Indian Head Museum celebrated new publications with a book launch during Indian Head Days.
Research and compilation
Last year the museum received funding and support from Young Canada Works, SaskCulture, SaskLotteries and Saskatchewan Council for Archives and Archivists that enabled the organization to create two new books for a Heritage Indian Head series. One book would feature Indian Head High School graduates from 1914 to 1984; the other would highlight the local theatre’s legacy from 1904 to 1984.
Initial research for the books was done by summer students Abigail Williamson and Howard Rennebohm. Williamson began by scanning photos and confirming names of the graduates that would be included in the high school heritage book. Film Rescue International scanned some of the larger photos. Colleen Reynard researched current events to include for each of the years in the book. John Kort worked to ensure spelling and punctuation were correct throughout the document.
Simultaneously, Rennebohm scoured the museum’s digital newspaper database for references to events at Indian Head’s Opera House, which was later known as the Auditorium and now the Grand Theatre. He gathered additional information about the venue through interviews with previous owners and board members.
During the fall and winter months, museum president John Kort worked with Sherry Carlton and Sarah Pacio to finish preparing data about the theatre and compile it into a book format. Using Rennebohm’s notes from the digital archive, Kort and Pacio photographed relevant pages of the newspapers stored at the museum, in order to ensure suitable image quality for the printed book. Then they worked with Carlton to complete the formatting for the publisher.
Shannon Faye provided valuable guidance in using Adobe InDesign to create the digital layout for both books. The group finished proofreading and the completed files were sent to the publisher in March. The museum received the newly printed books in late April.
Book launch
To celebrate the project’s completion, Indian Head Museum partnered with the Grand Theatre, local library branch and Stage Left Players to host a book launch during Indian Head Days. Several interested community members met at the theatre on June 23 for the program. Indian Head Museum board member Ken Turpin welcomed the attendees and explained the intent of the project.
“These books were created to turn archival information into something that is accessible to everyone,” Turpin said.
Lynn Dunham, library board member and teacher at Indian Head High School, then introduced the book, Heritage Indian Head: High School Grads 1914-1984. During her presentation, Dunham invited special guests Doreen Willerth, Don Jewitt and Lisa Craigie to speak about their school experiences since their graduating classes are included in the book. All three individuals continue to make their homes in Indian Head and shared fond memories of their school years.
Meagan McEwen, treasurer for the Grand Theatre board, introduced the second book, Heritage Indian Head: The Opera House 1904-1984. Along with a collection of newspaper clippings featuring activities at the venue, the book includes biographical information about the various owners and notable visitors to the Opera House. A few of these were highlighted during Sunday’s program, with assistance from Indian Head Stage Left Players.
McEwen invited Allison Kydd to begin by presenting a monologue as Grace Osment, daughter of Arthur J. Osment who built the Opera House in 1904. Tracy Gostick then gave a speech as Agnes MacPhail, Canada’s first female member of parliament, who visited Indian Head in the 1920s. John Kort addressed the group as another visitor to the town, Governor General John Buchan or Lord Tweedsmuir. The program concluded with Brady Smith addressing the audience as pilot Garfield Prior who was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross during World War II and given a hero’s welcome at the Auditorium.
“These are just some of the stories that you will find in the Opera House book,” McEwen commented. “Over its 120 years, this building has been and continues to be an important community hub and a keeper of our town’s memories.”
The Heritage Indian Head books were available to purchase following the program on Sunday afternoon and can also be obtained from the Indian Head Museum for $50 per copy.
