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New at Glenbow's Archives
by Doug Cass, Director of Library and Archives, Glenbow Museum
The Glenbow Archives is pleased to announce a number of important additions to our extensive holdings of materials on Alberta history. All of this material is available for research and use in the Hugh A. Dempsey Reading Room, on the Sixth Floor of the Glenbow Museum. The Reading Room is open, free of charge, to all interested researchers, Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reference Archivists on duty are pleased to provide assistance.
A. E. Cross
One of the most prominent Calgarians of the early 20th century, A.E. Cross came to Calgary in the early 1880s and established both the Calgary Brewing and Malting Company and the A7 ranch near Nanton. Cross was one of the "Big 4" who helped finance the first Calgary Stampede. He married Helen Macleod, daughter of Mounted Police Commissioner James F. Macleod, and their sons James, John and Alexander, operate the brewery for many years. Alexander "Sandy" Cross provided access to many of the donated records in the 1980s when the family history Braehead was written. These historic files are now available to all researchers. They complement a large collection of other Cross family papers donated to Glenbow since the 1950s, as well as the business records of the Calgary Brewery.
Charles Clark family
Charles Clark of Kincardine, Ontario moved to Alberta in 1903 and published both the High River Times and the Okotoks Review newspapers. After Clark's death in 1949, his son Charles A. Clark took over and operated the papers until 1966. Charles A. Clark and his wife Grace were the parents of former Prime Minister Joe Clark and Justice Peter Clark. The historical records of the Clark family, consisting of more than 2 metres of documentation, were donated to Glenbow in 2000. They provide detailed information on family history as well as the development of a significant rural newspaper in its community context. The newspaper won numerous national and provincial journalism awards and was one of the few papers in the province operated by a single family through two generations. The records also trace the early political progress of Joe Clark and the Conservative Party.
Alberta Wheat Pool
The Alberta Wheat Pool was established in 1923 to help create stability in the grain market and it eventually became one of the largest grain-handling cooperatives in Canada. Owned and controlled by its members, it operated country grain elevators across Alberta and parts of British Columbia, where it handled about two-thirds of Alberta's grain exports. On November 1, 1998 the Alberta Wheat Pool merged with Manitoba Pool Elevators to create Agricore. Historical records of the Wheat Pool, more than 40 metres of documentation, have been donated to the Glenbow in stages since 1961 and they document the detailed development of this important farmer's organization. The development of numerous subsidiary companies, as well as the history of local elevators, can also be traced through the Wheat Pool.
Calgary and District Labour Council
The Labour Council has been the community voice of Calgary's labour movement for over 100 years. Many of its members have represented the interests of labour on the boards of numerous City and other organizations. The historical records of the Labour Council, consisting of over 5 metres of documentation, have been donated to the Glenbow in stages since 1974 and they document the detailed development of this important workers organization. The Labour Council represents over 60 local unions and the history of many of these bodies can be traced in part through the Labour Council records. Cataloguing of the United Way collection was made possible by a grant from the Archives Society of Alberta, funded by Alberta Lotteries.
United Way of Calgary
The United Way has served the community for over 60 years and is the largest non-government source of funding for human care programs in the city. The historical records of the United Way, consisting of over 36 metres of documentation, have been donated to the Glenbow in stages since 1975 and they document the detailed development of this important philanthropic organization.
The United Way currently provides funding for over 200 essential services and the history of many of these service agencies can be traced in part through the United Way records. The papers also document the short-lived Community Chest of the 1920s as well an umbrella social service body, the Council of Social Agencies. Processing of the United Way fonds was made possible by a grant from the Canadian Council of Archives Control of Holdings program.
Calgary Convention and Visitors Bureau
The Calgary Convention and Visitors Bureau (now Tourism Calgary) was established in 1957 to help promote Calgary and district to potential visitors. The Bureau's membership is composed of public and private tourism organizations and businesses that receive numerous opportunities for networking, training and information exchange through their involvement in the association. The historical records of the CCVB, consisting of more than 2 metres of documentation, have been donated to the Glenbow in stages since 1998 and they document the detailed development of this important tourism organization. The development of many member firms and societies can be traced in part through the Bureau's records.
Inventories for these and other fonds held by the Glenbow Archives are available on the Glenbow Museum website at www.glenbow.org/archhtm. For further information, contact the Library and Archives at (403) 268-4203.
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