July 2019 - Hanna Museum

Nursing Those Wounds

Hanna Museum 2019, History Alive July 29, 2019January 31, 2021

We’ve been pretty busy here with plenty of tours (locally and globally) and our weekly teas.

No tea was hosted on the 23rd out of respect for Karen Barker’s funeral. Our next tea will be hosted on the 30th and as per usual, we will be providing tea and treats.

If you’ve watched too much Doctor Who and feel like traveling through time yourself, come see our new Travel Through Time display in the Main Building and our 5 beautiful wedding dresses worn between the years of 1886 and 1953! Nothing like a bit of history to sooth that time time travelling desire.

Speaking of history, here’s your historical tidbit for the week. In 1918 the Hanna area was being swept with the Spanish influenza. Countless people caught the illness, and many of those people didn’t survive. Areas that housed the ill were quarantined from the public in an effort to reduce the spread of the disease. Due to the large amount of sick individuals and the ever-growing need for better care, Hanna gained several hospitals throughout the years. The first being Hanna’s cottage hospital, open from 1918 to 1922. The next hospital was three stories with many more rooms and more modern care available. One of the nurses who worked at this hospital is a featured nurses in our museum hospital – Carolyn Madge. Carolyn graduated from the Calgary General Hospital in 1954 and came to work at the Hanna hospital for several months until she quit to become a full-time mother. Her nursing skills did not go to waste, as rambunctious children have a tendency to get scraped up. Later, as her children were leaving home, she worked as a teacher’s aide in several Hutterite colonies in the general area. Carolyn passed away at the age of 86 on December 13th, 2016.

Coming up, we have our next tea on the 30th at 2:00pm. Stop by if you’d like to hear some of Hanna’s local history and get some free food out of the deal. Our bandstand has been given a complete makeover and looks brand new! In fact, it looks so great we have some tentative plans for putting it to good use during the Fall Fair. We’ll be providing some more details next week. That’s all for now so until next time, make history!

The Sole of the West

Hanna Museum 2019, History Alive July 17, 2019January 31, 2021

It’s been an eventful week here at the museum. In just a week we’ve been chock-full with tours, teas, and more!

Our first Tuesday Tea of the season took place on the 9th where guests listened to the story of the first woman mayor in Canada while enjoying drinks and treats.

The Michichi General Store has a new addition to add to our ever-growing collection; a 50 year old scale used in the original UFA store in Hanna.

Speaking of historical additions, here’s another historical tidbit of the week! In the early days when many boys on the eastern coasts of Canada were making their way to the wild west of Alberta, a man by the name of Harry Smith was among them. Smith came to Alberta in 1907 and settled in the Lethbridge area for a period of time where he worked as a harness-maker apprentice. In 1918 he left Lethbridge and moved to Chinook to open a harness store and repair shop. In 1931 he purchased the business of E.A. Adams in Hanna and continued to ply his trade here. As times changed, he adapted and shifted from making harnesses to making shoes. When he wasn’t running a business he was active in the community. Smith served on the school board and represented the town on the hospital board for a lengthy amount of time. Smith passed away at the age of 79 in 1967, leaving his store to his son Dale and his memories to history.

Coming up, we have our next Tuesday Tea on the 16th starting at 2:00PM. Make sure to stop by if you’re interested in some history and treats. That sums up this week and until then, make history!

Carving Up History

Hanna Museum 2019, History Alive July 3, 2019January 31, 2021

Summer has sprung and the Hanna Museum is open once again and ready to get rolling again with our Tuesday Teas, special events, and regular tours!

Starting on Tuesday the 9th of July at 2:00pm, the Tuesday Tea on the Ranch House will be resuming. Stop by for some tea and treats and enjoy some recountings of Hanna’s pioneer days!

The museum’s website (hannamuseum.com) has been revised and now features updated photographs, our other social media links, History Alive 2019 articles, and an events calendar for the months of July and August. If you’re looking for information on buildings, opening and closing times, or previous History Alive articles, don’t worry. That information is on the website as well.

Speaking of information, here’s your weekly historical tidbit. Hanna has seen its fair share of ranchers throughout it’s time and Levi Kennedy is no exception. Kennedy was raised on his father’s homestead in the Hanna district where, as a young boy, he took a liking to the hobby of carving. As he grew up, Kennedy honed his skills as a horseman and cowboy, and rode in many of his local stampedes. As an adult he was employed at the K&B Ranch and created plenty of carvings, several of which can be found in the museums main building. Kennedy passed away in his 80s but the carvings he created will continue to live on and be cherished in homes across Western Canada.

Coming up, the museum will be hosting the second Tuesday Tea on the 10th. As usual, our doors are open from 10 to 5 so pop by for a tour! That sums up this article so until next time, make history!