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pair of geese with goslings at the pond
Board, Events, Museum

So Many to Thank Today

Clayton McLain Memorial Museum

TOMAHAWK PARK CLEAN-UP

We had a great group of volunteers show up at 10am. We worked through the wildfire smoke and the 30+ km winds taking at least 8 loads of tree trimmings to the Transfer Station. The Duvall House, the Station, and the Exhibit buildings were dusted and swept. Some leaves were gathered. The leaf catcher on the mower will take care of the rest. We finished up with hot dogs and squares from Cut Knife AG Foods – which were delicious!

Many thanks to the community members, former and current Board members, and staff members who took time out of their Saturday to help with spring clean-up. I wish I could name everyone who was there today but I didn’t write down names, and I also forgot to take pictures. What I can do, though, is show you a few photos of Tomahawk Park all spiffed-up for Canada Day.

Friends of Tomahawk Park bricks swept clean with sign in the background
The Friends of Tomahawk Park bricks swept clean of leaves and other debris, with its sign in the background.
About 8 loads of trimmed branches from the walking path trees went to the Transfer Station.

Again, from all of us at the Museum, thanks so much for your support.

~ Debbie M.

gallery header
Spare Room Gallery

Landscape and Sky

Clayton McLain Memorial Museum

Visual Arts Exhibit by Mary Ramsay
Sponsored Exclusively by Veikle Agro Inc.

The Spare Room Gallery launched its visual arts exhibition space with life-long area resident Mary Ramsay’s “Landscape and Sky”. The pastoral beauty of the rural countryside is explored in acrylics on a variety of materials including canvas, rocks, and sawblades.

FROM THE ARTIST

Living on the farm… we enjoyed watching the changes in the beauty of nature through traveling, sitting at the creek, picking berries, fishing and bringing in the harvest.

In 1987, I enrolled in a few community art classes in Cut Knife. From there, I was totally engaged in the peaceful art of painting. I started with oils, but have used acrylics for many years. My subject matter focuses on landscape and sky. Beyond canvas, I have painted on pails, milk cans, sawblades, rocks and wood to name a few.

– Mary Ramsay

Only a small sample of Mary Ramsay’s exquisite landscapes.

“Landscape and Sky” will run at the Spare Room Gallery until Sunday, June 23. Donations to the visual arts in Saskatchewan are gratefully accepted. Small groups only as space is limited.

113 Broad Street, Cut Knife until June 23
Wednesdays 1:30 – 6:30pm & Fridays 11:00am – 4pm
or by appointment. Free admission.

~ Debbie M.

Marriage photo 1928, Ovide and Hughenna (Rutley) Bertrand
Archives, Museum, Our Stories

1928 Wedding Attire

Clayton McLain Memorial Museum

Currently on display at the Cut Knife Library (113 Broad Street):

Ovide & Hughenna Bertrand on their wedding day

This outfit was worn by Hughenna Rutley at her marriage to Ovide Bertrand, August 8, 1928. Their children: Mary, Clare, Evelyn, Lorraine, Arthur, David, and Lucille.

Worn by Hughenna (Rutley) Bertrand, August 8, 1928

~ Debbie M.

Museum, Our Stories

Wooden Nickels

Clayton McLain Memorial Museum

TOMAHAWK PARK: PART 3

Remember this quote from a couple of days ago in Cut Knife Goes Western with Wild Rodeo?

Thousands of souvenir “wooden nickels” will be manufactured and redeemed during the days of the rodeo…

~ from Wild Rodeo

Tomahawk Days wooden nickels
Genuine Cut Knife Tomahawk Days wooden nickels

This past Saturday, during the Museum’s annual spring walk-thru, I found some! This is what they looked like.

Notice that the nickel back (bottom left) is stamped with Cree syllabics. Syllabics are symbols that represent either a combination of consonant and vowel, or just a consonant, or just a vowel. The Cree language was spoken by many First Nations in Saskatchewan historically, and continues to be spoken, and taught today, including in the neighbouring communities of Little Pine First Nation, Poundmaker Cree Nation, and Sweetgrass First Nation.

The October 9th, 1969 Courier Editorial described how the Town residents were working together with the three neighbouring First Nations communities on a joint economic endeavor to benefit the district. The goal was to establish an annual rodeo, and construct a giant tomahawk recognizing “the important part” these First Nations “have played in local history”.

The rodeo and the tomahawk will provide Cut Knife with its opportunity to cash-in on the tourist trade – one of the northwest’s fastest growing industries.

~ from Industrious People (page 2)

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To be continued…

~ Debbie M.