Delta Marsh History Initiative, Steering Committee Meeting

9:00 am, 20 September 2004
Home of Shirley Christianson, Portage la Prairie

Present: Barry Bills, Shirley Christianson, Heidi den Haan, Denzil Gamble, Gordon Goldsborough (sec), Bob Jones, Cynthia Jordan, Glen Suggett

1. Minutes of the last meeting (28 June) were approved by consensus with one change: It was not Suggett who had spoken with Gordon Lavalee – perhaps Maurice Blanchard? – but Suggett will contact him.

2. Old Business

a) Fish fry – Goldsborough reported that the total net intake was $1,216.50 (about 350 people), making a balance in our private chequing account of $6,493.18. On a question of whether we would be willing to spend money to attend events where raffle tickets might be sold, Gamble/Jordan moved that we approve such expenditures. Carried. There will be one such event on 12-13 November at the Herman Prior Center. Christianson will book a table and arrange volunteers to staff it. It was agreed generally that we will have a Canada Day Fish Fry next year but none in the meantime. Bills informed Goldsborough that the CanadInn had not received the letter asking for a donation for our raffle. Goldsborough will contact Jon Bernard, the General Manager of the CanadInn Portage (857-9745 ext. 302) to make the request directly.

b) Interviews – Jordan reported that Jean Young’s father, Jim Hamilton, hunted with Robert Taylor. She is apparently in periodic contact with Clara Robinson. Goldsborough had heard a rumor that Clara had recently died. He will contact Sterling Lyon to check on this. Jordan will ask Jean Young about it too. Ward – den Haan will follow-up with Peter Ward and set a date for an interview. Lavalee – Suggett will call him. Atkinson – Suggett talked to him, and he apparently has a large number of photographs, very detailed lodge logs, and other items. Suggett and Goldsborough are going to Weyburn, Saskatchewan to meet with him. It was agreed that it was appropriate for them to be reimbursed for travel and accommodation expenses from our account.

c) Proden photos – Goldsborough has not received these photographs yet. He will call her.

d) Newspaper transcriptions – Copies were very popular, to the extent that everyone wished to have a copy to keep. Goldsborough will arrange for six more copies (Christianson, den Haan, Gamble, Mackey, Blanchard, Pauch).

e) Solomon memoirs – Suggett borrowed them.

f) Landing postcard – Goldsborough returned it to Christianson. It was thought to date to the 1930s, but no more recent than 1936.

3. New Business

a) Dow photos – den Haan received a collection of photos on loan from Doreen Dow, whose husband was a commercial fisherman at Delta. They show the old train station when it was used to store fishing nets – showing nets hanging around it. They were given to Goldsborough for copying.

b) Wilson Lake lodge – Suggett reported that he had found, among government records, some 1958 correspondence regarding the “old Speers tin lodge” at the north side of Wilson Lake.

c) Interviews – Goldsborough was contacted by a descendant of Mr. Gilroy who hunted at Delta. She and her brother are willing to meet. Goldsborough will arrange a date. He will also try to contact the family of Judge Sparling to see if they found photographs at their cottage in northern Manitoba.

d) Newsletter – Goldsborough will compile a newsletter with help from den Haan in time to hand copies out at craft sale events. The deadline for the Fort la Reine Museum News is 10-11 October. We should make about 1,200 copies.

e) Heritage conference – Bills reported that a Municipal Heritage Conference will be held in Portage on 22-23 October, in which it will be possible to have displays on local heritage. We will provide the large historical photographs that we display during our Fish Fry events, as well as copies of our newsletter.

4. Next meeting: The next meeting will be held at the home of Shirley Christianson (118 Wilkinson Crescent, Portage la Prairie) at 9:00 am on Monday, 18 October 2004.

5. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 10:05 AM.