provincial archives of alberta

The Provincial Archives of Alberta 38th Annual Film Night

September 2, 2026September 2, 2026Jared

Written by: Braden Cannon, Private Records Archivist, Provincial Archives of Alberta

The Provincial Archives of Alberta (PAA) is proud to present its 38^th annual Film Night, The View From Alberta: Films By Tom Radford, which pays tribute to the work of Edmonton-based documentary filmmaker Tom Radford.

Film Night is an annual showcase of films from the PAA’s extensive holdings, each year bringing a different theme. Past Film Night events have focused on topics such as wrestling, travelling film shows and CanCon television. Some Film Night events focus on specific filmmakers or creators while others feature and a program of all-women filmmakers.

A still from *Má Vlast: The Jiraneks in Canada*. Source: Provincial Archives of Alberta.

This year’s focus is on Tom Radford, born and raised in Edmonton. His career began as a filmmaker and by co-founding the film cooperative Filmwest Associates, a production company that focused on industrial shorts and documentaries. Radford also co-founded Film Frontiers and made films under both banners before launching the North West Studio of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) in 1980. This Edmonton-based studio of the NFB produced documentaries focusing on western and northern Canada with Radford serving as executive producer until 1985.

Fun in the Alpine Sun: Spring Skiing at Temple Lodge

April 22, 2026April 22, 2026Jared

Editor’s note: The banner image above features a travel brochure on ski resorts at Banff and Jasper, courtesy of the Provincial Archives of Alberta.

Written by: Emily Guthrie-Plouffe, Government Records Archivist, Provincial Archives of Alberta

While some Albertans may balk at the lengthy transition from winter to spring, wishing for temperatures to rise and snow to disappear, there are others who gladly embrace the snow for as long as possible, especially from the sunny slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

Travel Brochure on ski resorts at Banff and Jasper, n.d. *(Tourism marketing publications records, GR1970.0442/1).* Source: Provincial Archives of Alberta.

From the Famous to the Forgotten: Preserving Black History at the Provincial Archives of Alberta

February 4, 2026February 4, 2026Jared

Editor’s note: Learn more about the history and heritage of Black Albertans from the Royal Alberta Museum.

Written by: Michael Gourlie, Government Records Archivist, Provincial Archives of Alberta

Since the 1960s, the Provincial Archives of Alberta (PAA) has acquired kilometres of records, millions of photographs and thousands of hours of audiovisual recordings about the lives and activities of Albertans. While Alberta’s Black community is underrepresented among these archival holdings, it faces a similar challenge to other groups. For every famous individual whose life is documented in detail in numerous sources, there are dozens of other individuals who remain nameless and forgotten until someone researches their stories.

Among the famous individuals found in the PAA’s holdings is John Dee (Johnny) Bright. Born in Indiana in 1930, he attended Drake University on a track and field scholarship, which led to a remarkable collegiate football career marked by several National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) records as well as a national profile. His senior year in 1951 was also notable when he was the target of a racially motivated assault on the playing field during a game with Oklahoma A&M University (now Oklahoma State University), an incident documented in a Pulitzer Prize winning series of photographs. While some on-field rules changed because of the incident, the opposing team and its university administration denied any wrongdoing for decades and only apologized for the incident in 2005.

File OS.1843: Johnny Bright, 1954. *(Frank Oliver Studios fonds, PR1992.0261/1096, OS.1843)*. Source: Provincial Archives of Alberta.

He graduated from Drake University in 1952 with a Bachelor of Science in Education, specializing in physical education. He was the first pick chosen by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1952 draft, but fearing his treatment in the National Football League, he chose to emigrate to Canada and play for the Calgary Stampeders. He was traded to Edmonton in 1954, where he primarily played offense. Bright set several Canadian Football League (CFL) records, helped the team win the Grey Cup in 1954, 1955 and 1956, and was named Edmonton Athlete of the Year in 1959.

Revisiting the Indigenous Resources Guide at The Provincial Archives of Alberta

June 4, 2025June 3, 2025Jared

Editor’s note: The author would like to give special thanks to Quinton Crow Shoe for his contribution to this post. As well, the banner image above features audio reels at the Provincial Archives of Alberta. Source: Provincial Archives of Alberta.

Written by: Mikaela LeBlanc, TRC Archivist Intern

The Provincial Archives of Alberta (PAA) acquires, preserves and makes records available to researchers. These includes government records, which are records created by agencies, boards and commissions as well as departments within the Government of Alberta, and private records, which are records created by individuals, families and organizations. The records come in many formats and can include letters, photographs, drawings, audio recordings, journals, newspapers and maps, among others. Within these records are also a wide variety of materials that were created by and about Indigenous people and communities.

The PAA first released an “Aboriginal Resource Guide” finding aid in 2006, which listed records identified as being about Indigenous communities in Alberta. This guide provided the building blocks for archival research to become more user-friendly when accessing Indigenous related records. The hearings and report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Calls to Action related to archives and the heritage sector identified ways in which the PAA could make improvements in access to records by Indigenous creators and about Indigenous communities. This coincided with the PAA’s move to a new collections management database webpage Access to Memory (AtoM), and saw the release of the Indigenous Resources Guide (IRG) in April 2023. The guide identifies records that relate to Indigenous people and communities in Alberta that are currently in PAA’s holdings.

Township maps at the Provincial Archives of Alberta

April 9, 2025April 29, 2025Jared

Written by: Michael Gourlie, Government Records Archivist, Provincial Archives of Alberta

Township maps are a popular research source at the Provincial Archives of Alberta (PAA). An outcome of the Dominion Lands Surveys beginning in 1881 that captured most of what is now Alberta, the township maps document a grid system using meridians, ranges, townships and sections established by federal surveyors. Known as the Alberta Township System (ATS), this grid forms the basis of legal land descriptions used for Alberta land titles to the present day.

The original township maps were subsequently published in several editions, with the published maps used for a variety of operational purposes. They acted as a template or index for various offices to identify land uses for programs such as grazing leases, timber berths, mineral leases, land grants and homestead applicants. They also provided a standardized perspective to administer and oversee land use.

John Utendale: From the Monarchs to the Miracle on Ice

February 12, 2025February 12, 2025Jared

Editor’s note: All images below courtesy of the Provincial Archives of Alberta.

Written by: Michael Gourlie, Government Records Archivist, Provincial Archives of Alberta

From his start playing hockey on the northside rinks of Edmonton to winning a gold medal the 1980 Winter Olympics, John Utendale had a remarkable career as an athlete and coach, but his achievements during his career as educator were no less distinguished.

Born in Edmonton in 1937, Utendale played rugby, baseball and hockey while attending Victoria Composite High School. He continued to play softball at the provincial level while also playing hockey for the Edmonton Oil Kings. It was his skill as a hockey player that landed him a contract in 1957 with the Detroit Red Wings organization as a member of the Edmonton Flyers of the Western Hockey League. Utendale would become the first Black hockey player to sign a contract with an NHL team.

Utendale with the Edmonton Oil Kings, Oct. 26, 1954.

He later played for the Quebec Aces, joining Willie O’Ree, who broke the National Hockey League’s colour barrier, and Stan Maxwell for an all-Black line. He also played for the Windsor Bulldogs and for teams in Sudbury and Windsor.

Happy holidays from RETROactive

December 20, 2024Jared

Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday season! The images below, courtesy of the Provincial Archives of Alberta, were taken from the John Glascow Family Christmas, Edmonton, 1963.

Halloween in Smoky Lake

October 31, 2024Jared

Written by: Sara King, Government Records Archivist, Provincial Archives of Alberta

With Halloween once again upon us it’s time for some spooky fun from the Provincial Archives of Alberta. Nicholas Gavinchuk operated a photography studio in Smoky Lake from the early 1920s into the 1960s documenting all manner of aspects of community life there, including Halloween. One of the more interesting aspects of doing archival research is seeing a brief description of a file or photograph and finding out it’s not quite what you expected. This is often the case in archives as archivists try and use the titles given to photographs and files by the creator of the records as opposed to assigning their own.

For example, the image below was labelled as “Halloween Hags”. But as you can see, they’re clearly Halloween hogs! In the Archives’ defense, an “a” and an “o” are awfully similar in cursive.

G1810 “Halloween Hags” (Smoky Lake), 1953. Source: Provincial Archives of Alberta.

Love and Marriage at the Provincial Archives of Alberta

June 12, 2024June 12, 2024Jared

Editor’s note: The banner image above is from the wedding of Sandy and Diane Weir, November 1974. Photo courtesy of the Provincial Archives of Alberta.

Written by: Heather Northcott, Government Records Archivist, Provincial Archives of Alberta

Showcasing a variety of archival records and images, the Provincial Archives of Alberta (PAA) is pleased to present its latest exhibit “Love and Marriage.”

The exhibit was inspired by the often joyful and sometimes sad stories that fill the archival vaults waiting for discovery. Visitors to the exhibit will first encounter images and letters about love blossoming before exploring narratives of engagement and marriage. The arc of romance and marriage leads naturally to anniversaries, divorce and death. The exhibit would not be complete without addressing who is missing – the groups or communities not well represented by the archival documents – and putting a call out for records donations.

From Ghoulies, Ghosties and Long Leggety Beasties

October 31, 2023Jared

On behalf of everyone at RETROactive, have a safe, fun and spooky Halloween! Take a look below at how Albertans celebrated the occasion decades ago. All images courtesy of the Provincial Archives of Alberta.

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