Promoting, Preserving, Publishing Our Heritage

The Initial Signing of Treaty 8 in 1899

This historical lecture by Dr. David Leonard was on the context from which the treaty was drawn, and how it has impacted the region to the present day. The Grande Prairie Museum venue also displayed the acclaimed Spirit of the Peace Museum Display on Treaty 8 with a wealth of historic photography and written context.

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Forbes Tea at the Forbes Homestead

Thanks to Charles Taws and the Museum staff, we had a successful afternoon tea (and scones and jam) with many PCHS members in attendance to enjoy the beautiful weather. The Coronation display was set up in the dining room, and Society information and brochures were available.

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Heritage Day at the Old Bezanson Archaeology Site

PCHS members and interested parties from the region braved the heat and smoky air to learn about the history of the location and the “dig” from the Old Bezanson Archaeology Project and Bezanson History Consultants, with encouragement from the County of Grande Prairie.

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Telling Tales out of School

The Generations Readers Theatre reprised their school days stories for an audience at the Grande Prairie Golden Age Centre.

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PCHS Annual General Meeting and Ronning Film

After our AGM, those in attendance were able to view the NFB film of the Halvor Ronning family that told their story of missionary work in China, and eventual escape during the Boxer Rebellion. They formed the nucleus of the Norwegian settlement at Valhalla, and their son Chester went on to a storied career as a teacher, missionary, politician, and Canadian diplomat.

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Local Author Presentation: Michael Andruff at the GP Museum

With the Museum organizing and hosting, we were pleased to help publicize and support the author’s presentation. He described the arrival of 116 Russian family members to Canada (from Siberia and Harbin China) in 1924, and after 4 years at Homeglen in central Alberta, the further migration of several families to the Peace region after 1928. That has also been described in our newsletters: the Russian families (Winter '21), their Hines Creek church (Spring '22).

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Telling Tales out of School

The Generations Readers Theatre Grande Prairie allied with PCHS to present the stories and memories of the early-days schoolhouses within the County of Grande Prairie, as remembered by students and the teachers who did their best to keep order in often rudimentary locations. The stories from Mary Nutting’s book, A Grande Education: One Hundred Schools in the County of Grande Prairie 1910-1960, inspired the live presentation, and by September they went on to produce a 10-episode podcast series on this theme.

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Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal Ceremony

To the sound of the pipes, Duff Crerar was presented with the medal in recognition of his past and continuing contributions to the promotion of the history of our country and his work with our Society. The event is marked in our Spring 2023 Newsletter.

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Mercy on the Battlefield

As part of Remembrance Day week, Duff Crerar presented a talk titled “Mercy on the Battlefield” on the evening of November 9 th . The talk told the story of Ed Heller, a farmer from near Beaverlodge who volunteered for military service in WWI. He served as a medic and stretcher bearer.

The full story appears in the December, 2022 issue of the newsletter which is found on the Publications page.

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The Forbes Tea and Tour

Wednesday, August 10th, 2022

Registration Required.

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