Wednesday, August 30: a bright, hot summer day suitable for a drive out to Pilot Mound. Their museum has moved to larger quarters on the second floor of their Millennium Complex. They've done a great job sorting and setting up these galleries.
Many of their artifacts are familiar pioneer items found in a lot of rural museums, but it was especially nice to come across names we know.
Here's a sampling of the galleries, in no particular order:
No, these Frasers aren't exhibits in the "ancient history" gallery.
Jerry Coulthard ran the jewellery store and was the biggest sports fan in town.
A polio survivor, Jerry used a trike to get around town easily.
Gordon Fraser's racing silks, with a photo of winning horse Harvest Pilot, 1957.
Gordie Fraser, Harvest Pilot, and Gordon Fraser Sr., 1957. This photo will be donated to the museum.
Dad's Teddy will be heading back to Pilot Mound, safely under glass in the dolls cabinet.
The hockey rink in the complex is aptly named after "Black Jack" Stewart (1917-1983), and the mezzanine just outside the museum's entrance features tributes to him. Stewart played for the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Black Hawks. He earned his nickname by being the hardest hitting defenceman of his time (1937-1953), and claimed he stayed strong by working on his father's Pilot Mound farm.
