Fonds 449 Foster Family fonds

1 video cassette

18 photographs

Date: 1949-[ca. 1967] (date of creation)

Scope and content:

The series consists of 23 8mm and Super 8mm films taken by Raymond Foster to document family activities and trips. Film topics include children playing, birthday parties, various sports, Christmas activities, outdoor activities, work on the farm, camping, parades, picnics, an air show, the Teepee Creek Stampede, a wedding anniversary, Boy Scouts, a prom, and trips up the Alaska Highway, Hart Highway, to Hudson’s Hope, Florida, Arizona, Banff and Jasper, Yellowstone, Alberta Game Farm, and around the Peace River. Also included is a VHS transfer of seven of these films.

Physical description: 23 8mm film reels

1 VHS cassettes

Access points:

•                Moving images (documentary form)

Arrangement:

The films were arranged in roughly chronological order by the Archivist. Many of the vacation films focusing mainly on scenery and tourist attractions were discarded in favour of others that showed more family action and interaction.

Alternative form available:

Digitized version of many of these films have been uploaded to the SPRA YouTube channel for online viewing.

Conditions governing use:

No commercial use without permission of donor

Publication status:

Published

The film shows a June 1949 family trip up the Alaska Highway including tent camping, berry picking, the White Pass train, a paddle wheeler boat, and children doing various activities.

The film shows a 1950 family trip to Hudson’s Hope including scenes of the Peace River in early fall and fishing.

The film shows scenes of the life and activities of the Foster family including kids bicycling (Janus and Ben), eating ice cream, riding on a wagon behind a cultivator, playing outside and on playground equipment (Freddy Welsh, Eldon Dane), at birthday parties (for Ben, Dwain), at the lake, chasing chickens, at Christmas time, going to school, fishing, horseback riding, skating, camping, and hula-hooping (Janus and Ruth).

The film shows scenes of the life and activities of the Foster family including swimming and boating at Sandy Point Resort, at Caribou Historic Site, picnicking, playing at the playground, at the Grande Prairie pool, at Lake Saskatoon, at Winagami Provincial Park, at birthday parties, walking on stilts, dressing-up, playing in the sand, having a family dinner, celebrating Christmas in a box, a school bus, showing muskrat pelts, and at the Edmonton Ski Club.

The film shows scenes from family trips up the Alaska Highway in the 1950s and 1962 including the Mile 0 marker in Dawson Creek, camping in a truck camper and a trailer, swimming, at the Liard Hot Springs, a beached riverboat, a White Pass Railway trip to Skagway, Five Fingers Rapids, Dawson City and gold panning, a native cemetery, picking wildflowers, a snowball fight, and a sunset.

The film shows scenes from a family trip up the Hart Highway around 1951 including camping, roadside scenery, eating outside, boating and fishing, climbing to a lookout, and cabins.

The film shows scenes from a family trip to Florida in 1952-53 including roadside scenery, Kolomoki Mounds State Park (Georgia), fruit and flowers, Fort Myers, Chapel by the Sea, boats, Christmas at the campground, on the beach, a party, at the circus, in the campground, playing with sombreros, a parade, coconuts, harvesting, playing in the water, golfing, a beauty pageant, and Motorama 1953. This was originally the first of a set of two reels of the Florida trip, the second of which has been discarded.

The film shows scenes from around the farm including a harvesting, various field work and machinery, farm buildings and house, washing a car, cattle, clearing snow, and people on the barn roof.

The film shows scenes of community life and activities including a crowd listening to a speaker, possibly at the opening of a school, a picnic at the Wapiti, washing cars in the river, a classroom presentation to a teacher, adults dressing-up, a game of basketball, and kids at the Lake Saskatoon camp.

The film shows scenes from a 1956 family trip to Arizona including scenery, feeding wildlife, Apache Trail, Montezuma Castle National Monument, flowers, playing in the water, picking fruit, a baseball game, a square dance, Mesa Gardens Trailer Court, a group meal, a train and an industrial plant, cacti, a picnic, hiking, boating, fishing, a building on fire and firefighters, Tumacacori National Monument, a parade, a pony ride and carnival, kids outside Alma school, street scenes and buildings, and Tonto National Monument.

The film shows scenes of outdoor activities including boating and fishing at Sturgeon Lake, a picnic with Mr. and Mrs. Carrell, Puskwaskau Tower, kids playing in a lake (possibly Lake Saskatoon), water skiing, and berry picking.

The film shows scenes of outdoor activities including boating, hiking, a campfire, hunting (likely at Nose Mountain or Athabasca), fishing, large machinery building a road (perhaps the Hart Highway), Henry McCullough bringing the Charter to the new City of Grande Prairie, skiing at the Smoky Ski Hill, an oil pumper and derrick, and moving ice.

The film shows scenes of families in front of their homes, a CN train station, a Royal Visit, weddings, kids eating watermelon, a picnic, Wesley Church, Trinity Lutheran Church, bicycling, an air show, and a winter carnival.

The film shows scenes of family travels including the Al Oeming’s Alberta Game Farm, Yellowstone National Park, Mount Robson, campsites, playing in a lake, a Royal Visit parade, and a snowball fight.

The film shows scenes of a parade with various floats (possibly Sexsmith), a bull sale/show, Teepee Creek Stampede, and trick animals.

The film shows scenes of a family trip to Banff and Jasper including the Chateau Lake Louise, a gondola ride, scenery, the Banff School of Fine Arts, at Miette pool, harvesting, picking fruit, the Cariboo Wagon Road, Lady Franklin Rock, a campsite, fishing, an abandoned cabin, and boating.

The film shows scenes of Ruth and Ralph Carrell’s 47th wedding anniversary including the couple with cake and gifts, the guests, and the food.

The film shows scenes of a Boy Scout camp or jamboree including a parade, the camp, canoeing, sailing, swimming, hiking, cooking over a fire, and a group photograph.

The film shows scenes of family trips to Jasper including the family looking down on Jasper, a picnic shelter and bighorn sheep, the Jasper Sky Tram, and mountain scenery.

The film shows scenes of a 1965 family Peace River trip including Moberly Lake, fishing, the P.G.E. Railway, Dunvegan Bridge, the Dunvegan ferry, Taylor Bridge, the Peace River, and the Peace River dam at Hudson’s Hope.

The film shows scenes of Janus’ prom, a picnic, buildings (possibly in Edmonton), and a costumed man.

The film shows scenes of the Foster family home near Sexsmith in various seasons. The children are shown occasionally.

The film shows scenes of a parade, possibly in Valleyview.

A video recording of some of the 8 mm films in this collection (449.01.01, 05, 06, 09, 11, 15, 20) and a film of a trip to Yellowknife which was not retained.

Date: 1928 (date of creation)

Scope and content:

This series consists of a CD containing 18 photographs of the Foster home and of Sexsmith. In 1928 John Bernhard Foster hired a professional photographer to take photographs of the family, home, and community. A small selection of these photographs were later scanned and compiled on a CD.

Physical description: 18 photographs

Access points:

•                Graphic material – photograph (documentary form)

Conditions governing use:

These photographs were donated as relatively low resolution digital copies and may not be suitable for reproduction.

Publication status:

Published

House at the southeast edge of Sexsmith, identified as having belonged to Lee Warren. The caption on the photograph reads, “Our house by town.”

Aerial view of Sexsmith’s main street as seen from a grain elevator. The caption on the photograph reads, “Sexsmith.”

Holiday card featuring a photograph of the Foster’s house and front yard. The message on the card reads, “Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!” and is signed, “Mr. & Mrs. J. B. Foster.”

Main street of Sexsmith facing north. The Richards McNaughton Co. Ltd. General Merchants building is visible in the foreground, with other buildings including the hotel visible further down the very muddy street. The caption on the photograph reads, “Sexsmith in spring.”

The Foster house, with the town of Sexsmith visible in the distance. The caption on the photograph reads, “Our house by town.”

The Foster family’s home. The caption on the photograph reads, “The new house.”

Group photograph showing Oscar and Magna Foster, John Bernhard and Hannah Foster, and Mr. and Mrs. Jens Hansen. The caption on the photograph reads, “Mr. & Mrs. O. Foster, Mr. & Mrs. B. Foster, Mr. & Mrs. Hanson.”

A view of the Fosters’ living room and dining room. The caption on the photograph reads, “The dining room and front room.”

The living room in the Foster home, looking toward the fireplace. There is an armchair on either side of the fireplace, with a sofa under the window and a piano on the opposite wall. The caption on the photograph reads, “The front room.”

View of the Fosters’ living room, showing the front door, sofa, and fireplace.

The Fosters’ living room, showing the piano with an armchair on either side.

The Fosters’ dining area, with a buffet/sideboard standing against the wall behind the dining table and chairs. The caption on the photograph reads, “The front room.”

The Fosters’ piano and gramophone. The caption on the photograph reads, “Raymond play the violin, Bernice the piano, Papa the gramophone, Mother the radio.”

View of Sexsmith in the distance. The caption on the photograph reads, “What we see from the house.”

A flock of turkeys on the Fosters’ farm.

A pile of lumber. The caption on the photograph reads, “Lumber for the barn.”

Horses on the Fosters’ farm.

A group of people stand outside a church building.