Courtesy Western Development Museum Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,
Canada Gordon Wilson, Manager George Shepherd, Curator.
Canada celebrates its one hundredth birthday during the year
1967 and the three Western Development Museum branches are already
becoming hives of activity in preparation for Centennial year. The
City of Saskatoon celebrated its 60th, anniversary as a city in
festivities during 1966. Situated on each side of the South
Saskatchewan River it is known as The City of Bridges. The province
was still in the homesteading stage sixty years ago.
This year from the middle of June right through until the first
week of September the Western Development Museum will have a
traveling exhibit touring the province of Saskatchewan. The months
of July and August are booked up solid for the one day stands. This
Museum will be featuring this activity as one of its many
contributions to Canada’s Centennial Year. The exhibit will
consist of about one hundred items ranging all the way from a 1912
steam tractor to ancient autos, early farm implements and household
items.
The smaller displays will be housed in a large marquee tent
suitably decorated with a Centennial Motif.
On Dominion Day of July first 1966 a giant radio hook up linked
all of Canada’s eleven provinces and territories. Each province
was allowed eight minutes, to the split second, and the broadcast
moved across Canada in a most impressive manner. The Western
Development Museum at Saskatoon was given the exclusive honor of
representing Saskatchewan for the entire eight minutes. As readers
of the Iron Men might well surmise the broadcast, originating,
right from the Museum grounds, started off with a couple of long
toots from a steam engine. This sound, so familiar to old timers,
was heard clear across Canada. A running commentary was made by the
Museum staff.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Television people desired
the recreation of an old time threshing scene as part of their
Centennial cross Canada program and again the Museum was called on
for help. A farmer eight miles out of the city was found who had
harvested 190 acres of wheat with a power binder. A 60 year old
Buffalo Pitts wooden body separator was brought out of retirement
at the Museum along with a 25 – 75 Case steamer. A setting was
provided making a perfect replica of harvesting with the old time
threshing crew, even to the separator man with his long spouted oil
can. It takes days of preparation to make a film that will only run
for about twenty minutes.
The North Battleford branch of the Western Development Museum
was extremely active during 1966 and -will be more so in 1967. With
wonderful co-operation from the citizens of the town a complete
pioneer village of a dozen or fifteen buildings has been set up on
the Museum grounds. There is a lovely little church, a one room
country school, blacksmith shop, machine shop, ladies wear, in fact
about everything that one would expect to see in a prairie town of
sixty years ago. This is the only one of its kind in Saskatchewan
at the present time.
Included in the village at North Battleford is one of the old
time steam railway locomotives and a truly magnificent private
railway coach that is a real prize. The North Battleford Museum is
at the junction of highways 4 and 5. To make sure that tourists do
not miss the Museum there is a faithful replica of a giant Scarlett
coated Mountie seated astride his black horse. The horse and rider
measure close to 23 feet to the tip of the riders upraised
lance.
Back at Saskatoon the Antique Car Club of that city are busy
restoring a 1912 five passenger Rambler touring car. This is a
major undertaking and is being done in the Museum workshop. It is
hoped to drive this car clear down to Montreal, two thousand miles
away where the giant Expo 67 is being staged. Also on the drafting
board at Saskatoon is the rebuilding of a forty horse Reeves
steamer.
The Western Development Museum has around 125 farm steam
tractors on hand, over 250 of the old lime gas tractors and the
same number of antique autos along with hundreds of smaller
exhibits relating to the early history of the province. It is small
wonder that the Museum for sees a continuous restoration program
for the future years.
The big annual Pion-Era show will be held on the Museum grounds
June 30 to July 8 this year. We invite you to share Centennial Year
with us at any time during 1967. We are a grass roots down to earth
organization so dress is optional. It is an old well worn saying
but very true of the Museum that ‘You are only a stranger here
once.’ Be seeing you.
