Summary information
| Repository: | South Peace Regional Archives |
| Title: | Jack & Dorothy Potts fonds |
| Reference code: | 0120 |
| Date: | 1943-1945 (date of creation) |
| Physical description: | 13 photographs |
| Dates of creation, revision and deletion: | Added to new database June 2024 – TD |
Administrative history / Biographical sketch
Jack & Dorothy Potts came to Grande Prairie c. 1942, as part of the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals. This corps ran a wireless station in the town during the Second World War, from about 1942-1947. The Station Site was on the corner of 95 St. and 102 Avenue, then quite a distance out of the town, and Jack Potts was the Sergeant Major, Warrant Officer I.
The population of Grande Prairie in 1942 was approximately 3000, so the Signal Corps, with their wives and their children, were a significant addition. Also, some of the men married girls from the area and a number of “Signal Corps” children were born in Grande Prairie, including the two oldest girls in the Potts family. The Potts’ first home was an apartment above the beauty parlour—one of the few places with running water and plumbing.
When the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals station in Grande Prairie closed in 1947, Jack & Dorothy Potts were transferred. The building was subsequently sold to the Salvation Army for $1.00, to be used as a home to care for seniors.
Custodial history
The photographs were sent to Grande Prairie Museum by Jack & Dorothy Potts in 1995 and transferred to the care of Grande Prairie Regional Archives in 2000.
Scope and content
The photographs include snapshots of the corps at the railway station and with the all-terrain vehicles used in the “Muskox” Expedition; group photos of the corps’ hockey and baseball teams, and one of them with their families on an outing at Lake Saskatoon; views of the town of Grande Prairie; and personal photographs of Mrs. Potts and their first home above the Beauty Parlour.
Notes
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title of the fonds based on contents.
Access points
- Graphic material – photograph (documentary form)
- Military (subject)
Series descriptions
| Reference code | Title | Dates | Physical description |
| 1996.03.01 | Item – Expedition “Muskox” | 1944 | 1 photograph : b&w ; 3.5 x 6 in. |
| Scope and content:
Royal Canadian Corps of Signals Expedition “Muskox” with their all-terrain vehicles parked on the road outside of Grande Prairie. |
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| 1996.03.02 | Item – Expedition “Muskox” | 1944 | 1 photograph : b&w ; 3.5 x 6 in. |
| Scope and content:
Seven men from the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals Expedition “Muskox” standing by their all-terrain vehicle. |
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| 1996.03.03 | Item – Military Parade | 1944 | 1 photograph : b&w ; 3.5 x 6 in. |
| Scope and content:
Royal Canadian Corps of Signals parade down main street Grande Prairie in their all-terrain vehicles during World War II. |
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| 1996.03.04 | Item – Military Hockey Team | 1944 | 1 photograph : b&w ; 3.5 x 4.5 in. |
| Scope and content:
Players of the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals Hockey Team on a Grande Prairie outdoor rink. |
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| 1996.03.05 | Item – Military Picnic | 1945 | 1 photograph : b&w ; 3 x 4.5 in. |
| Scope and content:
Royal Canadian Corps of Signals soldiers with their families at a picnic at Saskatoon Lake. |
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| 1996.03.06 | Item – Military Baseball Team | 1945 | 1 photograph : b&w ; 2.5 x 4.5 in. |
| Scope and content:
Uniformed players and coach from the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals Baseball Team. |
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| 1996.03.07 | Item – View Of Grande Prairie | 1943 | 1 photograph : b&w ; 2.5 x 4.5 in. |
| Scope and content:
View of Grande Prairie from the mast of Signal Corps Radio Station. The signal station is the large building in the foreground. |
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| 1996.03.08 | Item – Beauty Shop on Richmond Avenue | 1943 | 1 photograph : b&w ; 2 x 3 in. |
| Scope and content:
Jack Potts, member of the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals, lived above this Beauty Shop on Richmond Avenue with his wife Dorothy. |
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| 1996.03.09 | Item – Military Skating Rink | ca. 1945 | 1 photograph : b&w ; 2.5 x 3.5 in. |
| Scope and content:
Hockey practice on the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals outdoor skating rink. |
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| 1996.03.10 | Item – Military Hockey Team | 1944 | 1 photograph : b&w ; 2.5 x 3.5 in. |
| Scope and content:
Royal Canadian Corps of Signals Hockey Team and coach on tour in Dawson Creek. |
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| 1996.03.11 | Item – On Parade at the Railway Station | 1944 | 1 photograph : b&w ; 2.5 x 3.5 in. |
| Scope and content:
Grande Prairie Army base Royal Canadian Corps of Signals at Grande Prairie Railway Station. |
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| 1996.03.12 | Item – Richmond Avenue, Grande Prairie | 1944 | 1 photograph : b&w ; 2 x 3 in. |
| Scope and content:
Winter shot of Richmond Avenue, Grande Prairie. |
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| 1996.03.13 | Item – Baby Carriage On the Boardwalk | 1944 | 1 photograph : b&w ; 2 x 3 in. |
| Scope and content:
Dorothy Potts pushing a baby in a carriage on the boardwalk from the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals base into town. |
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