RIBBON, MEMBERSHIP

Description: RIBBON CONSISTS OF A BLUE RIBBON BEHIND A SHORTER WHITE ONE, EACH WITH COILED GOLD TASSELS. WHITE RIBBON DISPLAYS SIGNIFICANT DISCOLOURATION AND STAINING. LARGE STAIN ON THE UPPER LEFT EDGE. RIBBONS ARE SUSPENDED FROM A BRASS PIN WITH THE IMAGE OF TWO HANDS IN A HANDSHAKE ON IT. WHITE RIBBON HAS TWO 3-DIMENSIONAL FLAGS (ONE U.S., ONE CIVIL ENSIGN OF THE UNITED KINGDOM) AND A 3 DIMENSIONAL DISC ON IT. DISC HAS THE IMAGE OF 3 MINING TOOLS WITH A BANNER WINDING THROUGH THEM THAT READS "IN UNION THERE IS STRENGTH". ABOVE IMAGE OF TOOLS IS "WESTERN FEDERATION OF MINERS". BLUE RIBBON READS "LETHBRIDGE MINERS UNION NO. 59 LETHBRIDGE, N.W.T." IN SILVER.

History: RIBBON DATES TO BEFORE THE FORMATION OF THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA IN 1905 AND AFTER THE LETHBRIDGE BECOMES A CITY IN 1890. RIBBON BELONGED TO ALEX NOBLE AND ENTERED INTO THE POSESSION OF FRANK GRGURICH. UPON GRGURICH’S DEATH IN 2008, THE RIBBON WAS DONATED IN HIS MEMORY. UPDATE: ON 18 DECEMBER 2012, THE MUSEUM COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT RECEIVED A MAILED PACKAGE FROM RIBBON DONOR JOANNE MATSUMURA. IT WAS MATSUMURA’S INTENT TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFO ON THE MINERS’ UNION AND WEARER ALEX NOBLE AT THE TIME OF DONATION. THE NEW INFORMATION, IN SUMMARY, INCLUDES OBITUARIES, HANDWRITTEN BIBLE ENTRIES, EXCERPTS FROM THE PUBLICATION WORKERS UNITE! “THE AMERICAN LABOR MOVEMENT”, THE WIKIPEDIA ENTRY FOR THE WESTERN FEDERATION OF MINERS AS WELL AS A SERIES OF ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE NEWS ABOUT THE UNION IN LETHBRIDGE, DATED 1897 TO 1903. FOR THIS AND MORE INFORMATION PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE. UPDATE: ON 28 JUNE 2013, COLLECTIONS RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM RIBBON DONOR JOANNE MATSUMURA IN WHICH SHE STATES, “JUST NOW REVIEWING ON MICROFILM THE ENUMCLAW NEWSPAPER OF JULY 9, 1909, KANGLEY, WASHINGTON SECTION, AND I NOTE THE FOLLOWING BRIEF INFORMATION: ‘HENRY NOBLE HELD A FAMILY REUNION ON SUNDAY LAST IN HONOR OF HENRY NOBLE JR., OF CANADA WHO IS MAKING A VISIT TO HIS PARENTS.’”