#Alberta history

[piizunn]

françoise (red river cart), 2023

My second red river cart built for the city of Calgary's parks educational programming about local Métis Otipemisiwak history. The cart is propped up for stability while it is not in use and because there was a last minute problem with a spoke that I will be repairing so that the cart will be able to function for years to come! It accomanies a Métis Otipemisiwak trappers tent and several large vinyl panels of archival material for education. I also delivered the following speech after Elder D. D. spoke some beautiful words and M. H. introduced me and fellow artist D. P. who created beaded and illustrated borders in the style of historic Michif beadwork for the selected archival images.

Taanishii kiiyawow? riel s. dishinikashoon. Hello, how are you all? my name is riel s. and i descend maternally from seven Métis Otipemisiwak families from the historic Red River Settlement and Batoche. Notably my Berthelet ancestors were community leaders in Pointe à Grouette, now Ste. Agathe, MB. Throughout this project I thought often of my 5th great uncle Jean Caron Sr. who fought in the North-West Resistance of 1885 in which his house was burnt down. It was later rebuilt in 1891 and it still stands in Batoche to this day. I introduce myself in this way, the traditional way of the Métis Otipemisiwak to contextualize my knowledge and experiences, situate myself on this land, and honour my family.

The red river cart is a symbol of Michif (Métis Otipemisiwak) ingenuity and survivance. From the land it rises and to the earth it will decompose again, not leaving a trace, not a nail or a screw. I built my first cart in 2022 during my undergrad as I considered histories of road allowance, trade, and Michif material culture's place in contemporary art. It is the vessel that carried us across our vast homelands and beyond, and cradled our young nation, serving us in our fight for sovereignty, dignity, and respect.

I would like to thank my friend C. for their assistance in parts of the building process, as well as their trust, friendship, and curiosity. I would also like to thank M. H. and D. P. for this opportunity and your guidance as mentors and your friendship. Maarsii.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"Who says Canada's buffalo are extinct? Here is a scene from Goose Lake, near Wainright, Alta, showing a part of the great herd on the government reserve there. Science is attempting to cross-breed these buffalo with cattle to produce a hard milch-cow for northern climes.

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Another visit from US financiers to Canada's gold mines in Northern Ontario has been made, this time vis aeroplane. Gene Tunney, retired undefeated heavyweight champion of the world, was one of the party of 11, some of whom are shown at top. Col. W. A. Bishop, Canada's war ace, was also member of the party which included a number of prominent shining men. In the group shown at the top are, left to right - D. M. McKeon, New York financier; Col. W. A. Bishop; B. F. Smith, New York, financier; Gene Tunney, David Sloan, Vancouver, managing director of the Plonser mine, P. S. Arguimbau, New York financier; Eddle Dowling, comedian and singer, New York and Paris: and Heard P. Gimpel, of the New York department store bearing his name. In the lower picture at left is a close-up of Tunney, twice conqueror of Jack Dempsy for the world's heavyweight boxing title, now wealthy business man and politician. At right is shown, left to right - J. P. Bickell, president of McIntyre Mines, from whose home in Port Credit, Ontario, the party left; Ed Flynn, prominent New York politician and friend of President Roosevelt, and Hon. Chas. McCrae, Ontario minister of mines. The party bound for McIntyre mines near Timmins, Ontario."

- from the Kingston Whig-Standard. June 26, 1933. Page 10.

[sundownintheparisoftheprairies]

We don't talk about how hard Matt goes for Halloween. Modern Halloween as we know it is very much a Canadian creation. The term "trick or treat" was 'invented' in Alberta.

Just Matt going all out for Halloween

[canadianenergymuseum]

1948 Alberta Oil Review A Publication of the Alberta Publicity Bureau

It's a quiet Saturday at the museum front desk, so I'm using the time to look through some of our collection's old publications, compiling information I can incorporate into the new exhibit.

This lovely little booklet beautifully lays out the state of oil production in Alberta for 1948. Am I partial to it because of its use of turquoise? Maybe. But beyond that it's a great snap-shot of the impact the Leduc oilfields had on the industry less than 2-years in. And it has graphs. I love graphs.

[vintagecamping]

Marilyn Monroe poses with some trash raiders.

Banff, Alberta

1953

[yesterdaysprint]

Calgary Herald, Alberta, March 3, 1936

[amnhnyc]

Behold the dazzling colors of an iridescent ammonite (Placenticeras intercalare)! A relative of today’s squids, this ammonite lived some 80 million years ago near what is now Alberta, Canada. This fossil’s spectacular coloration is the result of millions of years of high temperatures and pressures. As these forces acted on nacre in this ammonite’s shell, it was transformed into a gemstone known as an ammolite. Along with amber and pearl, ammolite is one of only a handful of gems made by living organisms. You can spot this rare specimen in the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Collections Core in the Museum’s Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation!

Photo: © AMNH

[chey-murray]

Heart Creek Bunker | Alberta Hikes

Hike Type: Easy, Busy

Location: Bow Valley Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada

Notes: Bring bear spray and a flashlight.

Within Alberta is a man-made cave known as "Heart Creek Bunker." According to local lore, it was intended to be a nuclear shelter, but was never completed. That is mostly the truth. It was dug out by two brothers, Joe and Stan Rokosh, who had dreams of turning it into a storage facility. While they do mention the possibility of use for disasters, their main goal was storage.

To get there, I first parked at Heart Creek day-use area, and followed the Trans-Canada trail. It has been many years since I was last there (2015), and much of the trail was washed out by flooding, but keeping left on the trails was all it took to reach the cave.

The Caves themselves are shallower than you might expect, with two dead-ends, and the walls were littered with spray-paint and used candles.

If you decide to go yourself, do note that I did spot a bear print, so be sure to bring bear-spray. Also, don’t forget a flashlight!

[fragmentaryremains]

Huh. I know Mr. Williams couldn't have seen COVID coming. But it is funny (in a sad way) that the first thing I thought of was "oh, so he'd be against anti-masking, right?" It wasn't until I looked at your tags that I realized this was talking about queer rights and individuals. The sad thing is, I can't tell whether Mr. Williams is talking about AIDS and HIV or whether he's directly referring to homosexual individuals as a "disease." The latter certainly doesn't feel like something out of the question with some of Alberta's history (though perhaps I'm being uncharitable/overdramatic considering I'm still relatively ignorant of Alberta's queer history).

Either way, I'd definitely like 2025 to be a year where we smarten up. Given that our municipal elections will be in October that year, maybe we'll actually see something? Not just in the bigger cities, but also in areas outside of them too…

do you ever just do research in 1995

good news everyone! Alberta will FINALLY smarten up in the year 2025 :) Scott has spoken it into existence!

[makingqueerhistory]

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Making Queer History is going to be on Queer in Alberta season 3!

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"FAMILY CONTINUES HUNT FOR DINOSAUR," Sault Star. May 8, 1934. Page 12. ---- Sternberg Father and Sons Comb Hinterlands For Animal Bones ---- (By Guy E. Rhoades, Canadian Press Staff Writer) Toronto, May 8. - (C. P.) - If Levi Sternberg goes to the field this year, and he hopes he will, it will be his 14th expedition as a dinosaur hunter in 16 years, but that, he says, is nothing compared with the record of his father and two brothers.

Levi, preparator of paleontology at the Royal Ontario Museum, is the youngest member of a dinosaur-hunting family that has gained the plaudits of scientists for almost six decades. His father, C. H. Sternberg, made his first expedition to the Kaлsas fossil beds in 1876 with the late Edward Drinker Cope, professor of geology at the University of Pennsylvania and one of the most noted pal- eontologists of the last century.

The old man, now 84, is still working on the Pacific Coast, making his headquarters at San Diego, Cal., Levi has been working for the Oftario museum since 1919. Charles has been with the National Museum in Ottawa since 1912 and George is now at Kansas Teachers College in Hays.

Sternberg senior started collecting fossils in Kansas when he was 17, at a time when many people did not know the strange rocks with patterns in them were remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago. He did little work in museums, but he was recognized as one of the greatest fossil hunters and is now the veteran of them all.

He and all his sons worked for the National Museum before the war, searching the badlands of Alberta for the petrified bones of monsters that roamed that weather-scarred, barren country when the land was a steaming swamp covered with tropical vegetation.

The father and George returned to the United States, but Charles and Levi remained in Canada and continued to make trips to Alberta, usually along the Red Deer Valley, bringing back their specimens in the fall and spending the winter mounting them for exhibition in the halls of their museums.

[blueiscoool]

Large Iridescent Ammonite Placenticeras costatum Late Cretaceous (approx. 71 million years ago) Bearpaw Formation, Alberta, Canada

[fragmentaryremains]

Huh. Interesting to learn that Heritage Park has been around since the 80s. I mean, I guess it makes sense. I just never really thought about how far back it must have existed since all the buildings there are old buildings (and thus you can't exactly peg the parks age via the architecture like you could with, say, the Calgary Zoo).

Also, similar to "poor little moo moo," "our poor neighbor" is another great phrase. Especially considering Calgary's official song is "Neighbours of the World." "Our poor neighbour of the world" just makes me think of Calvin looking incredibly bedraggled after coming back into the Calgary Airport. It's definitely a fun image!

sometimes i find some funny stuff while I'm trying to research other things... come back with me to January 2, 1987 in the Journal

the snark actually ends there, believe it or not.

[vintagecamping]

Entrance to the Valley Of The Crooked Trees.

Jasper National Park, Alberta

1955

[elle-camino]