The Town Office with the original library next door [ca. 1940's]

Mandate

Our mandate is to acquire, preserve and make accessible records which reflect the political, social, and economic life of Edson and the surrounding area. The Archives contains items from individuals, families, businesses and organizations within the geographic limits of: east to Wildwood; west to Medicine Lodge; north to Shining Bank; and south to Mountain Park. We collect material in a variety of formats, including photographs, manuscripts, diaries, maps, and newspapers.

We have a large selection of Coal Branch photographs and a microfilm reader / printer for viewing local newspapers. The filmed newspapers date from 1911 to 2008.

Current Projects

In anticipation of the upcoming centennial, we at the Edson Public Library and Archives are collecting old photos and documents to add to our collection on town history. These help us as a community to truly appreciate the history of Edson, and provide us with valuable insight into our past. It is vital that we document all we can for both our education and for future generations; we are always taking donations, so if you have something of historic value, we would greatly appreciate the donation!

What are we looking for?

We want to include documents created by people or organizations as they go about their usual activities. Examples of these types of documents are:

1. Correspondence - This donation could include letters, postcards, formal correspondence, greeting cards and telegrams.
2. Minutes of meetings - These would have additional interest with handwritten notes in the margins.
3. Contracts - Any legal documents as briefs, dispositions, inventories of estates or wills have archival value.
4. Financial records - These reflect the economic climate when they were created. Other examples include ledgers, journals, bank statements, cheques, bills and receipts.
5. Diaries - These are excellent records of social activities, perspectives and viewpoints. Memoirs and awards are also valuable. Scrapbooks are an excellent documentation of activities or events important to an individual.
6. Photographs - Photographs of events and private lives are full of information, both of the subject and the background. These donations can include slides, negatives, movie and video tapes.
7. Maps - Maps, charts and graphs define geography of a certain time.
8. Recordings - These can be in several formats including wax discs, cassette tapes and compact discs.
9. Printed material - Flyers, brochures, proofs, programs and clippings all contain information to aid the researcher.
10. Digital age - Technology leaps ahead so we also must include digital records, pictures and video.

If you could explain the people and events portrayed in these photos to the best of your abilities it would be greatly appreciated. Documents (particularly those pertaining to town, business, and family histories) are also very important to town history, so we seek donations of that nature as well. Newspapers are not necessary, thanks.

Donation Policy

The Archives welcomes donations of historical material relevant to the Edson area. If you wish to donate, please contact the Archives clerk to make an appointment.