Tag: Tomahawk Park

Museum, Our Stories

1969 Event Advertising

Clayton McLain Memorial Museum

TOMAHAWK PARK: PART 4

The 1st Annual Rodeo-Tomahawk Days fell on October 21 & 22, 1969. It was a very exciting time. The residents, businesses and organizations of the Town and R.M. of Cut Knife, in conjunction with the communities of Little Pine, Poundmaker and Sweetgrass, were doing everything they could to launch tourism in the area.

The Tomahawk had yet to be built, and the CMMM’s Ovenstown building had not yet been relocated, but this first event would feature an assortment of activities and tourist draws, anyway. Included in the 2-day festival was a parade, contests and competitions, a kangaroo court, the wooden nickel fundraiser and, of course, the rodeo. An important part of the mix in the lead up to the rodeo was the advertising.

Here are a few examples of local businesses and their promotions for Rodeo-Tomahawk Days, Highway 40 Courier, Oct. 16, 1969, pages 6 & 7:

October 1996 CK Agencies Jim's Barber Shop and Beauty Salon and Lucerne Hotel with Rodeo Tomahawk Days promotions
Cut Knife Agencies, Jim’s Barber Shop & Beauty Salon, and Lucerne Hotel Rodeo-Tomahawk 1969 promotions.
October 1996 Dion's and Margot's stores with Rodeo Tomahawk Days promotions
Dion’s Store and Margot’s Store Rodeo-Tomahawk 1969 promotions.

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To be continued…

~ Debbie M.

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.

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.

Museum, Our Stories

The Lake or Bust

Clayton McLain Memorial Museum

TOMAHAWK PARK: PART 2 (OF MANY)

While the Cut Knife Rodeo Tomahawk Association was being formed, and tourism opportunities researched and discussed, the community was also fundraising for a building to house Clayton McLain’s collections. In July 1969, the Cut Knife Odd Fellows Lodge sponsored a Walkathon, one of many efforts carried out over the next few years, that led to the Clayton McLain Memorial Museum opening in 1971 on the Canada Day weekend.

In the face of an early morning downpour, muddy roads and threatening skies, 47 participants turned out to compete in the walkathon from Cut Knife to Atton’s Lake, a distance of 13 miles on July 6. The proceeds will initiate a fund to move the Ovenstown School from Cloan to Cut Knife.

It is a project of the Cut Knife Odd Fellows Lodge to have a district Museum to house the collection of mementoes of early life and settlement in the Cut Knife and Riding Hills, collected by the late Clayton McLain. The Ovenstown School, itself a fitting reminder of the earliest days of settlement in the Rockhaven – Cloan district and in later years serving the congregations of the United Church, was donated to house the exhibits. The site in the park area on the west side of town has been donated by the town, and will make an admirable setting for such a building…

A total of $1679.50 was raised in pledges…

~ from the Highway 40 Courier: Thursday, July 10, 1969 (page 5)

the lake or bust, july 1969 walkathon fundraiser
A walk-a-thon, with proceeds for the Cut Knife Museum fund, was held July 6 with walkers travelling the 13 gravelled miles from Cut Knife to Atton’s Lake. Recent rains made cool, and in some places rather muddy conditions for the participants. Among those completing the walk were Mrs. Vilda Laing, Gerald Hardy, Sylvia and Trevor McLain, Gordon Weikle of Cut Knife also arrived at his destination, travelling the miles the hard way, pushing wheel barrow and daughter over the bumpy miles.

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To be continued…

~ Debbie M.