Board of Directors

Our Mission

We inspire our communities to engage in the human history of southwestern Alberta, together, preserving and sharing collections and stories. 

Our Vision

The people of southwestern Alberta have a vibrant sense of place, belonging, and understanding through connections with their past, present and future. 

Our Values

Excellence

We are dedicated to, passionate about, and committed to producing work of outstanding quality. 

Stewardship

We treasure, advocate, and protect the stories, objects, memories and relationships of our communities. 

Integrity

We are committed to scrupulous research and presentation, that includes applying diverse skills, expertise and ways of knowing. 

Inclusivity

We create workplace and visitor-focused experiences that are welcoming, accessible, respectful and collaborative. 

Creativity and innovation

We thrive on challenge, ingenuity and improvement. 

Letters from the Directors

The story of Lethbridge and southern Alberta continues to unfold in 2019 as our dedicated staff, board and volunteers at the Galt Museum & Archives and Fort Whoop-Up work with dedication, creativity and curiosity. We have seen a significant increase in visitors to our facilities in 2019. It has been exciting to see such a variety of visitors and so much activity. 

We are ecstatic about the progress of the development of Fort Whoop- Up, and we are thankful for the community’s enthusiastic support for this work. There was considerable traffic to the fort, and there have been some innovative changes in the displays and programming through a number of partnerships; one has been with New West Theatre, who wrote and presented weekly theatrical productions during the summer. Along with that was the donation of a replica cannon used in the original fort; the cannon was demonstrated, and the sound of cannon fire reverberated in the river valley. 

The exhibits shared with museum visitors varied widely. Exhibits are changed frequently, portraying a variety of stories and artwork from local residents. Interactive displays are available for the curious minds, and we had close to 11,000 school children come and benefit from our educational programs. Our programmers engaged school children, adults, families, seniors, local participants, and tourists with our many programs, including Blackfoot language classes. Our archives served researchers effectively while our collections team enhanced our object records. Additional websites and increased digital access were provided to increase the efficiency and availability of our resources, thereby providing stronger online access to our residents. 

The board is grateful for the support from the City of Lethbridge and the surrounding area. We are grateful for the excellent staff who make the museum a rich experience; we are grateful for the many volunteers who come and help out at the museum and at our events. Our volunteers (270 of them) are one of the most valued assets of the Galt, contributing thousands of volunteer hours of service. With their help, we preserved and shared, engaged and educated, listened and responded — about the past — for the future. We are grateful for the Friends of the Galt, who work diligently with us in fundraising efforts. 

We are pleased to be working with professional, enthusiastic, and very capable staff and volunteers of the Galt; we thank each and every one of them for their commitment and caring; without them, the work could not be done! 

Respectfully submitted, 

Vic Mensch Chair, Board of Directors 

The Galt Museum & Archives and Fort Whoop-Up had a great year of engagement, learning, fun and thought. Our general service levels are up, and we are grateful for the support of our visitors and community. A recent community survey, completed by Lethbridge College, provided feedback that was generous and profound. More than 92 percent of residents thought having a museum was important, and approximately 90 percent of our citizens thought we added to the quality of life in Lethbridge. 

Our citizens said that we should continue to create knowledge about Lethbridge and an equal number of Lethbridgians, 95 percent, said they trust the information we generate. We are grateful for this position in our community. We believe we add value and understanding to our community through our continued work to serve the preservation and sharing of our history. 

Our stakeholder groups provided feedback on our services that are very significant to the community. The services that ranked important to 97–98 percent were our exhibits, our public programs and our archives and collections. We deeply appreciate the recognition of this work. 

We understand that there is strong agreement that local museums do help to build happy, healthy communities. We build pride in our local traditions and customs. We help build a sense of belonging and involvement. We build good citizens. We promote contact and cooperation across different cultures and generations. We work hard at tourism as an economic driver. We protect the treasures that belong to Lethbridgians for today and future generations. Our work is fundamental civic work that preserves and shares heritage, memory and sense of place. 

I am grateful for the opportunity to participate with the skilled and dedicated Galt staff and volunteers in this public service to our citizens for the last 13 years. 

Respectfully submitted, 

Susan Burrows-Johnson CEO/Executive Director

Museum Operations

Operations ensures the smooth functioning of visitor services, providing opportunities to enhance exhibits and expand community use of the museum facilty. These activities and options helped the Galt be a vibrant gathering place for all visitors. 

Facility Rentals

Facility Rentals continued emphasizing the Galt as being a vibrant gathering place for community members and visitors. Set-up and staffing arrangements and the coordination of the space with museum programs and events were crucial to ensuring each occasion ran smoothly. We hosted 173 events in our four rentable spaces: 110 bookings for the Viewing Gallery, 45 for the Servus Credit Union Learning Studio, 15 in the Friends Board Room and 3 in the ATCO Centennial Room.

Facility bookings generated $88,728 in gross revenue in 2019. These funds stay at the Galt. 13,561 people attended bookings.

Museum Store

The Museum Store added significant value to the visitor experience and sales contributed to the operation of the Galt.

The focus of items in the store was on those that have a historical or cultural link to Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada or to our exhibits. The Galt was recognized as one of the few places to purchase Lethbridge-themed memorabilia and souvenirs. We expanded the selection of products available for visitors to order online as well.

Front desk staff looked after annual pass and ticket sales among a host of other duties. Most annual passes are held by local residents. In 2019, the Galt sold 740 annual passes, the most in our history. Many are family passes. Pass holders visited the museum 8,095 times.

Fort Whoop-Up Operations

The fort had a great year in 2019, with a 17% increase in visitors. The sales at our gift shop increased by about 22% in the 2019 season. 

We made several improvements to the visitor experience at the fort, including acquiring period-appropriate clothing for our interpretive staff, adding fresh locally-sourced items to our BBQ menu and using a larger wagon to take an extra 700 visitors on guided tours of the river valley. We also added a propane fire pit in the compound of the fort so that we can safely use the fire pit during fire bans.

We hosted various events throughout the year including two Cannon Days with the South Alberta Horse Artillery, Father’s Day, our annual powwow on National Indigenous Day, Canada Day, Heritage Day and our yearly murder mystery event on our closing weeked. 

The Galt’s partnerships with community organizations are essential for us to continue to grow our visitor experiences. We partnered with New West Theatre to provide Trader Tales, our Thursday evening interactive experience. The Tourism Growth Innovation Fund grant provided by the Government of Alberta helped us develop a new experience for visitors called Life on the Whoop-Up Trail. This was a musical dinner theatre that ran on Wednesday evenings in July and August. The grant allowed us to have a member of our interpretive staff dedicated to developing a dinner menu using traditional Blackfoot ingredients. We partnered with the Culinary Department at Lethbridge College to develop recipes to help us create an authentic and tasty meal for our guests. We also sourced desserts form local vendors Bootsma Bakery and Wilson Hutterite Colony. New West Theatre also agreed to work on this project, creating and performing a play specifically for this experience. The feedback from visitors was quite positive: “This was so much fun. Spread the word. So Cool.”

Thanks to a scholarship program provided by Travel Alberta, fort and marketing staff attended Canada’s West Marketplace, representing Fort Whoop-Up and Lethbridge. We developed four experience packages to offer travel trade operators: the Historical Fort Whoop-Up Experience; Bad Guys, Bannock and Buffalo Package; The Blackfoot Experience; and Life on the Whoop-Up Trail. 

Curatorial

The curatorial department is central to the mission of the Galt. It plans, researches and prepares exhibits that showcase the history and culture of our region. Curator Aimee Benoit develops future exhibit topics based on public interest. Curatorial staff work with our archives and collections departments, as well as community groups, to gather information, artifacts and documents that discuss specific topics in depth.

Exhibit Designer Brad Brown creates, assembles and mounts the exhibits for display. These include permanent exhibits like those in the Discovery Hall, some exterior exhibits as well as temporary exhibits on display throughout the Galt.

Fort Whoop-Up

The curatorial team supported the ongoing development of Fort Whoop-Up visitor experiences by enhancing exhibits and content with the assistance of a new part-time labourer. Highlights included:

• An operable replica cannon that was crafted and gifted to the community by D & D Machine Works Ltd., based on research contributed by historian George Kush and Black Powder Club member Bill Peta. 

• Mosaic Industries was commissioned to create a display replica of Fort Whoop-Up’s second historical cannon. 

• Interpretive signage, a new historically correct flag and a viewing scope were installed in the south bastion.

• Curatorial assisted in the selection of historical costumes for interpretive staff.

Permanent Exhibits

Discovery Hall

New vinyl bench coverings were installed in the Kainai arbour, and a new Paige’s Newsroom kiosk was commissioned for the Lethbridge Herald display. Artifacts were rotated through the Sick’s Lethbridge Brewery component and new artifacts were prepared for the Doukhobor installation.

Exterior Exhibits 

A rubberized surface was installed in October 2018 in the children’s outdoor play space. Two concrete “ammolite” benches were fabricated and one was installed in the play space, along with signage to interpret the coal mine wall. 

Temporary Exhibits

Spring Season

Attendance: 4,785 

FEB 01–MAY 05.19 Recollecting Home 

Temporary gallery; in-house exhibit curated by Aimee Benoit 

Recollecting Home explored the idea of “home” through individuals’ connections to objects. A total of 52 community participants selected objects from Galt Collections, including ESL students from Lethbridge College. Alongside a range of personal memories of childhood and family, this exhibit also presented artwork by Kainai youth that reflected Blackfoot perspectives of home. 

FEB 15–JUN 02.19 Connecting Community: 100 Years of the Lethbridge Public Library 

Main hallway; in-house exhibit created in partnership with the Lethbridge Public Library 

For the past one hundred years the Lethbridge Public Library has been a cornerstone in the cultural life of the city. This exhibit highlighted the early history of the library as a gathering place for curious minds, and its evolution as a means for southwestern Albertans to connect with resources, ideas and each other. 

FEB 23–JUN 09.19 The Way We Worked 

Lower hallway; in-house exhibit created in partnership with Lethbridge Historical Society 

This collaboration with the Lethbridge Historical Society presented personal stories of labour in the early twentieth century, a time when the work environment was rapidly changing in North America. The exhibit highlighted residents of southwestern Alberta whose work changed the way they and others laboured. 

Summer Season

Attendance: 5,210

MAY 25–SEP 08.19 Places and Traces: Our Neighbourhoods

Temporary gallery; in-house exhibit created in partnership with Lethbridge Historical Society

This exhibition told the story of neighbourhoods in Lethbridge: how we see and identify places, and how those places help define us. Delving into the histories of Chinatown, Hardieville, Glendale-Dieppe and everything in between, the exhibit contrasted “official” narratives with residents’ lived experience. 

JUN 08–SEP 29.19 St. Michael’s: 90 Years of Compassionate Care

Main hallway; in-house exhibit created in partnership with Covenant Health 

The Sisters of St. Martha travelled from Nova Scotia to Lethbridge in 1929 to operate what would become known as St. Michael’s Hospital. This exhibition presented the history of the hospital, known for its compassionate care founded in a faith-based tradition, and explored the facility’s lasting impact on health care in southern Alberta.

JUN 15–OCT 06.19 This Wild Spirit: Women in the Rocky Mountains of Canada

Lower hallway; travelling exhibit from the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies

This Wild Spirit presented a sampling of women’s creative responses to the magnificent Canadian Rockies between the late nineteenth century and mid-twentieth centuries. This exhibition was curated by Dr. Colleen Skidmore of the University of Alberta, and circulated by the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies. 

Fall Exhibits

Attendance: 5,378 

SEP 26.19–JAN 05.20 Worlds Imagined: The Maps of Imaginary Places Collection 

Temporary gallery; travelling exhibition from the Cushing Memorial Library of the Texas A&M University 

Through iconic maps such as J. R. R. Tolkien’s legendary Middle-earth or the Marauder’s Map from Harry Potter’s universe, Worlds Imagined invited visitors of all ages to explore the intersections between maps, fantasy literature and popular culture. 

OCT 05.19–FEB 02.20 It Pays to Shop at Eaton’s 

Main hallway; in-house exhibit with curatorial support by Danica Renke and Zoey Lorne 

In the late 1800s, Eaton’s grew from a small dry-goods business into Canada’s largest department store. Drawing on the Galt’s retail and merchandising collections from the local Eaton’s branch, this exhibit explored the history of the department store and shopping practices through the twentieth century. 

OCT 12.19–FEB 09.20 Inqueeries: 2SLGBTQ+ Histories of Southwestern Alberta 

Lower hallway; in-house exhibit co-curated with community partners 

This community-generated exhibit was guided by a group of youth curators as an opportunity to begin gathering stories and other materials that reflect 2SLGBTQ+ experiences in southwestern Alberta. 

Off-Site 

The curatorial team supported a number of community initiatives during the year through curatorial advice and the loan of exhibit materials. These initiatives included: 

• Loan of Connecting Community: 100 Years of the Lethbridge Public Library exhibit for installation at the Park Place Shopping Centre and Lethbridge Public Library main branch. 

• Loan of St. Michael’s: 90 Years of Compassionate Care exhibit to St. Michael’s Health Centre. 

• Hosted a group of Elders at the Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre to continue conversations about a potential future exhibition. 

• Exhibits advice provided to Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame, the YMCA, Lethbridge College and Claresholm Museum.

Education and Programming

The education and programming department’s purpose is to share knowledge with visitors to the Galt. The primary function of curriculum programming is to facilitate students’ search for meaning and relevance in relation to collections, exhibits and the past.

Ashley Henrickson left the Galt partway through the year and Rebecca Wilde was hired to fill the position of Museum Educator. Rebecca brings experience from her years working as an educator at Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Fort Whoop-Up Education

A seasonal education student was again hired at the fort to take school classes through educational programs in May and June under the direction of the Museum Educator. We delivered educational programs at Fort Whoop-Up to students and the adults who accompanied them. The educational program continues to be expanded and refined to meet curriculum objectives and outcomes. 

Galt Education

The Galt continues to have a strong reputation for its educational programs. This year we delivered 502 programs to 10,899 students and approximately 2,120 adults who accompanied them, for a total of 13,019 participants at curriculum-based education programs.

The majority of the attendees came from Lethbridge, while other classes travelled from Taber, Raymond, Cardston, Brooks, Chestermere, Okotoks and Medicine Hat to partake in our programs.

We continued to improve our programming through ongoing development. We had a series of students completing applied studies in education, which resulted in a focus on incorporating 3D objects scanned from the Glenbow’s collection into programs, our Southern Alberta at War program, and the development of a new board game program called Harvest. The board game explores the complexity, difficulty and uncertainty of farming in southern Alberta in the early 1900s leading up to the Great Depression. 

We were pleased to organize and host the Southern Alberta Regional Heritage Fair again in 2019. 

The stand-alone education website, launched in August 2018, was closed in July 2019. The content was rolled into the Galt’s new primary website. The education website was a big success at partially automating the process for teachers to book programs at the Galt. We anticipate further improvements to that system in the near future. 

Public Programming

Community Programs

The Galt provides programming that invites the community to interact with local history through activities themed around the content of our permanent and rotating exhibits. 

In 2019, the Galt held over 200 public programs and welcomed 11,532 community members. Our programs continued to interpret our local history and culture with a particular focus on temporary and permanent exhibits. Everyday interpretation continued this year through booked and impromptu tours and children’s treasure hunts. 

Adult & Seniors Programs 

We offered dozens of programs for our adult and senior visitors. The Café Galt program included lectures and walking tours on a variety of subjects such as architecture, neighbourhoods, children’s literature, the Second World War and the Cold War. 774 people attended the 17 sessions. We also offered six guided historic walking tours of the cemetery to 165 participants. The twice-monthly Wednesday at the Galt program included presentations on community planning and the KAIROS blanket exercise. 600 people attended the 24 sessions.

We continued our Daytime Galt Workshop program, which provides hands-on art projects and history lessons for adults, including those requiring an accessible environment. Blackfoot history, folk art houses and winter wreaths were some of the activities offered. 1,718 participants attended the 20 sessions. We offered monthly Evening Galt Workshops on Thursday evenings with activities such as mountain landscapes, embroidered tea towels and needle felted pumpkins. 273 participants attended the 12 sessions. 

We continued the Indigenous History program. The program explores topics related to Blackfoot history and culture. 188 participants attended the eight sessions. We continued the Blackfoot Language Classes program taught by Julius Delaney. In July 2019, we received financial support from the Government of Canada that supported the classes as well as a bus tour to Blackfoot Crossing and the development of a class workbook. We received a very positive public response and saw 822 people attend the 26 sessions. 

We also offered two summer bus tours, including Waterton Wildflowers and Hutterites & History. 

Family Programs 

Green Acres Kiwanis Club of Lethbridge sponsored the Saturdays at 1 and Summer Family Fun programs again in 2019. Their sponsorship allowed us to continue our level of service for the parents and children attending the programs. This year we welcomed 2,745 participants to 40 programs with an average attendance of 69 participants per program. Topics included painted plates, Lethbridge history trivia, friendship bracelets, garden gnomes, perogies and Blackfoot history. During the winter school break, we repeated five of our top family programs of the year as a special Top 5 of 2018 series. Topics included rag dolls, herb gardens and painted rocks. We also continued the First Friday Fun program with 457 participants attending the nine sessions on topics including flower pots, poppy art, Blackfoot stories and Day of the Dead. 

All-ages Community Programs 

Our free all-ages community day programs focus on the history and culture of community celebrations including Family Day, Canada Day and our Hallowe’en Spooktacular. We welcomed 2,430 people at these fun events! We also offered a kickoff program and lunch for National Indigenous Peoples Week with 160 people attending. During Reconciliation Week, we worked with community partners to provide a lunch event for the public and a hands-on activity for youth one evening, with a combined total of 115 attending. 

Fort Whoop-Up Programming 

Staff also helped organize the Indigenous Awareness Day events at Fort Whoop-Up. These included a mini powwow with a grand entry, demonstrations of several dancing styles and a round dance for general participation. The event at the fort was part of a larger series of events held across the city.

Collections

The main job of the collections department is to collect and preserve both items, and information about those items, that have special significance in the human history of Lethbridge and southern Alberta. Collections staff and volunteers are always looking for community treasures that are especially important to current events to bring into the museum’s collection. Staff conduct research into those items and into other items that were not well documented when they were originally donated to the Galt.

Donations

In 2019, we received 120 offers of donations, leading to 33 formalized and accessioned offers. The majority of the 33 formalized offers were for single objects or small collections of objects of 12 or fewer objects. The acquisitions committee met twice in 2019, and accepted 164 new objects into the Galt’s permanent collection.

Highlights

Objects from the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Holy Trinity, c. 1952–2014 

In May 2019, members from Lethbridge’s Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, located at 643 13 Street North, approached the Galt about donating some materials that had been installed and used in their place of worship for several decades. These included small icons showing the four evangelists and the annunciation, as well as some candles. 

The painted icons were ordered from Toronto by church members shortly after the church was constructed in the early 1950s. The icons were formerly installed within Holy Trinity’s interior “Royal Doors” which were replaced five years ago. The Royal Doors featured a wheat design that signified the Ukrainian nationality of the church’s founders in Lethbridge, according to Alex Sereda, a longtime church member. 

German-marked, Brass Instruments, Claimed as POW Camp 133-sourced, c. 1942–1980s 

Robert Findlay donated a tuba to the Galt in June 2019. Findlay told Galt staff that he was a member of former local bands that were directed by the late Frank Hosek. Hosek led several local bands in the years after the end of the war. He recalled that the instruments were left behind at the POW Camp when the internees were repatriated back to Germany. Federal authorities gave the instruments to the Association of Canadian Travelers, who formed public bands in Lethbridge with those German instruments.

Hosek offered music lessons in Lethbridge and directed several different bands and orchestras over the years. Findlay said that Hosek kept the instruments in his garage. “When his wife died he had to move out of his house. That’s when he wanted to know if I wanted the instruments so that’s when I got them. [He offered them to me] because I was starting a community band… [in] Coaldale… out there at the schools, and we didn’t have any money for instruments.” Findlay previously donated a flute and flugelhorn with the same Camp 133 origin story to the Galt in 1990.

Smith & Wesson Revolver, c. 1935–1950s 

Milk River resident Jean Buchanan inherited this revolver and its accessories from her late father Edward “Buck” Buchanan. Buck was a Senior Staff Sergeant with Lethbridge’s RCMP Detachment. Jean’s earliest memories of the revolver were when her father taught her to shoot firearms when she was eight in Westlock, AB. “We had farmland and forest, and he had a target practice out there. ...he showed me how to use it, how to aim, how to handle it safely.”

Jean’s donation also included a registration certificate for the revolver signed by her father as the firearm applicant and as the Registration Officer for the RCMP in Lethbridge. The certificate records him as the owner of three additional firearms: two .22 caliber revolvers and one .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun. 

Jean recalled that her father was dedicated to only using the gun to fire warning shots, “He would have fired to miss someone, just as a warning shot. He definitely went for warning shots, but he never shot anybody with it.”

Cataloging

The Galt received an AMA grant in March 2019 to hire an assistant dedicated to cataloguing successive years of new acquisitions. The last time an assistant was hired with a dedicated cataloguing mandate was in 2013. A total of 185 objects were catalogued and photographed.

Research

Collections continues to focus on the importance of recording interviews with donors to capture the “voice” of their objects. Thirty-four interviews were conducted in 2019, fewer than in previous years since many of the interviews were related to the Galt’s audit of collections. Many of the interviews were conducted by Curator Aimee Benoit in relation to the Inqueeries exhibit. The interviews amounted to 25.5 hours or 205,134 transcribed words of new documentation and researchable content. The transcriptions are produced by a team of dedicated volunteers whose contributions to the Galt’s heritage work are remarkable. 

Archives

The biggest change in 2019 was the decision of long-time Archives Assistant Trish Purkis to retire. Bobbie Fox was selected to fill the position. Her expertise in local history, genealogy and various technical skills have helped improve our reference service. Bobbie has also enthusiastically assumed a larger role in delivery of public programs and exhibit development. 

Archives has seen increases in service requests, donations and public program attendance. The increase in program attendance is due in large part to the popularity of several programs in the fall. 

Our project working on digitizing the Global Television collection of 1” and betamax tapes continues with over 300 tapes being digitized by our outside contractor this year. The content of the tapes will be indexed and added to the database in 2020. 

Archivist Andrew Chernevych had the opportunity to advance his knowledge of audio-visual archives through participation in the International Association of Sound & Audiovisual Archives conference in Hilversum, the Netherlands.

The organization benefited from the services of summer student Hannah Yuzwa who worked for the archives from May to August, largely arranging and describing recent acquisitions. Her previous experience at the University of Lethbridge Archives helped her efficiency. The noteworthy completed projects include the Gary Allison fonds, William Hasulak fonds, Rotary Sunrise fonds, and Chinook Country Tourist Association fonds.

The social media outreach from the archives increased with more frequent posts and has been augmented with a new series called “Artifacts.” This weekly series showcases objects from the Galt Collection alongside related images from the Galt Archives. The posts are supplemented with historical information, often derived from oral history interviews associated with the objects.

We also began offering direct ordering of prints and archival files through the Galt’s website. This streamlined process has increased the volume of sales for the archives. 

Acquisitions

In 2019, the Galt Archives received 133 donations of records. These included

• Records of Dr. M. Boldt related to his work on suicide prevention in southern Alberta

• Scrapbook album of the Lethbridge Cricket Club

• Album and music recordings by Steve Smerek and the Royal Albertans Orchestra

• Greetergram — 20 volumes of schedule notebooks by Mark Campbell

• Administrative records of the Rotary Club of Lethbridge – Sunrise (2000–2010)

• Records of the Southern Alberta Cooperative Association (1924–1949)

• Assorted records of the Chinook Country Tourist Association

• Research materials related to Donald W. Buchanan (Nancy Townshend)

• Papers of the Ladies of the Pioneers Pemmican Club

• Personal papers and photographs from the Frouws family of Lethbridge

• Photographic collection by Cecil Cuell

• Photo documentation series — “Remnants of the Whoop Up Trail (1971)”

• A series of framed photographs related to local sporting history (Enmax Centre)

• Art Batty Construction Ltd. building plans

• Collection of local history books from the Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization

• Materials related to Sundial School and Granville School in Turin area

• Galt Nursing School scrapbook album by Bette Jean Bailie 

• Newsletters of the Gay and Lesbian Association of Lethbridge and Area (1991–2019)

• Photo albums of the CFAC (CISA) Television Station and its staff

• Personal papers of Jenny Emery, Coaldale school teacher

• Records of the Lethbridge Association for Community Living

• The Southern Accord — oral history interviews and project documentation

• Records of Birthright Lethbridge

Outreach Activities

Archives staff and special presenters delivered 11 public presentations at the Galt, submitted approximately 110 photos to run in the Lethbridge Herald and shared over 200 archival and collections themed posts to social media, generating over 60,000 audience engagements. 

Long Term Projects

Lethbridge Herald Digitization: 75% complete.

A. E. Cross Studio cataloguing and re-housing: 60% complete.

Marketing

Marketing and communication with our community are key to fulfilling the mission of the Galt Museum & Archives. Communications from the Galt generally centre around upcoming and ongoing programs and events, as well as providing historical articles and links to our exhibits, documents in the archives and items in the collections. 

The Marketing and Communications Officer is responsible for designing calendars, posters, banners, advertisements, commercials, invitations, newsletters, and reports; building and maintaining websites; updating social media accounts and online community calendars; and liaising with media contacts, community and tourism partners, VIPs and sponsors, and the travel industry.

A number of projects were completed in 2019, including a full redesign and launch of the Galt’s website and later migrating the stand-alone website for the education department and the Galt’s blog onto the new primary website. The new website includes robust e-commerce functionality and replaces Survey Monkey and Mail Chimp for feedback and newsletter emails. We began work on further automating the education program booking process and expect that functionality to launch in early 2020. 

Archivist Andrew Chernevych increased the frequency of his series of Facebook posts highlighting archival photographs and videos. He expanded into sharing objects from our physical collections as well. These posts continue to drive a majority of engagement on the Galt’s Facebook page, earning over 60,000 engagements over the year. 

A contract designer was hired to help accomplish tasks in a timely fashion. This greatly increased the capacity of the Marketing and Communications Officer. Additional design projects that we have been able to deliver to the organization include a full board game for education, multiple publications and handouts for the Galt and Fort Whoop-Up, a 2020 calendar featuring archival and contemporary photographs for sale in the store, and full redesigns of the Galt’s two virtual exhibits on the North-West Mounted Police and Nikkei Tapestry. Those websites are expected to relaunch in early 2020. 

Volunteer and Resource Development

Without the help from our volunteers, the Galt Museum & Archives would not be able to run the programs and events at the high standards that we do.

We used many different recruitment strategies to bring in new volunteers to the Galt. We had 20 students from the University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge College that were involved in applied studies programs and internship programs. The Galt Museum & Archives had a presence at many volunteer recruitment fairs throughout the city, including the Volunteer Fair at the University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge College Indigenous Day, Volunteer Attract at Exhibition Park, and volunteer recruitment fairs held at various schools throughout the city.

We are very fortunate to continue to work with many community groups. We cherish our partnership with Volunteer Lethbridge who continues to support the Galt Museum with recruiting new volunteers that fit our programming needs. We also work with groups such as Lethbridge Family Services, Da Capo, Job Links, Ability Resources, and others. 

We saw an increase in volunteer support at Fort Whoop-Up this year, which helped us staff an increased number of events and programs held there.

There are always perks for our volunteers. Once volunteers have given 40 hours, they receive a family pass for their immediate family. In 2019, we gave out 47 passes! We also invite volunteers to an appreciation dinner during national volunteer week, and we nominate them for awards and recognition in the community where possible. We nominated two volunteers for Volunteer Lethbridge’s Leaders of Tomorrow awards. Congratulations to all of our hard-working volunteers!

In 2020, we will work with other community groups and not-for-profit organizations to strengthen the diversity of our volunteer program.

We look forward to another successful year with our volunteer sector.

Special Events

February

The Friends of the Galt hosted the second Friends Winter Barn Dance with the help of the Great Canadian Barn Dance Band. The dance was a fundraiser for the Galt’s education projects. The dance also featured a silent auction. The event sold out, and everyone enjoyed dancing the night away.

April

We celebrated Easter once again with Eggstravaganza. This year, the theme worked with the exhibit Recollecting Home. Easter crafts, egg dying, face painting and a visit from the Easter Bunny were highlights for this annual celebration. 1,100 adults and children attended the event. 4 Seasons Home Comfort (title sponsor), Coulee Kids Dental and Servus Credit Union generously sponsored this annual event. 

To celebrate National Volunteer Week, we held our annual Galt Museum Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. We hosted over 90 volunteers, staff and board members. Volunteers and staff visited with one another, and there were door prizes for all who attended. 

May

Our annual fundraiser A Taste of Downtown was a success again. Participating businesses were divided regionally over two nights. We sold over 140 tickets for the combined nights and had a record 40 businesses participate in the event. In 2020, Taste of Downtown will go back to one night in May.

August

The Scenic Plaza Whoop-Up Days BBQ was once again a huge success. We served over 300 people under sunny skies and warm breezes. Funds raised were donated to Volunteer Lethbridge. We partnered with Servus Credit Union and Green Acres Foundation to put on the event.

September

We hosted our most successful Beer Tasting Soirée to date! 460 people enjoyed the tastes of many different beers and wines from a record 33 vendors from all over Alberta! The theme this year was Worlds Imagined, which saw patrons dress up in their best imagined-world costumes. Bridge City Chrysler was the title sponsor of this event. Other sponsors were Holmes EcoWater, 4 Seasons Home Comfort, Streakfree Janitorial and MacLachlan McNab Hembroff LLP. We were helped out once again by Northside Liquor. Pyramid Entertainment supplied the musical entertainment. It was a fantastic evening of sampling beer.

November

Our VIP party Artifact or Fiction was held on November 26 this year to match up with National Philanthropy Month and Giving Tuesday, both important dates on the fundraising calendar. The event is to recognize our previous years’ donors and major corporate sponsors. The event had 100 people attend, and everyone had a great time guessing the truths and fictions told by our five groups of presenters.

Fort Whoop-Up

We hosted another Trader Day at the fort. This event featured demonstrations from the Black Powder Club, buffalo chip throwing, some whisky to sample, chilli, and entertainment from Phil Lethbridge, a Métis fiddler. Attendance was lower than anticipated, but those who came enjoyed the music and the entertainment. 

Friends of the Galt

2019 was the nineteenth year that the Friends Society of the Sir Alexander Galt Museum & Archives served the Galt. This was the last year that the Galt supported busing for educational programming. The Friends will be supporting alternate Galt initiatives in the future.

The Friends were pleased to participate in the grand opening of the Galt’s outdoor Irrigation Display along with representatives of Richardson Oilseed, who helped finance the project.

Grants facilitated by the Friends made a major contribution to Galt programing. We received a $10,000 grant from the Tourism Growth Innovation Fund of the Government of Alberta for a Traditional/Local Food Development Coordinator in support of programing at Fort Whoop-Up. We also received a $47,709 grant from Canada Heritage for the Blackfoot Language Revitalization Project 2019–2020.

We hosted the 2019 Friends Winter Barn Dance and silent auction held on February 2, 2019. The event was a great success, generating about $3,200 in support of the Galt. The Great Canadian Barn Dance Band will again be providing the foot-stomping music for our next barn dance on March 7, 2020.

The Friends have committed to sponsor a speakers series entitled “Friends of the Galt Present...” The first speaker will be CBC Calgary’s Julie Van Rosendaal, along with an exceptional dinner, on June 5, 2020.

The Friends continued to support and encourage community participation in the Friends of the Galt Endowment Fund held within the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta. In 2019, the Friends contributed $10,000 to the fund. Proceeds from this fund are managed jointly by the boards of directors of the Friends of the Galt, and the Galt Museum & Archives.

A long-time board member of the Friends of the Galt passed away during the year. Allyn Bert Mills will be missed for his service to the Galt and other organizations, as his Community volunteer commitments were numerous.

During the past year, President Glenn Coulter again had the pleasure of representing the Friends as an ex officio member on the Galt’s board of directors. The Friends would like to thank the many volunteers, staff, management and board of directors of the Galt for their assistance in helping the Friends achieve their objectives.

Donors and Sponsors

The Galt is grateful for the support it receives for our programs, events, exhibits and operations by the community. The Galt Museum once again had dozens of donors respond to our annual giving drive in October. We would like to recognize individuals, corporations and organizations for their sponsorship, donations and in-kind support in 2019.