Month: January 2024

The story of a non-descript trowel: Alexander Rutherford and education in Alberta

Jared

Written by: Colby Parkkila, Historical Interpreter, Rutherford House Provincial Historic Site

Within the walls of Rutherford House, the home of Alberta’s first premier Alexander Cameron Rutherford, there are numerous artifacts that are displayed for public viewing. While some items receive plenty of attention, such as Mrs. Rutherford’s piano, Alexander’s bust of Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier, or Mrs. Rutherford’s china, there are many that receive considerably less attention. However, each of these items, big or small, are representative of stories and histories that are deeper and more important than they first appear.

One of these often overlooked artifacts sits atop a nondescript doily on the second shelf of a side table in the library of Rutherford House – a silver-plated brick-laying trowel. Often missed simply because of its slightly obscured location, the trowel appears unassuming at first. After all a trowel is merely a working man’s implement. However, upon closer inspection more is revealed to the keen-eyed observer.

Trowel presented to Alexander Rutherford on September 3rd, 1909, in honour of the laying of the cornerstone for Alexandra School. Source: Rutherford House Provincial Historic Site.

Immediately noticeable is the trowel’s material. Unlike most other trowels, it is not made of wood and metal, but is silver-plated with ornate flowers carved into the handle and a decorative border added to its blade. Both elements suggest that the trowel is not meant for use in construction, but for display and commemorative purposes. Upon closer inspection, an inscription can also be found, reading “Presented to Hon. A. C. Rutherford by Medicine Hat School District No. 76. Laying of Corner Stone Sept 3. ‘09.” The inscription provides some valuable information regarding the provenance and the occasion during which Alexander received this trowel. However, it also raises additional questions: What was this school and why was Alexander present at the laying of its corner stone?

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Adaptability and modern amenities: Laundry in Pakan at the turn of the twentieth century

Jared

Written by: Julia-Rose Miller, Honours Undergraduate, U of A Department of History, Classics and Religion

Laundry has always been among humanity’s greatest burdens. In the past, much like today, clothing had to be washed, bleached, starched, ironed and dried. However, historically, a household’s clothing was by far their most expensive and precious domestic possessions. This meant that the maintenance and laundering of clothing was even more crucial, even though households were likely not in possession of all of our modern cleaning chemicals and detergents. Laundry in Pakan was no different from other areas of Canada at this time as they had access to all the ‘modern amenities’ (hand cranked washing machines, wringers, mangles, irons, clothes lines, laundry tubs, washboards, wash boilers, ironing boards and clothes horses) via catalogues.

Catalogue and Buyers Guide Spring and Summer 1885 no. 57. Source: Chicago: Montgomery Ward & Co. 1885.

Studying domestic labour is at times rather complicated, because, like many other pieces of women’s work, there are few written records detailing laundry activities. To deal with the lack of Pakan-specific sources, my examination of laundry centered on images from Pakan in conjunction with other resources from different parts of Canada like the Eaton’s catalogues and household manuals. Images from Pakan established that residents were wearing western-style, cloth-based textiles, suggesting that they would likely also be using European laundering techniques developed for these articles of clothing. Annie B. Juniper’s Girls’ home manual of cookery, home management, home nursing and laundry provided a comprehensive explanation of numerous laundering techniques and materials popular at the turn of the century. This book, published in Victoria, B.C. in 1913, was given to school girls to instruct them on proper methods for home maintenance.

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