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Stettler museum founders honoured

Stettler

The Stettler Town and Country Museum held a celebration honouring its founders on Jan. 13.

At the celebration were family members of Kay Anderson and Ken Simon, museum founders, along with museum staff, community members, and delegates from both Stettler County and the Town of Stettler.

Tom Caldwell, Anderson's grandson, began the celebration by sharing stories of his grandmother. 

Caldwell recounted that he would explore abandoned properties with his grandmother, collecting artifacts for what she hoped would one day turn into a museum.

"I can't tell you how many butter churns we had," said Caldwell. "Somewhere the idea of making a museum started."

Originally, the museum would be set up as a temporary display at the Heritage Fair Days with many locals loaning items to exhibit. 

According to Caldwell, they would raise money by selling memberships and collecting donations.

"I can't tell you how the land got secured or how the first building came," said Caldwell. "But for years she advocated for the purchase and the movement of the courthouse that finally made its way over. I think we all remember she worked very hard; she lobbied the government for a lot of funding."

In time, the land was secured and the Stettler Town and Country Museum has grown into the site people know it as today, hosting many events throughout the year and serving as a gateway to Stettler's past. 

"I just would like to say that I am so grateful that someone had the foresight to start this museum in Stettler because it has such a value to our community," said Stettler County Coun. Les Stulberg. "I know the county was in from the start with groundwork and their equipment.  ... It takes someone like Kay Anderson to get it off the ground; I never had the privilege of knowing Kay, but I'm totally inspired when I hear how dedicated she was to this museum. I'm very keen in preserving history and I think it's really important that our communities' history is preserved here and it can continue to be preserved."

They say that if you don't know where you come from, you don't know where you're going," said Stulberg. "So I think it's so very important for this community and the county is very pleased to be a part of it. We're very happy today that the family could be here."

Town of Stettler councillor Travis Randell agreed with his county counterpart.

"I'm very privileged to serve on this board," said Randell. "The museum is a real special place in Stettler. It's a great group of people ... I hope she'd be proud of that."

During the celebration, a commemorative piece was unveiled, highlighting both Anderson's and Simon's efforts. 

According to museum manager Karen Wahlund, a home for the piece will be found in the museum's office.

The piece notes that the museum first opened its doors permanently on June 13, 1976. 

Editor's note: This story has been modified from its original version. The original version mis-attributed Stulberg's quote. The Stettler Independent apologizes for the error.

 

 



Kevin Sabo

About the Author: Kevin Sabo

Kevin Sabo has been a resident of the Castor area for the last 12 years, first moving to the area in his previous career as an EMT.
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