Bronson, Superintendent of the ManitobaFieldUnit,ParksCanada,MaryDeGrow,Hespeler’sgreat-great-granddaughter of William Hespeler and HelmutHesse, President, German-Canadian Congress (Manitoba).

Dr. Lloyd Axworthy,PresidentoftheUniversityofWinnipeg,receivesaHeritagePreservationAwardfromCelineKear,Past-PresidentofHeritageWinnipeg.

BillFraser

MLA Bonnie Korzeniowski received a Heritage PreservationAwardfromHeritageWinnipegPresidentPennyMcMillan.

BillFraser

Jerry LemayreceivesaSpecialPresident’sAwardfromHeritageWinnipegPresidentPennyMacmillan.

BillFraser

Manitoba Historical Society 7

Time Lines Vol.39,No.3,2007

Welcome New MHS Members!RyanEyford

Laura&DarrenLarsonKennethM.McKay

LauraMcRaePatMurphy

Louise&TimothyRyanJohn E. Poff

RaymondTilleyKristenVerin-Treusch

PaulWarkentinHansP.Werner

Donations & Contributions

Thank You!

General Operations

JaneMaksymiukKen&PatZealand

Carol ScottShirleyK.Dickenson

RossA.L.NugentJosephE.Martin

David&LindaMcDowellRobertMcIntyre

MaureenCousinsWrey&MargaretVickery

BillFraserLairdRankin

FrancesBowles

Museum Operations

Dalnavert

Marina Plett-LyleDavid&LindaMcDowell

Centennial Farm Program

OneAnonymousFriendMaryHamilton

Robert & Evelyn Sutton

Margaret McWilliams Program

FriesensCorporation

Popular Local History - A Practical ApproachSince 2004, Russ Gourluck has written two books

onWinnipeghistory.A Store Like No Other: Eaton’s of Winnipeg wasontheMcNallyRobinsonbestsellerlist for several months, became a Canadian bestseller,andreceivedtheMHS’sMargaretMcWilliamsPopularHistoryAward.Going Downtown: A History of Winnipeg’s Portage Avenue sold out its first printing withinacoupleofweeks,becameaCanadianbestseller in less than twomonths,andwasnamedbyMcNallyRobinsonasthebestsellingManitobabookfor2006.

Join Russ on 4March for a presentation on theprocess of writing popular history books. As apreviously unpublished author, he will share hisexperiences and insights on the major steps of thewriting and publishing process, beginning withhow to choose a topic that’s worth writing andreading, some techniques of efficient research and writing, where to locate useful images, how to find a publisher (and why self-publishing is usually a bad idea), and what writers can do to market their books. This practical and sometimes provocativepresentation includes a number of key tips (including “Finalizing the Never-Ending Story”, “PreventingTMI Syndrome”, “Avoiding the World’s WorstEditor and Proofreader”, “Achieving a Little Fame and a SmallAmount of Fortune”, “Getting OverYourself”, and “Protecting Your Privacy”). This willbemoreofaninteractivesessionthanalecture,andaudienceparticipationwillbewelcomed.RussGourluck believes that local history offers plenty of opportunityforaspiringauthorsnotonlytoseetheirworkinpublication,butalsotoknowthatpeopleareenjoying reading the results of their efforts. Join him atDalnavertVisitorsCentre,61CarltonStreetat2:00pm on Sunday, 4 March to find out why.

This is a free event. Light refreshments will beserved.Spaceislimited.Ifyouintendtocomepleasecall Carl James at (204) 233-4776 as soon as possible andleaveamessage.

ErratumA byline was inadvertently omitted from articles on the Young Historians awards in the last Time Lines, which were the work of Judith Hudson Beattie Valenzuela.Weregrettheerror.

MHS Publications on the InternetBack issues of Times Lines can be viewed on theMHSwebsite.AlsoonlinearebackissuesofMHS Transactions (series 1, 2, and 3), Manitoba Pageant,andManitoba History (up to volume 41). All articles are fullytext-searchable.

Time Lineswww.mhs.mb.ca/info/pubs/timelines

Vol.39,No.3,2007 Time Lines

� Manitoba Historical Society

Membership surveyLastMay,theMHSCouncilauthorizedasurvey

todeterminewhatmembersthoughtaboutvariousaspectsofthesociety.Overthecourseofsummerandearly fall, volunteers phoned 82 randomly chosenmemberstogetanswerstoasetofstandardquestions.(In case you’re interested, 82 was the number needed for an accuracy of plusor minus 10 percentagepoints on survey answers.) We thank Judith HudsonBeattie Valenzuela, BillFraser, Carl James, StevePlace, Carol Scott, andMarie-Louise Zorniak fortheirdedicationincarryingoutthetelephonepolling.

The survey workedlike this. The caller listedeach of the activities inwhichtheMHSispresentlyengaged.Aftergivingabriefdescriptionoftheparticularactivity, members wereaskedtostatewhethertheyor an immediate familymember had participatedin it. The pollster thenasked them to rate howimportant they believedthis activity to be, on ascale from1 to5,where1meant“notimportant”and5meant“veryimportant.”Ratings were obtained for24 activities (see table). If you are interested inknowingmoreaboutanyofthem,refertotheMHSwebsite, or the article “The Benefits of Membership” in the February/March2006issueofTime Lines.Additionalwritten comments on a particular question were also recorded. Three statistics were calculated for eachactivity,asdescribedbelow:

1. Percent participation: This statistic, in tablecolumnA,representsthepercentageofrespondentswhohadparticipatedinanactivity,ontheassumptionthatparticipationwouldbehigherforactivitiesthatwereperceivedtobeimportant.

2. Percent with ranking of activity: This statistic,in table column B, represents the percentage of

A B C DManitoba History 96 100 91 96Time Lines 98 95 88 94Dalnavert Museum 79 95 94 89MacdonaldDinner 66 93 85 81RossHouseMuseum 56 86 87 76FieldTrips 52 88 86 75AGM 51 89 85 75Multicultural Dinner 46 93 83 74MargaretMcWilliams 21 96 92 70Committees 42 80 89 70YoungHistorian 11 99 92 67Web Site 45 70 85 66Centennial Farm 23 95 84 67BookClub 27 93 81 67Presentations 37 85 78 67Representation 5 88 86 60Affiliated Societies 19 83 82 61CentennialBusiness 15 96 79 63CentennialOrganization9 88 77 58Conferences 26 77 77 60FilmNight 17 78 73 56DouglasKempAward 9 82 81 57ReferenceLibrary 25 68 75 56Charles Bell Award 1 82 78 54

MembershipSurveyResultsSee text for explanation of columns

respondentswhoprovidedarating,from1to5,ofa particular activity, regardless of the rating itself.Theassumptionwasthatactivitiesdeemedtobeofimportance (or perhaps high emotional resonance) wouldhaveahighpercentageofmembersratingit.

3.Percent of maximum rank:Thisstatistic,intablecolumnC,calculatedtheaverageofallratingsfora

particular activity (from 1 to 5) expressed as a percentage of the maximum possiblerating (5). The assumption was that more popularactivities would have ahigheraveragerating.

Finally,becausewefeltthat each statistic mightrepresent a different way of assessing importance,we calculated an averageof the three statistics,andsorted the averages indescending order fromhighest to lowest, in tablecolumnD.

What do we make ofthesedata?Weshouldmakeclear that no immediateactionswillbetakenbytheMHSCouncilasaresultofthis survey; the information will be used merely toinform future discussion.Ongoingconsultationwithmembers will take place,and more feedback (on anyoftheMHSactivities,or these survey results) is always welcome. But theresultsseemtotellusthat

thethreemostimportantactivitiesoftheMHSare:Manitoba History,Time Lines,andDalnavertMuseum.These three activities are rated significantly higher thanallotheractivities,whichwerepresumablyofperceived lesser importance. (Of course, each of the “lesser” activities had strong advocates).

Do you agree with this interpretation of theresults? Let us know. Give your feedback to JackBumsted or Gordon Goldsborough via the MHS office, thecontactinformationforwhichisonthebackpageofthisissue.

GordonGoldsborough

Manitoba Historical Society 9

Time Lines Vol.39,No.3,2007

Heritage NewsThe ties between the Orkney Islands and

Manitoba run deep. For instance, Winnipeg’s first BoardofTradehadsevenmemberswhowerebornin Orkney or had Orcadian fathers.A new website, www.buyorkney.com, features biographies ofsome early Orcadians in Manitoba — with plansto add many more — so they would be delightedtohearfromanyonewithanythingtoadd.YoucanalsosignuptoreceiveadailyemailaboutOrkneyandOrcadians.ContactPatriciaLong,whomaintainstheBuyOrkneywebsite,atpatlong@orkmail.comifyouhaveinformationaboutaManitobanwithOrcadianroots,orifyouareinterestedinanythingrelatingtoOrkney.

Fort Dauphin Museum is chronicling ruralschools in the R. M. of Dauphin. Project facilitatorJerryJosswillcollectmemoriesfrompaststudentsofthe 40 schools in the area on a DVD. The DVD will be adatabaseofhistory,photosandstories.The Dauphin Heraldnotes,“Eachschoolwillhaveitsowndiskwithfirst-hand stories and scanned photos of students, buildings and even memorabilia. The informationwillbeboundinalargescrapbookwithtwopagesdedicatedtoeachschool,containingtheDVD,aphotooftheschool,ruralschooltriviaandifpossiblesome-schoolrelateditems.”TheprojectisfundedbyaNewHorizonsGrantof$9000,whichwillbematchedbyagrantfromthemuseum.Theprojectisrelyingoninputfromseniorcitizensinthearea.

As Morden moved into its ���th anniversaryyearaplaquewasunveiledon27JanuaryhonouringAlveyandFrancesMorden.ItwasontheirlandthatthetownshipofMordenwasestablishedin1882.Thegranite podium-style plaque has these words: “In1874, Alvey Morden — hardy, courageous and filled withhope—leftWalkerton,Ontariowithhiswife,Frances,sonsWilmot,Frank,AlbertandDavidanddaughter Elizabeth to settle in the West. The pioneer spiritofhisUnitedEmpireLoyalistforefatherscalledhimtothenewwestandhisfamilywasamongthefirst to settle in the vicinity of present-day Morden. In 1882, the Canadian Pacific Railway was built on Morden’sland,partlyduetofavourableinducementsmadebytheMordens,aswellas thewatersupplyfromDeadHorseCreek.ThehomesteadsofFrankandWilmotMordenwereselectedforthefuturetownsiteandtheCPRnamedthetownaftertheoriginalownersoftheproperty.”

Alsoon27January,anewseriesofeightMorden heritage brochures was launched covering thefollowingthemes:pioneers,buildingacommunity,Morden mansions, people, business, schools,entertainmentandthecomingoftherailroad.

2007isthe���th anniversaryoftheincorporationofGladstone. Residents kicked off the anniversary year with a bonfire on 11 January. The real celebrations will coincide with the Gladstone Fair, Rodeo andHomecomingoneightto12August.Aschoolreunionisalsoplannedforthattime.

Historical documents pertaining to Neepawaand surrounding communities are now housed inthe Beautiful Plains Archives in an office in thecourthouseinNeepawa.AnArchivesBoardhasbeenestablishedtosetpoliciesandguidelinesunderwhicharchivalmaterialwillbeaccepted,documentedandstored.Over3700schoolregistersfromtheBeautifulPlainsSchoolDivisionhavebeenturnedovertothearchives.TheBoardwouldappreciatedonationsofany material pertaining to the history of the area.If you have material that you do not wish to partwiththearchiveswouldliketohavetheopportunityto scan these documents on a computer to createelectronic archives. For more information, contactAlan Drysdale at his home (204) 476-2723.

Families wishing to have histories included inShoal Lake’shistoryproject,Ripples on the Lakehavetosubmitthemtoslhistorybook@goinet.caortoBox181,ShoalLakeR0J1Z0by31March2007.ThebookwhichwillservetheShoalLakeandOakburncommunitieswillbeprintedbyFriesensin2008,ayearpriortothe100thanniversaryofthetownandthe125thanniversaryoftheRuralMunicipalityofShoalLake.

Winnipeg Free Press reports that barber Jack Taylor’srecordsofthenamesandservicenumbersof22,000airmenwhohadamilitaryhaircutattheRoyalCanadianAirForceNo.2ManningDepotinBrandonarenowavaluableresourceattheCommonwealth Air Training Program Museum in Brandon.Tayloronhisowninitiativerecordedtheinformationinastackof scribblers (known as the Barber’s Book) which was donatedtothemuseumwhenhediedinthe1980’s.Theinformationhasbeenenteredoncomputersandisavailableatthemuseum.Ithasenableddescendantstogetservicerecordsoffamilymemberswhowouldnottalkabouttheirwarexperience.

Vol.39,No.3,2007 Time Lines

�0 Manitoba Historical Society

Memories that you wish to share: TheUniversityWomen’sClubisholdingatwo-daywritingworkshoponMonday,12MarchandMonday,19MarchatRalphConnorHousewithinstructorAnneFairley,Winnipegwriter and editor. Learn to capture significantmemoriesinwritingtosharewithfamilyandfriends.Memories of events, family members, a favouritehome-yourchoice!Theworkshoprunsfrom10amto4 pm. Lunches are included. Registrationfeeincludingtwolunches–$100plusGSTformembersand$125plusGST fornon-members.Formore information,contact Margaret Stinson (204) 488-8012, or stinsons@mts.net.Registrationwillbelimitedto12persons,sosignupearly!

TheUniversity Women’s ClubpresentsasixpartseriesonManitoba’sEarlyWomenwriters.Manitobahas a long and proud tradition of women writers.Thoseselectedforthecourseincludejournalists,poetsand novelists and they reflect the ethnic groups that havecontributedtotheculturalrichnessanddiversityofourprovince.Inanhistoricaloverviewofaboutadozenwomen,wewillexaminethewritingsofMarthaOstenso,LauraGoodmanSalversonandGabrielleRoy,whoareconsideredourliteraryfounders.MargaretLaurence andAdele Wiseman are also included.Thespeaker isCélineKear,apastpresidentof theMHS,whowillspeakonManitoba’s Early Women Writers. TheseriesrunsforsixTuesdaymornings,3Aprilto8May2007from10amto11:30amattheRalph Connor House at 54 West Gate, Winnipeg. The registrationfeeis$50forUWCmembersand$60fornon-members. For further details and registration,please contact: Janice at uwc@mts.net, (204) 954-7889 (voice mail available up to 10:30 pm) or Céline at (204) 475-3200.

Creative display techniques for your forgotten family photos: If you have been thinking aboutcreative ways to display those forgotten photos you stored away in a shoebox or family photo album,this presentation is for you. Staff from the Historical Museum of St. James-Assiniboia will provideadvice on safe storage and conservation methods.All participants will receive a reference package.Registrationisrequired. TheworkshopisgivenatSt. James-Assiniboia Library, 1910 PortageAve,Thursday,March8, 7:00pm, to register: (204) 986-3424, and Transcona Library, 111VictoriaAve.West,Thursday, March 22, 7:00 pm, to register: (204) 986-3950.

Important Reminders• Please check the expiry date shown on the

mailing label of your newsletter and renew yourmembershipwhendue.Renewalcanbemadebymail,byphone,orbyavisit totheMHS office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 1:00 to 5:00 pm. Payment may be made by cash,cheque,VisaorMastercard.

• Your donations are needed to support theongoing work of the Manitoba HistoricalSociety.Taxreceiptsareissued.

Brandon Sun Community News reports that theBrandon Mental Health Centre MuseummustmovealltheirartifactsintostoragebeforetheendofMarchsothatrenovationscanbemadeinpreparationforthemoveoftheAssiniboineCollegetoNorthHall.Morethan100yearsofhistoryisinvolvedinthemove.Agreatvarietyofartifacts includedentalequipment,shock treatment equipment, old wheelchairs, labequipment,tools,pharmacyitems,nurseuniforms,clothing,andstraitjackets.Anewsiteforthemuseumhasnotyetbeendetermined.

The CarillonreportsthattheSteinbachCityCouncilapprovedgrantstolocalorganizationsformorethan$530,000.TheMennonite Heritage Village Museumgrant for this year was increased from $35,000 to$75,000.MuseumexecutiveGaryMartenstoldcouncilthatthemuseumcannotbalanceitsbudgetwiththefunds that itgenerateson itsown.Themuseumisstruggling to pay off a substantial debt incurred in recentyears.

The Portage Daily Graphic reports that theCanadian Pacific Rail Station committeeisrequestingthataCP5000diesellocomotivenowlocatedattheAlberta Rail Museum in Edmonton be moved towhat will become Canadian Pacific Heritage Park. The the park will be next to the 114-year-old CP station in Portage. The station is in the process ofrenovation.TheGraphicnotesthat“changesincludethe reconstruction of a wooden platform, outdoordisplays of baggage waggons, painting exteriorcomponentsofthebuildingandrestorationofwoodenentryways.”Fundraising isunderway.Thestationcommittee hope to attract corporate sponsors. The committee will hold the Second Annual Antiques and CollectablesFleeMarketintheexhibitionbuildingatIslandPark’sfairgroundson3June.

Manitoba Historical Society ��

Time Lines Vol.39,No.3,2007

New Prizes for Young HistoriansIn the last issue of Times Lines, we announced

a new direction for the Young Historians ProgramfocusingonthosenoteligiblefortheHeritageFairs,studentsinGrades10to12.Sincethatannouncement,JimBlanchardhascomeforwardwiththegenerousoffer of $50 first prizes for the first place winners in the threecategories–ResearchPapers,FamilyHistory,andHistoricalFiction.Addedtothe$100Dr.EdwardShawtopprize,thiswillhelpmakethecompetitioneven more attractive. We are grateful to Jim for his continuedsupportofdevelopinghistorians.

Asmentionedinthelastarticle,allentriesshouldbeonaManitobatheme,andwearerecommendingsubmission by email to info@mhs.mb.ca, with aclosingdateofManitobaDay,12May.Detailsandapplicationformsareonourwebsite.

Judith Hudson Beattie, Chair, Young Historians Committee

In the February �007 issue of Manitoba History:Tobrewornottobrew:AbriefhistoryofbeerinCanadaRememberingJohnJ.ConklinAnenvironmentalhistoryofKillarneyLakeThearchitecturallegacyofCharlesWheelerJ.W.Chafe:Winnipeg’srenaissancemanMacdonaldpapersattheArchivesofManitoba“Graven images of a closed society:” The Huron Hutterite colony, 1923VictorianvirtualrealityBull in a china shop: Making fiction at the archivesHistoriccommemoration:WilliamHespeler&more!

•••••••••••

AndrewOsborn

Manitoba license plate ���wasissuedtoWilliamC.FraserforhisReoautomobile.Fraser,a55-year-oldPresbyterian,farmedat14-14-24 near Hamiota.

�9�� Manitoba license platesThe help of MHSmembers, automobile license

platecollectors,andothersisneededtocompleteadatabaselistingall1912platesissuedinManitoba.Atpresent,thedatabaseincludesinformationon3,727vehiclesregisteredbymid-1912,includingtheowner’sname, his/her occupation and address (latitude/longitude and, if applicable, street address), and vehicle make (Ford, Reo, E.M.F., etc.). An example is shownbelow.Whencompleted,the1912automobiledatabasewillbemadeavailableforfreeaccessontheMHSwebsite,accompanyinganarticleinManitoba Historyon1912automobiling.

We would like to hear from collectors of 1912Manitobalicenseplates.Iftheywillsharethenumberoneachoftheirplates,regardlessofcondition,wewillprovide theabove information,andanyadditionaldatathatisavailableforparticularplates,suchasabiographicalsketchoftheowner.

Ifyouhavea1912plate,orknowsomeonewhodoes, please contact Gordon Goldsborough at 204-474-7469 (leave a message) or send email to webmaster@mhs.mb.ca.

Centennial FarmsThefollowingCentennialFarmshavebeendesignatedsincethelastTime Lines.

R. M. of John & Maria S.W. 34-23-21Gilbert Plains Myk WPM1898 Sharon (Myk) Kapenic

Ladywood Shelley (Joba) WNW 24-14-7 CraigF.Joba EPM 1906 LorneEJoba

Warren Alfreda R. Stewart SSW 34-13-1 Donald&Beverley WPM1906 Stewart

Vol.39,No.3,2007 Time Lines

�� Manitoba Historical Society

Time Lines,Vol.39,No.3,2007ISSN1715-8567

Time Lines is the newsletter of the Manitoba Historical Society,©2007.Itscontentsmaybecopiedsolongasthesourceisacknowledged.Time Lines ispublishedbi-monthlyandsubmissionsarewelcome.Copydeadlinesare:1February,1April,1June,1August,1October,and1December.

MembershipfeesfortheManitobaHistoricalSocietyare: Individual $40, Family $45, Youth/Student $20, Non-profit Institution $50, Corporations $275 andLife $575. Rates to USA and other countries areslightly higher. Two and three year memberships intheindividualandfamilycategoriesareavailableatareduction.SeetheMHSwebsitefordetails.

Manitoba Historical Society,est1879

www.mhs.mb.caPresident:Dr.J.M.Bumsted

Office Manager: Jacqueline FriesenTime Lines Editor: Bill Fraser, newsletter@mhs.mb.ca

Time Lines Layout:SalixConsulting

Office 304 - 250 McDermot Avenue Winnipeg,Manitoba,R3B0S5 (204) 947-0559, info@mhs.mb.caDalnavert 61CarltonStreet Winnipeg,Manitoba,R3C1N7 (204) 943-2835, dalnavert@mhs.mb.caRoss House 140 Meade Street N, Winnipeg, Manitoba (204) 943-3958, rosshouse@mhs.mb.ca

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Programming Other:

� March Presentation at Dalnavert by RussGourluck, Popular Local History: A Practical Approach

�� & �9 March University Women’s Club WritersWorkshop

�9 March BookClubMeetingatDalnavert,7:00pm

�� March DalnavertSpringTea,1:00-3:00pm

� April – (Tuesday mornings) at University Women’s Club: Manitoba’s EarlyWomenWriters

�6 April BookClubMeetingatDalnavert,7:00pm

�7 April Multi-cultural Dinner at ManitobaJapanese Cultural Centre, 180McPhillipsStreet, 6:00 pm

7 May BookClubandPotLuckatDalnavert6:00pm

�� May ManitobaDay

�� May Deadline for entries to YoungHistoriansCompetition� May