The Archives will be closed on Friday 30 March for the Easter holidays. We will be open for our normal business hours on Monday 2 April.
Happy Easter!
Photograph: SPRA 362.02.08.035, Darwin tulips, 1925
Tag: News
Special Delivery from Norway
Last week, the Archives received a very special delivery from Oslo, Norway: a copy of Edvard Hoem’s Liv Andre Har Levd. This historical novel, published by Oktober Publisher, includes a reproduction of 1955 County of Grande Prairie map from our collections. The publisher generously provided a copy of the book for the Archives’ reference library.
Liv Andre Har Levd is the fourth and final installment of a Norwegian series that chronicles the lives of an immigrant family who struggle to make a new life for themselves in Western Canada. The book launched to positive reviews and received a second printing merely two weeks after initial publication. As of Friday, 15 December 2017, Edvard Hoem’s novel has reached 2nd place on the publisher’s bestsellers list. (19 December 2017 update: Liv Andre Har Levd is currently the bestselling novel in Norway)
The book provides an interesting example of the widespread reach of materials from our local collections. Among the sea of unrecognizable Norwegian, we spied the occasional (perhaps untranslatable) English words, names, and phrases: “Alberta Pool Elevator,” “Grand Trunk Railway,” “middle of nowhere,” “Red Cross Hospital,” “homesteaders,” etc. The endpaper of the book includes a portion of the County of Grande Prairie map and provides an authentic supplement to the personal histories within its narrative.
The 1955 County of Grande Prairie map was compiled by R.B. Bowen, the secretary-treasurer of the County of Grande Prairie No. 1. The map records the landowners, schools, and road locations from the area. It is bordered by the Smokey River to the East and the Wapiti River to the South. The original document is displayed in the Reading Room of the South Peace Regional Archives, where it is often consulted by researchers wishing to locate family-owned property.
Click here to browse the book (in Norwegian).
Click here to view a reproduction of the map.
Click here to view the 1955 County of Grande Prairie Land Ownership Map Database.
1955 County of Grande Prairie Land Ownership Map [cropped] SPRA 1969.53.075
South Peace Regional Archives Welcomes New Executive Director
The South Peace Regional Archives is pleased to welcome Alyssa Currie, who has taken over the role of Executive Director this week. Currie succeeds Mary Nutting who retired from her post.
Currie was born and raised in Dawson Creek before attending the University of Northern British Columbia where she completed her Bachelors of Arts in English and History, then going to the University of Victoria, where she is currently completing her Masters of Arts. Her previous experience includes working as an Assistant Curator at the Pouce Coupe Museum, Student Archivist at Library and Archives Canada, and as a Recruitment Officer at the University of Victoria.
Currie will draw upon her previous work and academic experiences, as well as her personal connection to the area. “I look forward to bringing the history of the South Peace region into the present and the future,” she remarks, stressing that “this work would not be possible without the generous support of the Archive’s municipal partners, donors, and community members.”
The South Peace Regional Archives continues its commitment to gathering, preserving, and sharing the historical records of the region. The archives enrich people’s lives by increasing their understanding and appreciation of the past.
For more information, please contact:
Alyssa Currie, Executive Director
780-830-5105
director@southpeacearchives.org
New “Telling Our Stories” Newsletter!
The South Peace Regional Archives publishes a quarterly multi-page newsletter to include submissions and stories from the public. It is available online, at the Archives, and is mailed to members of the Society.
Read the PDF version of Telling Our Stories Volume 4, Issue 4 and visit our Newsletters page to view past issues.
Update: We have been able to identify the above photograph! It is of the 1951-52 Beaverlodge class – the names of the students are available on our Facebook page, where we received a great response from the community. Thank you to everyone who helped us identify this photograph!
“Like” us on Facebook!
South Peace Regional Archives is now on Facebook! Check out our detailed timeline of the South Peace and “Like” us to receive news and updates!