聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 Arcola's Adrian Paton is a renowned plains and prairie historian, photographic curator and writer. His collection of photographs depicting Saskatchewan's early history is the subject of a travelling exhibit which is currently on display in museums and libraries throughout the province, and which also makes up a curriculum package aimed at students from grades three to five.
听听听听听听听听听听听 Paton's passion for history was ignited when he was 10-years-old.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚 got a photo album for Christmas and my mom had some negatives. Every time I'd have a few coins, I'd go to town with a negative or two and get the pictures developed.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淟ater, my grandmother died at the age of 105 and my dad inherited a box of old pictures,鈥� adds Paton. 鈥淚 spent a few days with my mother and my dad packaging them up and some I kept, because they were historic.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 Paton- a native of Gravelbourg- came to Arcola with his family to farm- and his adopted hometown is the place where his interest in plains and prairie history took root.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淎bout 25 years ago, we worked on a history book project for the Arcola-Kisbey area,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat's when I learned about a photographer- D.M. Buchanan of Arcola. He was definitely an innovator. He not only took photographs of babies, weddings and funerals- he took a lot of farm scenes, too.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淛ust as we were finishing the history book, a local lady brought in a very good picture of a ploughing scene and that really got me interested in seeing more of Buchanan's work.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 However, Paton's search for more of Buchanan's photographs was tinged with both success and disappointment.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚n one case, boxes of his negatives had been taken to the dump,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut another gentleman had a box of 62 glass negatives. They were perfectly good, but dirty. I dusted them off with a cloth with the bare minimum of moisture so they wouldn't flake and I managed to get most- but not all- of the dust off.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淎 good percentage of the people in the pictures are from Arcola,鈥� adds Paton. 鈥淏ut a lot of the glass negatives were lost, because during the Great Depression in the 1930s, people used glass negatives聽 in barn windows.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淏ut discovering Buchanan's work- that's when I really got serious.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 Paton's collection is meticulously catalogued in binders and 800 of his nearly 8,000 images have been digitized. That job was completed over two summers by two history students from the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.
听听听听听听听听听听听 Paton stresses that he is not a collector of objects and artifacts, but rather a keeper of history who aims to impart his knowledge to others.
听听听听听听听听听听听 At the official launch of Paton's exhibit in Arcola, Keith Carlson of the Saskatchewan History and Folklore Society told The Observer: 鈥淲e asked him what he wanted to see done with his collection and Adrian, being a generous man, simply said he wanted people to see them and share them,鈥� adding 鈥淚t's a fantastic collection.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 Paton's generosity means that he fields requests from academics, members of the media (most recently, he's been interviewed by CBC Radio) and people who want to entrust aspects of their families' histories with him.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淎 paper interviewed me and I received a call shortly after at 9:30 at night,鈥� says Paton. 鈥淎n elderly woman told me 'We're destined to meet.'鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚t turned out that she was the niece of a man called H. Pittman of Wauchope. He lived near Redvers on a farm, but he was also a botanist and a photographer. He was to that community what D. W. Buchanan was to Arcola.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淪he had boxes of her uncle's negatives and many of his pictures were of farming families from the area and of farm life.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淪ome of the first photographs in my collection were made in southern Saskatchwan,鈥� he says. 鈥淔or example, I've got a whole section on sod houses.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淥f course, when you're talking about prairie history, everyone writes about the Dirty Thirties,鈥� says Paton. 鈥淏ut individual stories are sometimes surprising.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚 asked one elderly lady if she could live one part of her life over, what would it be? She told me that the Great Depression would be the period she would choose.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淭hat surprised me and I asked her 'Why?' and she said that the cameraderie was the reason. She said everybody was broke and her family had no money, either. But people were all in the same boat and helped each other out.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淪he was a local lady and she said because her husband was a hunter and they lived on the edge of the Moose Mountains, they always had food.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 However, Paton's interest in Saskatchewan history isn't confined to the province's settlers.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淢y collection and area of interest has grown to encompass the Great Plains area of North America- and right now, I'm working on a (non-fiction) book about the true story of two tribes and a battle between them.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚've commissioned a painting by Michael Lonechild that depicts the story for the book,鈥� he adds. 鈥淭wo tribes- the Pasquas-which means 'prairie'- from the Qu'Appelles and their friends the Mandans on the Missouri River.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淭he Pasquas wanted to visit their friends and they couldn't get permission to go from the Indian agent, so they took off and the story starts from there.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 Paton says the story is a sad one- a real-life battle between friends sparked by the theft of a horse and a killing.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚t was often like a game to take a horse,鈥� he explains. 鈥淏ut in this case, it turned into a more serious and tragic story.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 Paton says that First Nations people and cultures suffered injustices and as a result, many of their beliefs and traditions are not widely known.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淔or example, women had a lot of power and respect within the tribe,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey did a lot of the work while the men were off hunting. Women owned the teepees and all of the belongings in them. They had a say in anything inportant and they had control of the girls until they married and control of the boys until their voices changed.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 For Paton, history is eternal and alive.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚 farmed five miles south of Arcola,鈥� he says. 鈥淥ne hill on the land is called Hawk Hill. Michael Lonechild has painted it and it's the highest point between the Souris River and the Moose Mountains.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淥nce, I was out there and I found a 6,000-year-old arrowhead,鈥� he says. 鈥淚'm not someone who collects things. For me, seeing that arrowhead made we wish that for one day, I could see that land as it was when the Native people lived there.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚'm really interested in a wide spectrum of prairie life and that includes everyone's stories.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听
听听听听听听听听听听听
听听听听听听听听听听听
