Why do we bother having museums? They require thousands of hours of volunteer labour, and their funding is often precarious.

These were some of the early settlers who passed away during the last half of 1966 as reported in the Calgary Herald and the Oyen Echo.

A few years ago, my wife Laura and I hosted a film team at our farm near Sedalia, AB. The team was from The Military Museums in Calgary, and they were on a mission…

AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM. LEST WE FORGET.

Not all veterans served overseas. According to New Brigden’s history book ‘Still Making Memories’, Fred Tye from New Brigden was among the thousands of service men…

William Mitchell from Monitor, Alberta served as an airplane mechanic in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II.

Edwin Johnson from Esther, Alberta served in the Canadian Army during WWII. According to information from the history book Sage Brush and Sifting Sand…

Howard Everett (Babe) Howard from Monitor, Alberta served in WWII. According to information from the history book A Treasure of Memories Vol. II…

The word “remembrance” means present consciousness of a past event. It can unexpectedly and paradoxically bring forth beneficial memories, those that are disturbing, or a combination of both.

“Feeling forgotten,” I have observed, often occurs among people living in small communities many kilometers from a larger community or city.

Some may say there is probably no historical significance in one of this district’s pioneer settlers being “a painter and decorator by trade,” in the words of his daughter...

When did we first begin to say that fires so essential to human existence needed to be “prevented”? The first reference to “fire prevention” in my quick search of Canadian newspapers...

In her book “The Village Effect,” Susan Pinker illustrates how face-to-face contact can make us healthier and happier. Villages that grow into towns lead to significant improvements...

One of the memorable deaths of early pioneers in this district in 1965 was Mary Theresa Kuich. She passed away at age 82 in Oyen Municipal Hospital January 23.

As the caption on the front page of this newspaper underlines, “without a voice, there is no echo.” A phrase well chosen!

Several more deeply rooted connections to the past drew my interest while surveying news items in 1965. One was about establishing the Alberta Provincial Museum and Archives.

94-year-old Alan Johnson, who subscribes to our paper, stopped by our office last week with this wonderful photo of his Dad’s farming outfit.

The past is not absent, it has presence. This is what Eelco Runia explains in “Moved by the Past: Discontinuity and Historical Mutation” (2014).

In September of 1973, Dr. Dorosz of Regina visited Oyen. The survey conducted the summer before Ed’s arrival...

Veterinarian Ed Dorosz made a big impression in our community. Ed, Sandy and their family moved to town in the early ‘70s. Always a riot when Ed came on a call.