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.
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?
To answer these questions, it is first important to know a bit about Rutherford. Born in 1857 near Ormond in Upper Canada, he served as Alberta’s first premier from November 1905 until May 1910, and remained a Member of Legislative Assembly until April 1913. As premier, he faced many challenges in the province’s early years. There was a great need to support agricultural and industrial development, build more roads and railway lines, and expand the education system to support the province’s rapidly growing population. Rutherford was invested in all these areas of need, but his primary focus was Alberta’s fledgling education system, as he believed it was the, “basis of intelligent citizenship and good government.” This belief likely influenced his decision to serve as Minister of Education for the duration of his premiership.
Under his tenure as Minister of Education, the number of schools in Alberta more than doubled from 526 in 1905 to well over 1,000 by 1908. A normal school—a training school for teachers—also opened in Calgary in 1908. Rutherford also worked tirelessly to establish the University of Alberta, which opened its doors to students in 1908. To Rutherford and his government, the University of Alberta symbolized his, “foresight and deep desires…to bring the advantages of learning and educatoin (sic) to the doors of his fellow citizens.”
Albertans appreciated the work Rutherford put into improving Alberta’s education system. This is demonstrated by the numerous invitations he received to lay the corner stone for new schools, including the school in Medicine Hat referenced on the trowel. This school was desperately needed as—despite having a student population of 720—Medicine Hat had only two schools: Toronto Street School and Montreal Street School. The construction of this new school, named Alexandra School in 1910 after Queen Alexandra, was therefore an important occasion and marked the start of, “another epoch in the history of the education system of Medicine Hat.”
The laying of the corner stone was typically a jubilant affair and was often attended by large crowds of people. Distinguished guests and politicians, such as the Premier, were often present. Speeches, parades, songs, and an evening dinner for important guests were also routinely incorporated into the affair. The ceremony in Medicine Hat similarly followed this pattern.
The day began with a march of school children led by the 21st Hussars Band to the site of the new school where a large crowd had formed a full hour before the start of the ceremony. The singing of “The Maple Leaf” by pupils and a speech by W. J. Brotherton, the chairman of the board of trustees, officially opened the ceremony. Rutherford gave his speech after Brotherton, remarking how he “prized this honor” and that there was no greater pleasure as Minister of Education than, “laying the cornerstone of new and opening schools.” The corner stone was laid after Alexander’s speech and was followed by a flag-raising ceremony, a second parade and an “informal dinner” at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. The elaborate ceremony was not the only means citizens of Medicine Hat showed their appreciation to Rutherford. Prior to laying the cornerstone, he was presented with the ornate silver trowel that now rests in the corner of the library of Rutherford House by “little Ruth Hawthorne,” the daughter of Medicine Hat school trustee A. C. Hawthorne.
The trowel’s delicate details and costly silver material allude to the profound appreciation and gratitude residents of Medicine Hat had for Rutherford and his government’s dedication to erecting new schools in the province, and specifically, in Medicine Hat. Evidence for particular appreciation being paid to Rutherford is illustrated by the decision to gift only him with a silver trowel. Other members of government, notably William T. Finlay, Alexander’s Minister of Agriculture and the Member of Legislative Assembly for Medicine Hat, were also present, but were not given similar gifts. Therefore, the fact that only Rutherford was presented with a trowel is likely special recognition for the work that he undertook as Minister of Education.
Thus, the silver trowel is more than an artifact that occupies the corner of the Rutherford House library and escapes the eyes of most visitors. Not only does the trowel represent the story of Rutherford laying the corner stone for the Alexandra School, it also symbolizes his commitment to improving Alberta’s education system during the province’s formative years and the recognition he received from Albertans for undertaking this laborious task.
However, we can understand the trowel for more than just the story and beauty it holds. The trowel can also serve as a reminder that we should pay attention to not only the large pieces in museum spaces, but also the small and often overlooked ones. Each artifact has a story to tell and we should not be afraid to look high and low, nor closely, to discover and delight in these stories. Sometimes it is the smallest or the most obscure object that has the most interesting story to tell.
Sources
Liberal Party (Alberta). The Record of the Rutherford Government: Four Sessions of Progressive Legislation, Honest Administration: A government that Does Things. Edmonton (?): Liberal Party of Alberta, 1909 (?). Link
Edmonton Bulletin, September 5, 1908 (pages 9 and 11) Link (Note, this report was written largely by Rutherford. See Alexander C. Rutherford, “Three Years of Autonomy, 1905-08,” Alberta History 53, no. 4 (2005): 8. Link)
Medicine Hat News, September 9, 1909. Pages 1 and 5. Link
Babcock, Douglas R. A Gentleman of Strathcona: Alexander Cameron Rutherford. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 1989.
Chalmers, John West. Schools of the Foothills Province: The Story of Public Education in Alberta. Toronto: Toronto University Press, 1967. Link to Internet Archive Digitized Version.
Rutherford, Alexander Cameron. “Three Years of Autonomy, 1905-08.” Introduction by Hugh Dempsey. Alberta History 53, no. 4 (2005): 7-16.
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