Provincial Archives of Alberta

June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada; a time to honour the unique histories, cultures, languages, and knowledge of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples.

The Indigenous Resources Guide (link below) organizes descriptions of archival materials at the PAA that relate to Indigenous peoples. These records come from both government departments and private individuals and organizations, reflecting a range of experiences, events, and voices.

The Guide allows you to browse records by subject, which leads to archival descriptions for further exploration. Many records appear under more than one subject to support more complete research and keyword or subject searches can be used alongside the Guide to find additional material. This is an ongoing project, and new descriptions will continue to be added as work progresses.

If you have questions about using the Guide or accessing records, staff in the Sandra Thomson Reading Room are here to help.

Honouring the past means taking the time to understand it. We remain committed to supporting respectful access to these important histories.

PAA: PR2006.0508.0020
Cree-Métis Scraping a Large Moose Hide, 1930

https://searchprovincialarchives.alberta.ca/indigenous-resources-guide

🎉 The PAA has joined Instagram!

👉 Follow us at for more photos, announcements, and behind-the-scenes moments.

Step into the past with this incredible photo of Banff Village from the 1950s! This breathtaking aerial view showcases the village's beauty, with the iconic Fairmont Hotel visible in the background. It's fascinating to see how much has changed over the years, yet the natural beauty of Banff remains timeless. A must-visit destination for anyone who loves history, culture, and stunning landscapes.

What is your favorite memory of time spent in Banff National Park?

PAA: A17733
Banff Village and Goat Mountain
Notes: Aerial view of Banff Village, including the Fairmont in the background.
[195-?]

Work can be a real drag sometimes, but sharing a laugh with colleagues can make the day brighter!

PAA: PR1973.0564.0024
Danish farm workers from Dalum working in sugar beet country near Raymond – on contract to land-owner.

Meat and Romance. Yes, you read that right. This month’s theme brings us a delightful slice of 1940s food history from our audiovisual collections.

Check out this promotional film featuring a young Alan Ladd learning all about buying and preparing meat for the home. Produced by the National Livestock and Meat Board, it’s a charming look at mid‑century food education — and a reminder that cooking advice has always been a little dramatic.

Watch the film here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzWGPp6mK_o&t=13s

Learn more about this recording in our holdings:
https://searchprovincialarchives.alberta.ca/meat-and-romance





Association of Canadian Archivists

Provincial Archives of Alberta 23 likes, 1 comment. "Meat and Romance (1940)"

We are now restocked on the very popular Rat t-shirt.

For those of you that have been patiently waiting, we have various sizes available in both black and grey, with limited sizes of white. For those of you new to this item, these crowd-pleasing unisex t-shirts have the screen-printed image of a c.1948 poster released by the Alberta Department of Public Health which promoted keeping Alberta rat free.

Not satisfied with simply getting a t-shirt or two? Consider a poster as well.

Visit us in person or online at: https://atms.alberta.ca/paa/Store/default.aspx?tagid=9

PAA: A17202b
You Can’t Ignore the Rat
Image published by the Alberta Department of Public Health, c. 1948

Garden preparations can commence early in the year. Many gardeners start their seedlings indoors and then begin transplanting their new growth outdoors around this time of year. Which flowers and vegetables do you have planned for your garden?

PAA: BL1141
Mr. Fisk with Flowers

Another great learning opportunity coming up on May 27th!

RETROactive Live: Historic Windows FAQ Written by: RETROactive staff We are pleased to invite you to the third instalment of the RETROactive Live Alberta Heritage Speaker Series. This online webinar will be presented by Heritage Conserv…

Did you grow up as a Junior Forest Warden or know someone who did? 🌲

The Junior Forest Wardens program has deep roots in Western Canada. First conceived in British Columbia in the 1920s (and officially adopting the name “Junior Forest Wardens” in 1932), the organization expanded over the decades to include the Girl Forest Guards in 1944. By 1974, both groups united under the Junior Forest Wardens banner.

The program made its way to Alberta in the late 1950s and became active province‑wide by 1961. Originally administered by the Department of Lands and Forests — with headquarters at the Forestry Training School — the program evolved over time as responsibilities shifted. Since 2007, the Junior Forest Warden program in Alberta has been maintained by the independent Alberta Junior Forest Warden Association.

Today, Junior Forest Warden clubs welcome youth ages 6 to 18, offering hands‑on forestry education, outdoor skills, and leadership opportunities. Clubs can now be found across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland.

If you’re curious about the history of forestry youth programs in Alberta, explore related records in the Provincial Archives of Alberta here:
🔗 https://searchprovincialarchives.alberta.ca/forestry-youth-programs

PAA: PA6276
Junior Forest Wardens
February 13, 1970

Scan from GR2000.0967
Box 6, File “10-7 Junior Forest Wardens – General”

PA 8025.8a-b
Junior Forest Wardens-Blue Lake, 1970

Sometimes the Provincial Archives surprises us in the most unexpected ways. Each year, our Archival Technicians receive the newest batch of Vital Statistics records to rehouse and scan so they can be made publicly accessible. Most years, these records—although they are old—are fairly uniform, flat, and in good condition, which makes them easy to scan on the PAA’s high speed scanner.

But every so often, a box brings a new challenge.
When the team opened the boxes of 1905 birth registrations, they discovered something unusual: the two copies of each registration—one handwritten and one typed—had been glued together. This created a host of problems.

Because of the glue, many registrations are badly warped and won’t lie flat. The acidic adhesive has also caused cracking and crumbling, and in some cases the information from the bottom page shows through the top one, making them difficult to read. A few registrations are in such fragile condition that pieces have broken off entirely, resulting in lost information.

These issues meant the records couldn’t go through our high speed scanner. Instead, each registration had to be scanned slowly and carefully, one at a time, using an older flatbed style book scanner. This gentler method allowed technicians to capture the valuable information without causing further damage.