Ayumi and Yoshiko from Sawa Japanese House give a chopstick tutorial.

Online PresentationAimee BenoitAugust 17, 2021Sawa Japanese HouseLethbridge Eats, Exhibits, Sawa, Japanese, Cooking, Cuisine, Food, Chopsticks, Eating, Restaurants, Lethbridge, Southern AlbertaComment

Brad Brown and the Galt

Join Exhibit Designer Brad Brown as he reflects on nearly four decades of Galt history and service to the community.

Online PresentationAimee BenoitMay 11, 2021Galt Museum & ArchivesGalt, Brad Brown, Exhibits, Curation, Design, History, Lethbridge Comment

Made In: Theoretically Brewing

Theoretically Brewing co-founders Kelti Baird and Kris Fischer discuss the history of local brewing in Lethbridge and their work to bring that tradition back to the community.

Online PresentationAimee BenoitApril 13, 2021Theoretically Brewing CompanyMade In, Exhibit, Curatorial, Brewing, Beer, Sicks Brewery, Lethbridge, Commerce, Economy, Alcohol, Prohibition, Economic Development, YQLocalComment

Made In...: Populess

Join Brad Gadd from The Populess Co. as he talks about being a part of Lethbridge's history of makers.

Online PresentationAimee BenoitMarch 30, 2021The PopulessMade In, Populess, Leather, Creatives, Coalbanks Creative Co, Curatorial, ExhibitComment

How Sweet it is: Beekeeping in Southwestern Alberta

Today there is a mix of large commercial and small hobbyist beekeepers in southern Alberta. How did apiculture develop here over the last century?

ArticleAimee BenoitMarch 23, 2021Galt Museum & ArchivesBuzzworthy, Bees, Beekeeping, Beekeeper, Honeybees, Apiculture, Ideal Farm, Agriculture, CanolaComment

Made In: Lethbridge Iron Works

Lethbridge Iron Works Company (LETH IRON) is the oldest continuously operating manufacturer in Lethbridge. Learn more in our History This Week video.

Online PresentationAimee BenoitMarch 17, 2021LETH IRONIron, Manufacturing, Made In, Lethbridge, Coal, Metal, LETH IRON, Dylan Davies, Exhibit, History This Week, The Galt Presents Comment

Early Beekeepers in Southern Alberta

Did you know that southern Alberta has a long history of beekeeping? Find out what and who made our region a “beekeeping hotspot.”

ArticleAimee BenoitMarch 16, 2021Galt Museum & ArchivesBuzzworthy, Bees, Apiary, Riedel, Schurtz, Beekeeping, Southern Alberta, Honey, Polination, Lethbridge, Stirling, Coaldale, Irrigation, AgricultureComment

Local Inventions

Southern Alberta has been a hub for ingenuity over the years. Learn about inventors Andrew Briosi, Chloe Davies, Catherine Jackimszyk, Charles Noble, Alberta Stubbs and Otto Wobick.

ArticleAimee BenoitMarch 9, 2021Galt Museum & ArchivesMade In, Ingenuity, Lethbridge, Nodle Blade, Agriculture, Invention, Farmer, Sugar Beet, Grasshopper, Pest Control, Toilet, MopComment

Made by Hand

Handmade goods can range from functional to expressive to ingenious, blurring categories such as art and craft. But they all share something in common: a connection between objects and their creators that makes each piece unique.

ArticleAimee BenoitMarch 2, 2021Galt Museum & ArchivesMade In, DIY, Handmade, Craft, Artisan, Doukhobor, Mass Production, Creativity, Blacksmith, Knitting, Ornaments, Macrame, Sewing, Woodworking, CarvingComment

Mass Production: A Look at Toys

In the late 1800s, many Canadian children played with hand-made or improvised toys, even though mass-produced toys were available. Why did it take until the 1950s for that trend to shift?

ArticleAimee BenoitFebruary 23, 2021Galt Museum & ArchivesMade In, Toys, Manufacturing, Production, Mass-Market, Globalization, ArtisanComment

Made in Lethbridge

Where does our “stuff” come from? How has that changed over time?

ArticleAimee BenoitFebruary 16, 2021Galt Museum & ArchivesMade In, Bison, Trade, Research, Manufacturing, Agriculture, Invention, Entrepreneur, Agri-food, Commerce, EconomyComment

Introducing Made In... (Stories of Stuff)

Galt Curator Aimee Benoit presents an introduction to our newest exhibit Made In... (Stories of Stuff).

Online PresentationAimee BenoitFebruary 9, 2021Galt Museum & ArchivesMade In, Exhibit, Curatorial, Presentation, University of Lethbridge, History, Niitsitapi, Blackfoot, Manfuacturing, Objects, Collection, Production, Supply ChainComment

Cowboy Swing

The Alberta Ranch Boys quickly became a popular act, touring British Columbia with their “cowboy swing” style.

ArticleAimee BenoitJune 2, 2020Galt Museum & ArchivesMusic, Second World War, Swing, Alberta Ranch BoysComment

The “Four Maids of Melody”

The Anderson Sisters were passionate about their music and their stage presence. Every detail was meticulous, down to their matching uniforms and jewelry. Throughout the war, they supported community events, promoted war savings bonds, and even taught others how to become musicians themselves.

ArticleAimee BenoitMay 26, 2020Galt Museum & ArchivesAnderson Sisters, ARchestra, Music, Swing, Depression, Second World WarComment

Music of the Home Front

During the Second World War, local big band groups played an energetic, swinging style of music that brought crowds to dance halls and joy to the community.

ArticleAimee BenoitMay 19, 2020Galt Museum & ArchivesTrainon, Swing, Jaz, Music, Second World War, Home FrontComment

From Trendsetter to the End of an Era

In the later twentieth century, traditional department stores faced growing competition from shopping malls, discount retailers and online shopping. The Hudson’s Bay Company, Sears Canada and Zellers all took market share from Eaton’s, and the creation of big-box stores in the 1990s made it difficult to compete.

ArticleAimee BenoitDecember 3, 2019Galt Museum & ArchivesEaton's, Sears, Hudson's Bay Company, Department Stores, Mall, Park Place, Lethbridge, Downtown Comment

Eaton’s Community Involvement

Lethbridge Eaton’s was a destination for women to enjoy the afternoon. The store had a soda bar where shoppers could rest and enjoy something to eat and offered the latest fashions, cosmetics and everything a household could need. The store was also an important employer for women in Lethbridge and many worked long careers as “Eatonians.”

Aimee BenoitNovember 26, 2019Eaton's, Commerce, Downtown, Lethbridge, Department, StoreComment

The Rise of Eaton’s and Lethbridge

Eaton’s opened its first “TECO” store in Lethbridge in 1927 at the corner of 4 Avenue and 6 Street South. The store became so successful that in 1955 the company built a new, modern building at the same location. Eaton’s became a landmark in Lethbridge and the central shopping hub for residents looking for quality goods.

ArticleAimee BenoitNovember 19, 2019Eaton's, Commerce, Downtown, Lethbridge, Park Place Mall Comment

Places and Traces: The Westside

West Lethbridge was considered a “planners’ dream”—a chance to experiment with contoured streets and a new “neighbourhood village” concept incorporating residential, retail and recreational services.

ArticleAimee BenoitJuly 30, 2019Galt Museum & ArchivesNeighbourhoods, Westside, Planning, Lethbridge, The Bend, Development, Community, Places & Traces: Our NeighbourhoodsComment

Places and Traces: The Southside

In the 1880s, Lethbridge went from coal mining camp to boomtown. The population shifted in 1885 from the river valley into a newly surveyed townsite on the prairies. The Southside boomed.

ArticleAimee BenoitJuly 23, 2019Conybeare, Lethbridge, Boundaries, Neighbourhoods, Coal Mining, Camp, River Crossing, City Planning, Fairgrounds, Places & Traces: Our NeighbourhoodsComment