Quiet work behind the scenes
was the Bateman family records. It consisted of boxes containing more than 500 photos and nitrate negatives that were left behind in the basement of a house that had been sold. The new home owners decided against destroying them and instead donated them to the Archives. These images documented the lives of Harold and Janette Bateman (née MacDonald), as well as their extended family. The images capture family moments, pastimes, occupations as well as early views of Medicine Hat and nearby areas dating from 1910 to 1955. They are historically valuable both for the specific information that they offer on these individuals and also for the general insights they provide into the daily lives and experiences of our early residents.
Through research and processing of the Bateman records, I became familiar with Janette and Harold and their families. I began to know their faces, names and pieces of their life stories. I began to learn more about who they were and what their Medicine Hat was like. It is easy to develop a connection to the creators of archival records, especially when they are personal records. The witty handscrawled notes on the back of snapshots, the knowing or humorous gleam captured in a person’s eyes, the recounting of day-to-day concerns and future hopes in a letter to a friend, all created a tangible connection to the Batemans that seemed to bridge time.
While documenting their daily lives, they also unintentionally photographed their surroundings. The background of these images capture the Medicine Hat townscape as it was being constructed. They offer evidence of the gradual reshaping of the land to fit the residents’ ideals. Visible in these photos are lonesome houses, both simple and grand, along unpaved streets occupying areas that are today fully populated and developed. These images hint at the building resources available, early living conditions, and social reality. Among the collection are also early photos of prominent buildings, the construction of Fifth Avenue Memorial United Church and St. Patrick’s Church as seen through nearby rose bushes. They also capture strolls taken by neatly dressed individuals in a newly built, well-manicured park. These pictures hint at who the early residents were and what their vision of home was.
The processing of these records allowed the Bateman’s story to be told. It also gave us new pieces to add to Medicine Hat’s story. This collection is one example of the many quiet efforts that go on behind the scenes daily to preserve the past and to make your history accessible to you, because a good story is meant to be shared!
Candace Loder is an Archives Clerk/Tech at the Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre.