Media Exhibits

  Feature Stories                                                                                                    
 
Vanishing Town
 
A Downtown Grows Up
 
 
Medalta Potteries our
National Historic site
  

 

   The Legend of Medicine Hat  James Francis Sanderson was in a unique position in early Medicine Hat.  Being Metis and speaking both Blackfoot and Cree, he had heard first hand the oral legends and stories of the First Nations People.   In 1894, at the urging of others, he set about to record the stories of these early citizens.   
William Cousins: Tent Town Stories  Arriving in 1883 just prior to the arrival of the railway, his store blew over in a high wind.  He set it back up again the next day being that it was a tent.   His first customer was a notorious gunslinger, card player and horse thief whose demands tested the limits of the young green horn in this wild west town.
Challenging Times for early Medical Staff  Building the first hospital on the western plains was a costly endeavor that tested the endurance and strength of the early personnel.   For some the price was high, but through perseverance and dedication the institution would survive and set the standards for medical advancements in the west.
A Time Like No Other  It was to be a year unlike any other in Medicine Hat.  Rumors of war were spreading like wild fire across the country. Within a few short weeks Medicine Hat would be transformed into a war front staging area and worse yet, a possible battlefield.  In short order no less than five military units would be operating in the town, doubling its size.
The First Era of Steamboats on the South Saskatchewan   With the coming of the railway in 1883 it appeared that its junction with the South Saskatchewan River would have commercial importance.   No sooner was the river crossed and two stern wheeled steamboats were preparing to exploit the waterway in both directions, but little was known of the troublesome perils of the waterway.   
The (Second) Golden Era of Steamboats  One man would lead the second advent of steamboats.   It was an exciting time for all, with massive parties, bands and merriment mixed in with the occasional catastrophic sinking.
 
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