Notes - This account gives a brief history of the arrival of African American immigrants to the Athabasca area, namely Amber Valley- an area twenty miles east of Athabasca. Katie Melton was four years old when her family left North Carolina around…

Audio - Mr. Joe Martynuk was born on January 16th, 1898 in Czechoslovakia. He came to Athabasca at the age of twenty-eight in 1926. He bought a farm and his family joined him. Mr. Martynuk talks of early farm life, animal care and crops. He mentions…

Audio - Mr. Alexander Lennie arrived in Athabasca in 1930 with his wife and seven children to homestead on Soldier Settlement Land. He talks about clearing the land, and starting his farming life in Athabasca. Mr. Lennie discusses other settlers,…

Audio - Mr. Tom Gorman and Mr. John Gorman discuss their lives in Athabasca including Tom's birth on April 3, 1917, the first night that Dr. Meyer arrived in Athabasca. Early farming, fishing, freighting and railway stories are discussed in…

Audio - Mr. Edwards discusses immigrating to Alberta due to segregation in the United States. He recounts the early history, leaders and locations of black settlements in Alberta. He reveals how Amber Valley got its name along with descriptions of…

Audio - Mr. D. Shalapay Sr., Mrs. Annie Rypien, Mrs. Nancy Shalapay, Mr. Mike Rypien, and Mrs. Olga Meardi spend the balance of the tape discussing teachers and school systems since World War II. They also have a general conversation about farming,…

Audio - Mrs. Jettie Willey, Mrs. Roseanna Shank, Rev. B.A. Rathbone and Hugo Carlson discuss many firsts to happen in the Athabasca area including: Mr. Dean , the first school teacher in Athabasca, MacLeod's Creamery had the first electricity…

Audio - Mr. Douglas Hay and Mrs. Millie Hay discuss their personal history, including the arrival of Mr. Hay's family in Colinton in 1905. They discuss freighting, farming, education, businesses and residents of Athabasca and Colinton (2:50:41…

Notes - This is a transcript of an audio interview (Tape 3) with Mr. Joe Martynek. Mr. Martynek discusses life in the Athabasca area in the 1940s including working in a lumber camp and buying his first car. He talks of parcels of land bought and…

Notes - This is a transcript of an audio interview (Tape 115) where Mr. Douglas Hay and Mrs. Millie Hay discuss their personal history up to the current day. They discuss their children and their children's careers as well as recounting a few…

Notes - I. C. Shank recalls the old plow that his father used while farming in Alberta from 1907-1940. It was pulled by a team of four horses. His father had set it up so that the children could operate it. They would attach themselves to the seat…

Photograph - A man (Jack Irwin) standing beside a Model 20-40 Case steam tractor. Vulcan, Alberta

Notes - Mrs. Vi Kowalchuk writes of rural electrification following her interview with B. Loiselle, the contractor responsible for building the one hundred miles of power lines in the area over an eleven year period. Mrs. Kowalchuk writes of the…

Notes - This is a history of the Chapin-Anderson family written by Ordie Chapin-Anderson. The Chapin family moved from The USA to a homestead eight miles from Colinton, Alberta in 1910. Frederick Lewis Chapin and Ethel May Chapin arrived with their…

Photograph - Two men beside a steam tractor. Manitoba

Notes - Mr. Oscar Swenson's grandson has chronicled his grandfather's life from his birth (Stettler, AB) and childhood (Athabasca Landing, AB) to his work, married, and retired life in Minnesota. Mr. Swenson shares many anecdotes including…

Photograph - Men and horse-drawn wagons. Manitoba

Notes - This is the story of Mr. Thomas Roy McLean - his marriage to Helen, his life in Hay River and Athabasca, and his careers in radio and at the creamery. Mr. McLean ran an appliance store in Athabasca and was part of bringing electricity to the…

Notes - This is a transcript of an audio interview (Tape 114) where Mr. Douglas Hay and Mrs. Millie Hay discuss their personal history, including their wedding, social activities, sports and entertainment. Farming, including the hiring of help in…

Notes - Tape #29. This is a summary of an interview where Mr. Tom Gorman discusses farming life and its hardships from 1919 on. He discusses individuals who lost their entire crops and what to do if you ran out of feed for your horses (a two-week…

Audio - Mrs. Elizabeth Byrtus tells her personal history starting with the arrival in Athabasca of Mike Byrtus via Austria and the United States in 1912. She discusses raising a family and early farm life, including her fear of the wild animals in…

Audio - Mrs. Elizabeth Byrtus talks of her early life and family in Poland before she came to Athabasca. Mrs. Byrtus brother-in-law was in Athabasca and Mrs. Byrtus came out with her sister to help with her nieces and nephews. She discusses her…

Audio - Mr. Gordon Vance discusses his personal history and life in Athabasca. He talks of the ferry and of his early teachers (Edith Chapman, Jean Falconer, Fred Meadows, Miss Plumley and Tiny Shaw- the Principal.) He discusses his friendships and…

Audio - Mr. Leo Noddings talks about the Depression and politics, including the Farm Credit Arrangement Act with R.B. Bennet in power. Other politicians mentioned are : George Mills, Ike Gagnon, Charlie Cross and Bill Waller. Mr. Noddings also…