History comes alive in this series of short Radio Broadcasts.
David Neufeld and Betty Sawatsky have created a series of Radio Broadcasts that offer a look at local history from unique viewpoints. A complete list as presented on CJRB Radio is being developed along with additional resources. We are always adding new episodes.
The List in the order they were presented on Radio CJRB
1.Goodbye at Sourisford: Charlie West felt invisible at Sourisford, before others began to arrive.
Themes: Trails & Rivers / Fur Trade / Dakota, Nakota & First Nations / Community Cooperation & Organization
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2. Bridge at Bunclody: Almost all trains, he said, went east and west, but this one was going north and south, making new connections and hopefully opening markets for us and our neighbours.
Themes: Trails & Rivers / Railways / Settler Pre-Railroad / Innovation, Tools & Entrepreneurs / Commerce & Work
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3. Mrs. Weightman: From Scotland to Dand – a pioneer woman’s success story.
Themes: Trails & RiversSettler – Pre-RailroadWomen Leaders Children Homesteading / Agriculture / Biographies &Characters
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4. Whitewater Lake: Change is the only constant when it come to this large shallow body of water.
Themes: Trails & Rivers / Fur Trade / Dakota, Nakota & First Nations / Settler – Pre-RailroadChildren
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5. Blizzard at West Brenda: A young teacher and her students spent a long night in the schoolhouse. “The snow hit us with such force we were gasping. I couldn’t even see my hand, stretched out.”
Themes: Community Cooperation & Organization Schools & Teachers Women Leaders Children Events & Adventures
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6. A Deal’s a Deal: How did the Treaties come about?
Themes: Metis & Mixed Blood Dakota, Nakota & First Nations Community Cooperation & Organization
Homesteading / Agriculture Government Influence
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7. The Purple Hill Beef Ring: “My father called a meeting and 20 families agreed to take turns offering the group one steer a year.”?
Themes: Community Cooperation & Organization Innovation, Tools & Entrepreneurs Women Leaders Children Homesteading / Agriculture
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8. Prairie Riches / Photos by Hime: Observations by the first Prairie Photographer
Themes:
Trails & Rivers Dakota, Nakota & First Nations Settler – Pre-Railroad Cross Cultural Learning
Biographies &Characters Government InfluenceEvents & Adventures
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9. John Pritchard / Barely Alive: A Fur Trade Era survival story.
Themes:Trails & Rivers. Fur Trade. Dakota,Nakota & First Nations Settler – Pre-Railroad Community Cooperation & Organization. Health. Biographies &Characters. Events & Adventures
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10. The Sisters at Grande Clairiere /
Father Gaire a Catholic priest from France to establish a mission in Manitoba. He chose the site of a French speaking Metis community south of Oak Lake and was welcomed.
Themes: RailwaysInnovation, Tools & EntrepreneursCommerce & WorkCross Cultural Learning Biographies &CharactersGovernment Influence
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11. Sam Long – Laundry Man / Many Chinese men came to Canada for railway building work, and many stayed on to do other things
Themes: Railways. Innovation, Tools & Entrepreneurs. Commerce & Work. Cross Cultural Learning Biographies &Characters. Government Influence
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12. Billy’s Point / The Metogoshe Metis Community /
Billy Gosslin was a hunter and a trapper – and a Red River Metis. He had moved to Lake Metigoshe from North Dakota and settled on the west side of Turtle Mountain.
Themes: Metis & Mixed Blood / Community Cooperation & Organization / Biographies &Characters / Celebration / Recreation
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13. Overlooking Fire / The complicated history of the prairie fire, and the changes brought by Euro-settlers.
Father Gaire a Catholic priest from France to establish a mission in Manitoba. He chose the site of a French speaking Metis community south of Oak Lake and was welcomed.
Themes: Dakota, Nakota & First Nations / Settler – Pre-Railroad / Innovation, Tools & Entrepreneurs / Homesteading & Agriculture / Land Knowledge & Archaeology
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14. What Happened to Manchester / Manchester wasn’t the first town to find out that the name they chose was already taken.
Themes: Railways / Settler – Pre-Railroad / Community Cooperation & Organization / Churches & Religion / Government Influence
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15. The Legend of Wakopa / Bernard LaRiviere’s Stopping Place became southwestern Manitoba’s first “settler” village – and an important one at that.
Themes:
Metis & Mixed Blood / Dakota, Nakota & First Nations / Settler – Pre-Railroad / Schools & Teachers /
Land Knowledge & Archaeology / Biographies &Characters
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16. Story in a Stone / he story of buffalo rubbing stones many of which are still identifiable on the prairie landscape.
Themes: Land Knowledge & Archaeology / Animals
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17. Master Newcomb / Each of the hundreds of homesteads registered in southwest Manitoba in the early 1880’s required a visit to the Land Tiltes Office near Deloraine.
Themes: Trails & Rivers / Dakota, Nakota & First Nations / Settler – Pre-RailroadHomesteading / AgricultureBiographies &CharactersGovernment Influence
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18. The Edwards Sisters / Prairie Entrepreneurs
The Edwards sisters graduated from Menota school with few available options. They could marry – or – get teacher training and then marry. But their true love was always with clothing.
Themes:
Innovation, Tools & Entrepreneurs Women Leaders Children Commerce & Work Biographies &Characters
Celebration
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19. Eaton’s Catalogue / Even The Schoolhouse Bell
We’ve been able to order everything from fashion to furnishings through the Eaton’s Catalogue – ever since it first came out in 1884, just when this part of the province was filling up with settlers.
Themes: Schools & Teachers / Innovation, Tools & Entrepreneurs / Women Leaders / Commerce & Work
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20. The Empress of Ireland (A Prairie Riverb
Folks in Coulter would ask what is our local blacksmith doing building a riverboat in the middle of the prairies?
Themes: Trails & Rivers / Innovation, Tools & Entrepreneurs / Biographies &Characters / Recreation
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21. SittingEagle
A visit from Sitting Eagle, the grandson of H’damani, the leader of IR #60, was an event many a child would remember.
Themes:
Dakota, Nakota & First Nations / Children / Land Knowledge & Archaeology / Cross Cultural Learning /
Biographies &Characters / Government Influence
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22. Deloraine’s Dr.Thornton / Doctor As Needed
Dr. Robert Thornton was there for the folks of the Deloraine area – wherever called, and, whatever the weather.
Themes: Trails & Rivers / Metis & Mixed Blood / Health / Cross Cultural Learning / Biographies &Characters / Animals
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23. Mrs. Doctor Indeed
We women got together last year, 1910, to form the Deloraine Women’s Institute – and I’m its first president. I chuckled when the newspaper declared “Mrs. Robert J Thornton (Dr. Thornton’s wife) First WI president!”
Themes: Community Cooperation & Organization / Women Leaders / Biographies &Characters
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24. Farmer Mary at Dand / A different sort of pioneer story
Themes:
Settler – Pre-Railroad / Community Cooperation & Organization / Innovation, Tools & Entrepreneurs / Women Leaders/
Children / Homesteading / Agriculture / Government Influence
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(Download Illustrated Text)
25. Sankey Explores the World
Sankey’s first sea voyage was to China and Australia, at age 16. He later joined the crew of the Cutty Sark, a clipper famous for tales of munity and murder!
Themes: Settler – Pre-Railroad / Community Cooperation & Organization /. Cross Cultural Learning / Biographies &Characters / War & Conflict
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26. Sankey At Waskada
After seeing the world as a sailor, Charles Sankey settled down in Waskada – where he made a real impact.ankey’s first sea voyage was to China and Australia, at age 16. He later joined the crew of the Cutty Sark, a clipper famous for tales of munity and murder!
Themes: Community Cooperation & Organization / Schools & Teachers / Land Knowledge & Archaeology / Biographies &Characters
(Listen)
(Download Illustrated Text)
27. True Education / Verona School
Like many a one room school, it went from being the “centre of this community” to being merely a “Historic Site.”
Themes: Community Cooperation & Organization / Schools & Teachers / Children / Celebration
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28. Fiesta Sisters / The Beynons
Raised and educated near Hartney, Lillian Beynon became the Assistant Editor of the Winnipeg Free Press Eeekly – with her own column. Francis was the Editor of the women’s page of the Grain Growers Guide.
Themes: Schools & Teachers / Churches & Religion / Women Leaders / Commerce & Work / Biographies &Characters
(Listen)
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29. Walter Thomas – Before Dinner
Sometimes survival is about, choices.
Themes: Trails & Rivers / Settler – Pre-Railroad / Community Cooperation & Organization / Innovation, Tools & Entrepreneurs / Health / Land Knowledge & Archaeology / Biographies &Characters / Events & Adventures
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30. Walter Thomas – After Dinner
After a freak accident, some good fortune and a bit of kitchen table surgery saved his life.
Themes: Trails & Rivers / Settler – Pre-Railroad / Land Knowledge & Archaeology / Biographies &Characters
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31. Ready to Dig at GainsboroughCreek
People farmed in Southwest Manitoba many centuroes ago. They farmed the same fields beside Gainsborough Creek for over 200 years – growing corn, squash and beans.
Themes:
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32. The Nakota
The Nakota were frequently allies with explorers and fur traders. They enjoyed the benefits they got from trading but they were vulnerable to deceases Europeans brought.
Themes:
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33. The Rats Of Cranmer
The collapse of an elevator in Cranmer could have been dangerous, but there was some warning
Themes:
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34. Miss Pauline Johnson
The celebrated poet toured extensively across Canada. She even came to Napinka, where she made quite an impression.
Themes:
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35. The Dakota
In the 1870’s a delegation of Dakota-Sioux led by Chief H’damani sought a reserve on Turtle Mountain. They had lived there in peace since 1862.
Themes:
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36. Ninety – Acre Island (On Max Lake)
Max Lake was a recreational site, sawmill site… and for some, a home.
Themes:
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37. George Morton / The Cheese King
The name of the Municipality of Boissevain pays tribute to George Morton. He came to Turtle Mountain area in 1878 – and immediately saw the potential for large-scale cheese production – and other things.
Themes:
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38. Mennonites
In 1924 a Mennonite family arrived in Whitewater to join other who had decided to start a new life in Canada.
Themes:
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39: Turtle Mountain Reserve #60
The smallest Indian Reserve in Manitoba seemed to be doing well until the powers that be decided it should be “surrendered”.
Themes:
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40: Mouse Valley
River valleys offer shelter, water, and wood to settler, hunter and traveller alike. The Souris River has been all that and more to the people of our region – for a long time.
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41: Alma Dale / The Chain Lakes Friends
Friends got the name “Quakers” because of the way folks shake when profoundly moved by the Spirit. Mrs. Alma Dale from Ontario came to the Chain Lakes area as a Minister iand made quite an impact.
Themes:
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42: Hutterites
“We’re Anabaptists, which means we’re Christians but aren’t Catholic or Protestant.”
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43: Buffalo Hunting / Buffalo Summer Hunt
Imagine, riding, full gallop within a tornado of stampeding buffalo, your knees steering your horse, filling your musket on the run, your mouth full of shot and your horn swith gunpowder, firing, reloading and firing again, perhaps 20 times in one run. It’s a highly skilled, daring and disciplined affair.
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44: Winter Hunt
Hunting buffalo at Turlte Mountain in the winter presents some challenges.
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45: Mountainside
Mountainside is one of several stops on the Lyleton branch. That railway is fondly remembered as the lifeline of small communities.
Themes:
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#46: The Doctrine of Discovery
How did Europeans get the land from Indigenous Nations? There was one official religion in Europe at that time, so that church had a lot of power. Its leader proclaimed the “Doctrine of Discovery” giving European Christian nations the right to claim virtually all of North America.
Themes:
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#47: My Jim Dandy
Jim first moved to Pierson from Ontario with his birth family in 1891. Six years later, at the age of 31, he built and operated Pierson’s first.
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#48 War Training
The Commonwealth Air Training Field near Hartney was an important part of the WW2 war effort.
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#49 Objecting to War
The Mennonite religion teaches that we must not do violence to others; that it’s wrong to fight in wars; which makes it easy to think they we’re soft on Hitler. But in reality they reject any authority that uses violence.
Themes:
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#50 Jimmy Jock
Most Westman pioneers arrived from the east, Ontario mostly. James (Jimmy) Jock went to BC first then travelled east again. He is the first resident of Minto cemetery.
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#51 War Bride
As a young English woman during WWII, Vera Booker’s parents forbade her to do anything with the Canadian soldiers stationed nearby. She didn’t listen. That’s how she ended up in Waskada!
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#52 Mountain Mill
Those sod houses prairie settlers built seem quaint from a distance. They served their purpose but settlers near Turtle Mountain had a supply of wood close at hand and it wasn’t long before The Max Lake sawmill was serving the community.
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