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Authority record
Alberta

Harvey, Maureen (neé O'Neill)

  • ATH 23.01
  • Person
  • 1939 - Present

Maureen Harvey, née O’Neill, was born in Edmonton, Alberta on April 24th, 1939 and attended St. Joseph’s High School. She attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and obtained her BA majoring in Arts on July 7th 1962. Her studies included scientific drawing as related to anatomy and life studies. She married Dr. John Harvey in Edmonton in 1963 and the couple bought a farm in Athabasca County in 1973 as a weekend retreat. Harvey has an art studio at the rural property. Her work includes two books, “Basky” written by Athabascan, Dorothy Lane, and “The Silver Chain,” written by Edmontonian, Gerda Bako. She has also created murals on themes of heritage, pioneers, dinosaurs, and people, birds and plants of the Bahamas. The murals are in Alberta communities including Edmonton, Sherwood Park, Slave Lake, Calgary (Ferguson School), and Grande Prairie.

Backstrom, Shirley

  • ATH 08.26
  • Person
  • 1934 - Present

Shirley Backstrom (neé Coleman) was born in Amber Valley, Alberta on July 7, 1934 and her parents were Isaiah and Velma Coleman (neé Adams).
Shirley’s great, great grandmother was Jane Bowen, born February 18, 1844 in Alabama, USA. She was half Black and half Cherokee. Her maiden name was thought to have been Thigpin, but discovery of her marriage license shows that her family name was actually Gregory.
The family myth is that great, great grandmother was the daughter of a chief; however, the most likely scenario is that great, great grandmother’s father had enslaved her mother, as the Cherokee Nation is known to have kept Black slaves at that time.
Great grandfather Columbus Bowen’s parents were “Big Daddy” and Jane Bowen. Descendants of this family have been unable to establish Big Daddy’s actual name. This is understandable given the fact that Big Daddy was most likely a freed slave. Slaves were sold from one owner to the next and took on the names given them by their respective owners.
Columbus was the first of eight children born to Big Daddy and Jane in 1870 in Pine Flats, Butler County, Alabama. The remaining children were twins Martha and Mary, Lulu, Silas, Ollie (known as Aunt Miss), Frank and Nellie.
Columbus’ wife, Martha Watts, was born in 1872 in Butler Springs, Alabama and he and and Martha were married in 1887 in Butler Springs. They moved to Montgomery, Alabama where four of their eight children were born: Minnie, Etheline (Ethel), Forest and Columbus (Lummie).
They left Alabama via Lee County, Texas for Guthrie, Oklahoma. They had four more children:
Willa, Ilean, Herman and Lovetta. It appears they remained in Guthrie for approximately 11 years from 1899 to 1910. Their second daughter, Ethel, born in 1888, received her teaching certificate from the State of Oklahoma in 1910. They moved yet again to Chandler in Choctaw County, Oklahoma to join a group who were immigrating to Canada.

The family arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1911 where Martha unfortunately passed away in 1912. Columbus moved his family to Pine Creek, Alberta, Canada (NE 15-66-20-W4) in 1912 where he and his cousin Willis Bowen would eventually settle. Pine Creek later became known as Amber Valley. Ethel taught school in Amber Valley at the Toles School, District #2895.

Ethel Bowen married Percy Adams in Vancouver, BC. Percy was from Cape Town, Africa, born in 1894. They moved to Amber Valley. They had two children, Shirley’s mother Velma Adams, born in 1916 in Amber Valley, and uncle Chris Adams, born in 1918, also in Amber Valley. Percy Adams was a porter on the Northern Alberta Railway from Edmonton to Fort McMurray for many years.

Velma Adams married Isaiah Coleman (born 1910) in 1932. They had six children: Corene, Shirley, both born in Amber Valley, and Ronald, Rodney, Jeanette and Carol, born in Edmonton, Alberta.
The family lived in Edmonton from 1935 to 1946 and then moved back to Amber Valley, the children attending Toles School until 1951. When the family moved to Edmonton, Isaiah Coleman got a job as a porter on the Canadian National Railway going from Edmonton to Prince Rupert.

Shirley married Sylvester Hinton of Amber Valley on April 30, 1951 and they lived in Edmonton. They had four children: Nadine, Terry, Randolf and Leon. September 7, 1957, Shirley and the children moved to Fort Smith, Northwest Territories.

Shirley lived in Fort Smith for 11 years, moved to Pine Point for 12 years, then Hay River for 11 years for a total of 34 years in the Northwest Territories. She was the Supervisor at the Information Centre at the Alberta-Northwest Territories border for six years. While living in Hay River, she worked as a highway transport officer at the weigh scale from 1982 – 1991. Shirley was Secretary for the Union of Northern Workers Public Service of Canada, Aboriginal, Inuit and Métis Workers from 1983 – 1990.

While in Fort Smith, two foster children were added to the family. Wilbert Boucher was two years old when Social Services asked if she could keep him until they found a place for him. He was born on June 03, 1963. In 1966, Shirley got Shawnee Mary Ruth when she was six weeks old. She didn’t find out until Shawnee was six months old that she was Wilbert’s biological sister.

When Shirley lived in Pine Point, NWT, she was the Secretary for the Mothers for Minor Hockey Club, Secretary for the Legion, and Craft Teacher for the Sanavisik Guild, teaching knitting, crochet and ceramics.

Shirley joined the Royal Purple in Pine Point on February 1, 1968 and held dual membership in Pine Point and Hay River until 1988 when Pine Point closed down. She received her 25-year-pin in 1992 from the Hay River Lodge. She received her 30-year-pin form the Athabasca Lodge. She received her Life Membership Pin from the Athabasca Lodge on April 15, 2000 and her 35-year-pin from the Barrhead Lodge in 2002. She received her 40-year-pin from the Lac La Biche Lodge in 2007.

Shirley moved from Hay River, NWT to Colinton, Alberta in July, 1991. She was a member of the Athabasca Native Friendship Centre (ANFC) since March 1991 and was elected to the Board of Directors in June 2007. She became Vice-President in 2008 and Board President in 2010. In 2010, Shirley represented the ANFC at meetings held in Edmonton, and youth and Elders gatherings in Jasper. She attended an Elders retreat at MacEwan University in 2011.

Shirley started the Drug and Alcohol Program at Athabasca’s Landing Trail Intermediate School, the Hutterite Colony School, and Rochester School in September 1993 for the Elks and Royal Purple of Canada. She ran the program until June 2010. The last year of the program she had 273 entries from participating students. Shirley also worked with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) Program in the Athabasca and area schools. The Elks and Royal Purple donated education kits on teasing and bullying as unacceptable behaviours to Smith School, Rochester School, the Hutterite Colony School, Whispering Hills Primary School, Landing Trail Intermediate School and the Athabasca Native Friendship Centre.

Home Outreach Society of Athabasca (HOSA)

  • Ath 96.13
  • Corporate body
  • 1987 - 1990

In Athabasca Town and County, a need for an emergency support system for the elderly and those with severe handicaps was identified and the Home Outreach Society of Athabasca was formed to identify and fund raise for an emergency support system. The system was designed to summon assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and to be available in either private homes or institutionalized settings. HOSA opted for the Apello System which was Canadian made and did not require a central monitoring or answering service to forward distress calls. Society members were President, Barb Wilkinson; Vice President, Nola-Jean Paterson; Treasurer, Mike Chute; and secretary, Denise Armstrong. The society operated under the leadership of 14 directors with four representatives from the Athabasca General and Auxiliary Hospital, three representatives from the Athabasca Health Unit, one representative from Athabasca Family and Community Support Services, one representative from the Athabasca Senior Citizen’s Society and six representatives from interested community groups including the Athabasca Hospital Auxiliary. To raise funds for the project the first annual Athabasca Canada Day Canoe Race was conceived. Eight people in Athabasca Town and County were identified as being in need of an emergency support system and the system the society decided to purchase was the Apello System at a cost of $1,115.00 per unit.

Langton-Adams, John Edward (Ted)

  • Ath 21.07
  • Person
  • Circa 1915 - 2002

Ted Langton-Adams was a Canadian photo journalist based in Vancouver, BC. He was born in the United States and came to Canada to enlist in the military, having been unable to join in the US. He served as a reconnaissance rider during WWII. After the war, he was employed in the commercial airline industry by Trans-Canada Airlines (later Air Canada) and Western Airlines (later acquired by Delta Airlines). Ted Langton-Adams was the president of Trail North Foundation in 1978 and was part of a historical motorboat trip on the Athabasca River from the Town of Athabasca northeast to the Grand Rapids. Others on the trip included Town of Athabasca Mayor Herman Leicht, County of Athabasca Reeve Lee Melsness, several town and county councilors, and representatives from Athabasca and District Chamber of Commerce. Ted Langton-Adams was widely traveled and enjoyed a number of interests including photography, vintage motorcycles and automobiles, and breeding Boxer dogs. A book of his motor sport photographs, The Photographic Art of Ted Langton-Adams: Europe 1962, was published posthumously in 2009 by Thomas E. Johnston Ventures Inc.

Bazalgette, Charles and Trish

  • AATH 24.01
  • Person
  • 2010

Charles and Trish Bazalgette moved to the Town of Athabasca in 1999 and bought a business, Two Hens Framing and Gifts. They changed the name to Old Crow Antiques and Framing, and Trish ran the business. The store was situated in the back of the Veritas Center on 49th Street, owned by Fritz Prufer. In 2002 they bought the building and expanded their store to the front, keeping the back for workshop and office space. In 2003 they started the Tizzie Bazalcat Shelter for Homeless Cats, a spin-off from the Second Chance Animal Rescue Society.
In 2005 the Bazalgettes made overtures to the Town of Athabasca to buy the CNR train station which had recently been vacated by the Athabasca Senior Citizen’s Society; however, the Town of Athabasca wasn’t willing to sell the station. In August 2006, the Bazalgettes bought the old Anglican Church Rectory from the Lewis family and began preserving and restoring the house. They moved Old Crow to the rectory and rented out their old space in the Veritas Centre to DataWest Computers. They closed the doors to the cat shelter that year but kept the remaining cats in their care.
In 2008 they sold the Veritas Center to accountant Glen Martin.
In 2009 and 2010, they were instrumental in starting the Friends of the Athabasca Train Station (FATS) society for the purpose of researching, restoring, and promoting the 1912 train station. They created public interest in the station and succeeded in obtaining a 25-year lease for the station with the Town of Athabasca and Athabasca Heritage Society for the purpose of conserving the building and creating community space. Charles was Chair of Heritage Society at that time.
In 2010, Trish wrote and published a print and online newsletter, “Women Mean Business: Athabasca’s Small Small-Business Community.”
In 2013 they closed Old Crow and relocated to Salmo, BC where they opened Tara Books, which operated until 2022 when Trish retired.

Parkview Community Club

  • AATH 11.08
  • Corporate body
  • 1969 - 2005

Parkhurst Social Society renamed themselves Parkview Community Club on August 12, 1969, for the purpose of restoring Parkhurst School, NE 12-67-21 W4, to use as a community hall. The club was incorporated on November 10, 1969, and the first executive was Don Ballard, president and Adele Sale, secretary-treasurer. The hall was added on to in1973 including a kitchen and dining area, and later, a stage.

Athabasca Centennial Celebrations Committee

  • Corporate body
  • 2009 - 2011

Athabasca Town Council struck the Athabasca Centennial Celebrations Committee in September 2009 to begin planning its 100th anniversary which was celebrated in 2011. The committee was Chair Bill Black, with town Councillors Paula Evans and John Traynor, and community members Montana Skye, Joan Veenstra, Severna Bosik and KellyLynn Spafford. The logo contest was won by Kenton Bullwick. The celebrations included a drumming circle and pipe ceremony hosted by the Athabasca Native Friendship Centre, a music festival hosted by the Magnificent River Rats Festival Society on July 1 and 2, a Homecoming Weekend from July 29 – 31st, a commemorative plate and decorative scow-shaped dish created by the Athabasca Pottery Club, and many activities facilitated and hosted by local groups and volunteers. Two books were published to mark the anniversary; “Why Athabasca: A Brief History of the Origins of Athabasca Landing,” by Dr. Greg Johnson and “Athabasca: 100 Years in Our Own Words,” published by the Athabasca Advocate newspaper. A website was launched by Joan Veenstra, athabasca2011.com.

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