Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1987

Date Range To

1988

Materials

METAL, IRON, PAINT

No. Pieces

2

Height

32

Length

20.7

Width

30.7

Description

A. BALLOT BOX, 32 CM H X 20.7 CM L X 30.7 CM W. SILVER METAL BOX THAT OPENS AT THE TOP; BOX HAS BLACK METAL HANDLE ON THE LID WITH AN IRON LATCH ON LID AND FRONT; BOX HAS A ROUND HOLE IN THE LID. FRONT OF BOX HAS BLACK, PAINTED, STENCILLED TEXT “DOMINION OF CANADA”. TOP HAS PAPER TAPED ON WITH HANDWRITTEN PENCILLED TEXT “BALLET BOX FROM TENNANT HOUSE RALPH AND JANET ESTATE SALE 86 89”. INSIDE OF BOX HAS NEWSPAPER LINING THE BOTTOM. BOX IS STAINED ON THE OUTSIDE; BOX HAS PENCIL DRAWINGS AND MARKS ON THE FRONT AND SIDES; BOX IS SCUFFED AND RUSTED; BOX HAS GRIME ON THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE; OVERALL GOOD CONDITION. B. NEWSPAPER CLIPPING, 20.5 CM W X 18.2 CM L. CLIPPING WITH BLACK PRINTED TEXT OF ARTICLE “TENNANT RETIRES AFTER 23 YEARS”; ARTICLE INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHS OF RALPH TENNANT AND AL WIGGINS. TOP OF CLIPPING HAS PRINTED TEXT “10 – THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD – MONDAY, AUGUST 16, 1971”. BACK OF ARTICLE HAS HEADLINE AND ARTICLE “FIRE DESTROYS SOUTH GRASSLANDS”. PAPERE IS YELLOWED; TEXT IS FADED; CLIPPING HAS SEVERE FOLD RUNNING VERTICALLY DOWN CENTER; OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

CEREMONIAL ARTIFACT

Historical Association

POLITICS

History

ON FEBRUARY 5, 2019, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED BARB CAVERS REGARDING HER DONATION OF ITEMS FROM HER HOME AND TEACHING CAREER. ON THE BALLOT BOX, CAVERS RECALLED, “MY HUSBAND [LLOYD] BOUGHT THAT FOR ME AT A GARAGE SALE [AROUND 1987 OR 1988], AT THE HOME OF RALPH AND JANET TENNANT, WHO LIVED ON FIFTEENTH STREET, BETWEEN FIFTH AND SIXTH AVENUE…THEY HAD LIVED IN THIS HOUSE FOR QUITE A LONG TIME, AND THEY WERE MOVING. HE WENT TO THE GARAGE SALE, AND SAW THIS…AND THOUGHT THAT, BECAUSE OF MY INVOLVEMENT IN SEVERAL ELECTIONS THAT I WOULD APPRECIATE HAVING THIS BALLOT BOX.” “IN 1971, MY HUSBAND AT THE TIME WAS DWIGHT JENSEN, AND HE WAS CAMPAIGN MANAGER FOR RICHARD BARTON, WHO WAS RUNNING AS A CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATE IN LETHBRIDGE EAST. THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT PETER LOUGHEED FORMED THE GOVERNMENT. IT WAS VERY EXCITING TO BE INVOLVED IN THAT WHOLE PROCESS. WE WENT TO A TRAINING SESSION…AT THE BANFF SCHOOL, AND SAW THE ROLL-OUT OF ALL THE ADS; GOT ALL REVVED UP; CAME HOME…I WAS ABLE TO WORK ON THAT CAMPAIGN, SO I BECAME THE OFFICE MANAGER, AND IT WAS REALLY AN EXCITING CAMPAIGN TO BE INVOLVED IN. IT WAS DEVASTATING TO FIND OUT THAT WE DIDN’T WIN. THERE WERE NO CONSERVATIVES ELECTED SOUTH OF CALGARY, IN THAT FIRST ELECTION. THE NEXT ONE, YOU COULD HAVE RUN ANYBODY, AND THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN ELECTED, AS A CONSERVATIVE. BUT, THE LOUGHEED [WAVE]…WAS REALLY AN EXCITING TIME TO BE INVOLVED. THAT WAS MY FIRST. SECOND ONE WOULD HAVE BEEN, I’M THINKING ’84. THAT WAS THE FEDERAL ELECTION WHEN MULRONEY WAS ELECTED, AND, AGAIN, I WAS STILL A CONSERVATIVE AT THAT TIME…I WAS OFFICE MANAGER FOR BLAINE THACKER ON HIS CAMPAIGN. THAT WAS ANOTHER EXCITING ONE TO BE INVOLVED WITH, BECAUSE IT WAS ANOTHER WAVE…A TIME OF CHANGE. WE HAD REALLY WONDERFUL PEOPLE TO WORK WITH AGAIN, AND DID A ROAD-TRIP TO CALGARY FOR A BIG MULRONEY RALLY ON PRINCE’S ISLAND. SO, THEY WERE BOTH REALLY GOOD ELECTIONS TO BE INVOLVED IN…BECAUSE I ENJOYED IT SO MUCH, HE SAW THAT [BOX], AND THOUGHT I WOULD ENJOY THAT.” “I DID DO SOME RESEARCH…HE WAS A RETURNING OFFICER DURING…IT MUST HAVE BEEN A FEDERAL ELECTION. I ALSO LOOKED UP WHEN THEY CHANGED FROM THOSE BOXES TO A DIFFERENT STYLE OF BOX…THAT WAS PROBABLY JUST OUT OF SERVICE, SO HE KEPT ONE.” “I HAD IT SITTING IN THE LIVING ROOM FOR A WHILE. I THINK I HAD BASKETS…DRIED FLOWERS…IT JUST WAS IN THAT COLLECTION OF STUFF IN FRONT OF THE WINDOW. MORE RECENTLY, IT’S JUST BEEN IN THE BASEMENT, BUT I DID HAVE IT AS AN ITEM OF DÉCOR FOR A WHILE.” “THE OTHER THING THAT I REALLY LIKED WAS THAT I KNEW THE TENNANT’S, THROUGH SOUTHMINSTER CHURCH, AND THEY WERE JUST SUCH A LOVELY FAMILY. THEY HAD TWO SONS WHO WERE JUST SLIGHTLY OLDER THAN MYSELF AND MY SISTER, AND THE WHOLE FAMILY WAS JUST A REALLY WONDERFUL FAMILY, SO TO HAVE SOMETHING OF THEIRS WAS KIND OF SPECIAL TO ME.” FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES AND THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE P20190005001-GA.

Catalogue Number

P20190005005

Acquisition Date

2019-02

Collection

Museum

Less detail