Black History Month

On June 4, 2020, a crowd of over 1,000 people gathered at Lethbridge City Hall in support of a Black Lives Matter and Indigenous Lives Matter event. The demonstration, and many others like it, were spurred by the death of George Floyd, a black man killed in Minneapolis by police. Widespread actions against racism and police brutality were seen across the United States, Canada and the world.

Jordan Ledyit organized the local rally through the Group United Against Racial Discrimination (GUARD). She then donated a collection of items from the protest to the Galt.

Amy Mpofu, a Lethbridge youth, attended the event. She created a sign to bring to the rally, which is now a part of the museum’s collection.

In recognition of Black History Month, the Galt Museum invited them to share their thoughts on Black Lives Matter, the objects they donated, and the impact the movement has had since the protest. You can explore the objects in our online database.

The Galt is grateful to the subject-matter experts delivering online content. As local professionals and knowledge experts, these presenters add valuable contributions to the local discourse; however, their ideas are their own. The people featured in the videos and those behind the scenes followed best practices to protect their health and safety.

Protest sign calling attention to the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Justice for Colten on one side, and Justice for Breonna and Justice for George on the other side. Displayed at the June 4, 2020, Black Lives Matter and Indigenous Lives Mat… — Protest sign calling attention to the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Justice for Colten on one side, and Justice for Breonna and Justice for George on the other side. Displayed at the June 4, 2020, Black Lives Matter and Indigenous Lives Matter demonstration at Lethbridge City Hall.
Galt Museum & Archives, 20200022003

Portrait of George Floyd by Attalia Fikre displayed at the June 4, 2020, Black Lives Matter and Indigenous Lives Matter demonstration at Lethbridge City Hall.Galt Museum & Archives, 20200018000 — Portrait of George Floyd by Attalia Fikre displayed at the June 4, 2020, Black Lives Matter and Indigenous Lives Matter demonstration at Lethbridge City Hall.
Galt Museum & Archives, 20200018000

Learn more in our recent articles and videos

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Dr. Frank Hamilton Mewburn

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Dr. Frank Hamilton Mewburn was a wiry and fiery surgeon, politician, army officer, and university professor who greatly contributed to the development of Lethbridge. Mewburn came from a long ling of medical professionals, graduating from McGill University in Montreal in 1881.

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Claudia Tennant

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Although Claudia Tennant was not a graduate of the Galt School of Nursing, it was a key part of her life. Tennant spent twenty years at both the Galt Hospital and the Lethbridge Municipal Hospital as the Director of Nursing for the Galt School of Nursing. Her original decision to become a nurse was influenced by Lucy Hatch McInnis, a graduate from the Galt School of Nursing’s first ever class in 1913.

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Opening the New Galt Hospital

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In 1907, just one year after miners went on a nine-month strike, Eliott T Galt donated $30,000 for the construction of a larger hospital in Lethbridge. The city matched this amount, and a new hospital was built to replace the 1891 hospital building which was no longer large enough to serve the community. The new Galt Hospital, which we know today as the Galt Museum & Archives, opened in 1910. With this addition, the hospital could now accommodate 65 patients.

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Canadian Senior Men’s National Basketball Champions from Southern Alberta

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Many of us will at least have vague memories of Senior Men’s basketball here in Southern Alberta. True Senior men’s basketball. It began being played in Southern Alberta not long after the game made its way here in 1904. I’ve been able to find records of Senior Men’s ball being played for Provincial Championships as early as 1908. The earliest reference to an Alberta team was in 1915, and the first Southern Alberta team was in 1918 and it was just called “Lethbridge”.

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Raymond's Rich Basketball Legacy: A Century-Old Tradition

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It all started 120 years ago, on July 1. The town of Raymond, with its population of under 5000 people, has perhaps one of Alberta's longest and most notable histories of any basketball program. In 1904, the Raymond Exhibition sponsored what has become known as the first official game of basketball in, what was then, the Alberta region of Canada’s Northwest Territories. Alberta became a province in 1905.

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Coal Miners on Strike

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Construction of the original Galt Hospital in 1891 was financed by Sir Alexander Galt, owner of the Northwest Coal and Navigation Company. Coal miners in the Oldman River Valley desperately required health care due to unsafe working conditions. Frequent exposure to dust and toxins often led to illnesses such as pneumoconiosis (black lung disease), pulmonary disease, asbestosis, and cancer.

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Home Court Chronicles: The History of Southern Alberta Basketball

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Prairie short grasses, rolling foothills, the Rocky Mountains, and the Chinook winds. These words, spoken to a Southern Albertan whether they still live here or not, evoke a myriad of memories, each unique to the individual, yet all rooted in the concept of home. Family names like Tollestrup, Hicken, Gibb, McMurray, Molcak, Rice, Karren, West, Bourne, Heggie, Stevenson Rollingson, Mirkovich, and many others evoke another set of memories of “home”. Home on the basketball court.

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A Busy Quilter

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We might all have that one family member who can magically repurpose old fabrics into warm quilts. Some assume that making a quilt is simple, but the process is quite lengthy. Quilters must plan out their design, pin cloth together, and sew through many layers of fabric. The Galt Museum & Archives has a large collection of quilts. Within this collection are five quilts by Katherina Betts that were donated by her son Ed and daughter-in-law Gloria Betts.

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Uncovering the Untold Stories of the Blackfoot People

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Past issues of the Lethbridge Herald have long served as an encyclopedia of community life, a Who’s Who of Southwest Alberta. However, not everyone was fairly represented. In the Galt Museum’s archives are images of Blackfoot people once featured in the newspaper without identification, leaving their stories untold. The 1,000 Faces Project was designed to bridge this gap by recovering and preserving their names in archival records.

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Oh, Miladi! History of the Women's Section in the Lethbridge Herald

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Beginning as two humble columns in 1910, “Miladi” was a women’s section in the Lethbridge Herald, which quickly grew to a whole page later in the year. “Miladi” included everything from personal happenings to sewing patterns to Aunt Sal’s Handy Hints, which was an advice and information column written by Sara Nelson.

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Online PresentationGalt Museum & ArchivesFebruary 16, 2021Galt Museum & ArchivesBlack History, City Hall, Protest, Demonstration, Community Organizers, Anti Racism, George Floyd, Police Brutality, Black Lives Matter, Indigenous Lives MatterComment