Chapter 33
Preserving The Past

A project that I have taken an interest in is the "Souris Valley Antique Association". This association started out very small about eighteen or twenty years ago. John Fjeldberg, a machinist in Midale suggested we hold a threshing bee. It was a small beginning, one afternoon of threshing barley with an oil fueled Rumely tractor and "I think" a Rumley separator. This humble beginning was held on our farm east of Midale.

The interest in restoring old equipment has grown and thrived continuously all these years. Some items are donated to the Antique Association, others are owned by individuals and used for the benefit of the association.

Many years before this all happened, our local barber, Maynard Moser, was collecting small items 1such as shaving mugs, stamps and coin collections and barber equipment. He spent a few summers in Regina collecting a wide range of souveniers, enough that it became difficult to find a way to display 1it all. An agreement with a group in Regina failed to meet his approval and a large number of items were never displayed.

Moser's family took an interest in his collection and eventually an agreement was made with our an-tique association that if we provided a building to display the collection, they, the family, would have it all returned to Midale. This agreement on getting the collection released took a little time but that was accomplished too. Previous to September 1983 our association had purchased an all steel frame and roof buildings form Mryglod's in Weyburn. All these developments occured while I was living in Govan so I had little or nothing to do with this new plan. In September, 1983, construction was started along side the older Beaver Lumber building. This property had been purchased previously. Mike Ortman was chosen to direct the building operation. All construction help was volunteered. The cement foundation was run, steel frame set up and the roof was on long before freeze up. The cement block walls were all done by local people and the cement floor was done shortly before freeze up. Painting and inside construction went on again, in the Spring of 1984. Four students were hired when school was out and they did all the painting, inside and out. Two coats of paint went on the cinder block walls and it was taking on a new look. Some critics even offered the statement that it looked like a penitentiary, before being painted. That has not been heard recently. Thirty five gallons of paint were used to paint the walls, inside and out. More had to be purchased for the roof interior. The four students did well at the painting job. Most of it was done in warm weather, although it didn't get warm inside until the afternoon. Since the building is thirty four feet by 108 feet, it looked like a lot of room while empty. After partitions were in and it was divided into rooms, we soon found it wasn't any too big.

The Moser collection was moved to Midale, courtesy of Lyman Waites trucking from Regina. The Waite family all grew up on a farm west of Midale. The collection was stored for a while in two buildings on the Museum grounds and was moved to the new building as the location for different items was determined. Different individuals took responsibility for different rooms.

Eglund's family stocked the first room, it of course being a barber shop. They also did a hardware room. Jean Swenson prepared a beauty shop. Margaret Hauglum prepared a ladies' wear shop. Bob and Diane Swenson did an old time kitchen, etc. Emil Swenson equipped a telephone switchboard. Mike Ortman developed a blacksmith shop and the last one I will mention is a harness room done by Beverly Sobush and myself. There may be other individuals involved but I do not remember quite all of it.

The official opening was held in September 1985. At the present time, except during seasonal work such as seeding and harvesting, a meeting is held once a week, some evening. There are odd jobs done and coffee and lunch is served. So it is also a social event, business meetings are held once a month. The group that meets regularly is not large, but their devotion to the resposibilities involved will not be found wanting I am sure. There is a large number of tractors and old equipment, the best are stored inside. Items are too numerous to do justice to them in detail. Probably one of the most notorious items is the "mud mobile" designed by Doctor Mainprize and build by local mechanics that is driven annually in the parade. It has to be seen to be believed. It was used when road conditions were not good for either automobile or skis. I had the honor of riding in it when our daughter Carol was small (three years old) and Doc wanted her in the hospital for a few days treatment.