Suitcase Secrets
Preserving McDougall Family Documents
In the spring of 2017,
Alberta lost an important historic place when the McDougall Stoney Mission
Church in Morley was destroyed by fire. However, as fate would have it,
important historical documents from another branch of the McDougall family have
been rescued and preserved for future generations. Archival Assistant Sara Min
from the University of Manitoba will relate the contents of the recent
acquisition by the Whyte Museum Archives, as well as the archival process she
undertook to both preserve and make accessible these important documents.
On June 19, 2017,
Archival Assistants Nicole Ensing, Brittany
Watson, and myself accompanied the Whyte Museum’s Head Archivist, Jennifer
Rutkair, to Drumheller, Alberta to appraise archival materials donated
by Ed and Faye Hnetka. Ed told us
that he found David McDougall correspondence inside a suitcase in the attic of
an abandoned house on 5th Ave, Calgary in 1969. The
homes were being demolished to make the streets wider. Not only was listening
to Ed’s story exciting, we were all grateful that the historically valuable
materials were saved from being lost forever.
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| Suitcase with documents, as found by Ed Hnetka |
These materials belonged
to David McDougall, the son of George Millward McDougall and Elizabeth Chantler
McDougall, born on May 14, 1845 in Owen Sound, Ontario. David married Annie
McKenzie in 1871 in Manitoba. Together, they had six children, including their
daughter named Georgina (Georgie) Elizabeth McDougall (1872-1965).
Georgina would later become the wife of Norman Luxton, an active member in
Banff, and the mother of Eleanor Georgina Luxton (1908-1995).
David was an early
pioneer of Calgary and Banff, who helped build both community life and their
economies. While David’s father and brother were both members of the clergy and
did missionary work in Morley at the Stoney Mission Church, David became a
successful businessman. He established a general merchant store in Morley where
he was a dealer in cattle, horses, furs, and curios. In addition to managing
his own business block in Calgary, David also owned properties in Edmonton and
Calgary. In Banff, David and Annie owned the Mount Royal Hotel for six years
until they sold it to Jim Brewster in August 14, 1913.
The
process required to make the McDougall materials accessible to the public began
by arranging and describing them. This was a challenge since the records stored
in an old suitcase were in no particular arrangement. After examining the
records that had not seen the light of day for over 40 years, they were
organized into six series: (1) Business Correspondence; (2) Cheques, Receipts,
Invoices; (3) Personal Documents; (4) Miscellaneous; (5) Painting; (6)
Blueprints. The records reflect David and Annie’s active business life. The
majority of the materials are correspondence between David and various
businesses throughout Calgary and Winnipeg.
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| Sara's workspace arranging McDougall documents |
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| Sara's workspace organizing documents into series |
The materials also
contain legal documents in relation to David’s land ownership and his
responsibility to maintain his properties in Edmonton and Calgary in accordance
with municipal by-laws. Letters addressed to David from the City of Edmonton
and the City of Calgary pertain to the cities’ sewage systems and fire escapes.
The cities’ attempt to enforce the by-laws represent their attempt to manage
health and safety measures.
While the majority of
the records are business correspondence, the collection also contains personal
letters. An interesting letter found within the collection was Gordon Carling’s
letter addressed to David in August 27, 1910 asking for his daughter Annie’s
hand in marriage. On August 27, 1910, David sent a reply to Gordon expressing
his permission. David wrote:
…As you and my daughter Annie have an
understanding and you both think you are suited to one another we will be
pleased to welcome you into the family…
Reading David and Annie
(Sr.)’s personal letters allows a sense of what life was like in Banff and
Calgary in the early 20th century. Once the records were arranged
and described, they were placed in three archival Hollinger boxes. David
McDougall’s records are available to the public and anyone who is interested to
learn more about a prominent business man who contributed to the vibrant
business communities of Calgary and Banff.
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| McDougall documents safely arranged in Hollinger boxes |
Sara Min
Archival Assistant
Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies
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