Art, community and sharing have formed the foundation of the Yellowknife Guild of Arts and Crafts since its inception in 1946. Eighty years of history holds numerous stories and anecdotes, preserved in our "Many Hands" cookbooks or stored in the memories and members both past and present. We're excited to share some of that northern trivia on this page.
Inaugural Meeting and Warm Baths... On July 17, 1946, a small group of women convened around a dining room table at the Con Mine townsite for the inaugural meeting of the Yellowknife Branch of the Canadian Handicrafts Guild. Their last names were synonymous with the street names and buildings of Yellowknife today... Stanton, Ingram, McNiven, McElroy and more. At the end of each meeting, Mrs. Ruth Stanton would offer the use of her bath to the Yellowknife town members as radiators and hot water were luxuries available only at the Con mine site. Art, community and sharing right from the start! | First Class... Weaving!
The first class taught by the Guild was weaving. It has endured the entire 80 years and is currently enjoying a surge in popularity. |
Credits: WriteUp: Ryan Silke Photo: Oliver and Ruth Stanton as they board the plane to leave Yellowknife April 1960 (NWT Archives N-1979-052:5223) | On this Day in Yellowknife History: April 9, 1960 Doctor Oliver Stanton and his wife Ruth leave Yellowknife after 23 years of service to the community. Arriving in 1937, Stanton was the town’s first doctor in practise at Con Mine’s little hospital. With Ruth as nursing assistant, they traveled around outlying points by all means: canoes, planes, even dog team in the winter. Many babies, white and Dene, mine employee’s and citizen’s, were delivered under the capable hands of Dr. Stanton. In 1947, on the tenth anniversary of their arrival, Yellowknifer’s threw a surprise picnic to honour Oliver and Ruth. Children with the distinction of coming into the world under his guidance wore placards inscribed, “I am a Stanton baby”. Ruth Stanton was a founding member of the Yellowknife Guild of Arts and Crafts and helped organize the local Red Cross Society during the war. Both are recognized as founding community members and Dr. Stanton is continually honored by christening his name to our hospitals. |
