Thank you for recent donations to the Archives:
Mary Salzsauer, Edson
Alan Howard, Almonte, Ontario
Rick Zroback, Hinton
Hinton Parklander
Stuart Taylor, Hinton
Tom Peterson, Hinton
Bob Udell, Hinton
Linda and John Mordeen, Chester, Nova Scotia
Donna Hallam, Hinton

Thanks to everyone listed above for their support and adding their legacy to the history of Hinton.

Archives Showcase Exhibit

Everyone is invited to come down to the Library & look at the various exhibits housed in the Archives showcase! 
The current exhibit runs from April 19 to May 31, 2013 & features the Town of Hinton fonds - 1956-2004 -- 1 m textual records / 230 photographs / 2 maps / 27 blueprints. 
Administrative History of Hinton
On November 1, 1956 Hinton was declared a New Town by the Provincial Government.  Under the New Towns Act of 1956, administered by the Department of Municipal Affairs, communities designated as New Towns had special borrowing powers to meet the financial needs of rapid growth.  The village of Drinnan was incorporated January 1, 1956.  In 1956, an amendment, dated March 27, 1956, was made to amalgamate the persent New Town of Hinton, the Village of Drinnan and certain adjacent areas into one new town; the Town of Hinton.  The governance of the Town of Hinton was by a Board of Administrators.  Chairman William D. Isbister and members Ray Fuller, Fred Hansen, A.B. McKenzie, D.S. Larson and Roy Lisogar.  Early Town of Hinton employees included Ben Meier as Development Officer to assume responsibilities for the orderly development of the Town and Ed Brennen who would become Chief of Police.  Members of the Board of Administrators handed over governance to the new town council at a meeting held on December 29, 1958.  The first Mayor of the Town of Hinton, William Switzer, and council members David Benbow, Jim Clark, William Nowrie, Ivan Sutherland, Leonard Veats and Ken Williams held their first meeting on that same night.  Over the years, the governance of the Town would change to the present administrative structure consisting of six divisions:  Town Manager's Office, Community and Protective Services, Corporate Services, Human Resources, Infrastructure Services and Planning and Technical Services.  The Town Administration is "accountable to Town Council to manage the needs of the public as envisioned and decided by Town Council."  The Administration's Mission is "Taking care of business, taking care of each other."  The Town of Hinton has seen continued settlement and continuing development.  It continues to be the "Gateway to the Rockies." 
Scope and Content
The fonds consists of meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, promotional material, documentary material (photographs, newspaper clippings), financial records, architectural drawings and maps.  The records include legal records of the incorporation of the Town of Hinton.  Administrative records include Meeting Minutes for Mayor and Council and committees.  Reports Correspondence Mayor and Council, Committees and Departments, reports, correspondence, promotional material, documentary records such as newpaper clippings and photographs, financial records (bank books from 1956-1985) and several blueprints from the Town of Hinton's early buildings (Roxy Theatre, Arena, Recreation Center, Hinton Municipal Library). 
The fonds consists of records reflecting the activities of the Town of Hinton from 1956-2004.  The records most represented are connected to the Administration, Public Works, Parks and Recreation Department, Water and Sewer Works.  The records are organized into four series:  Administration, Documentary, Financial and Legal.  To view the entire donation, or for more informatin, contact the Archives directly at 780-865-6079. 

What are we looking for?

The Hinton Coal Branch Archives is a repository of materials available for researchers to write histories and interpret our past. It is a collection reflecting the social memory of Hinton and surrounding areas.

We want to include documents created by people or organizations as they go about their usual activities. Examples of these types of documents are:

1. Correspondence - This donation could include letters, postcards, formal correspondence, greeting cards and telegrams.
2. Minutes of meetings - These would have additional interest with handwritten notes in the margins.
3. Contracts - Any legal documents as briefs, dispositions, inventories of estates or wills have archival value.
4. Financial records - These reflect the economic climate when they were created. Other examples include ledgers, journals, bank statements, cheques, bills and receipts.
5. Diaries - These are excellent records of social activities, perspectives and viewpoints. Memoirs and awards are also valuable. Scrapbooks are an excellent documentation of activities or events important to an individual.
6. Photographs - Photographs of events and private lives are full of information, both of the subject and the background. These donations can include slides, negatives, movie and video tapes.
7. Maps - Maps, charts and graphs define geography of a certain time.
8. Recordings - These can be in several formats including wax discs, cassette tapes and compact discs.
9. Printed material - Newspapers, flyers, brochures, proofs, programs and clippings all contain information to aid the researcher.
10. Digital age - Technology leaps ahead so we also must include digital records, pictures and video.

Thank you for considering adding your documents and collections to the Hinton Coal Branch Archives. What we are able to preserve will affect how people view and understand our past.

FAQs:  What do you mean by records?
We look for materials which document the activities of the organization:  minutes, letters, reports, photographs and publications, for example.
My organization opposes many government actions and policies.  Why would I give my files to a Town department?  Our professional staff adhere to a code of ethics, and value objectivity above our personal biases or those of Town officials. 
We need to use our records.  We don't want to give them away.  We do not wish to take your current records.  We can work out an appropriate time delay so that you will retain the records you need, and only older records be donated to the Archives.  You will still be able to view the older records at the Archives. 
We discuss some very sensitive issues at our meetings.  It's too early for anyone else to read our minutes and internal reports.  We can work with you to determine a suitable time frame for restricting the records, so that only those to whom you have given written permission may view certain materials.  We only ask that records not be restricted forever. 
What do we get out of this?  Your records will be organized and stored securely in a preservation environment.  The work of your organization will be known and valued by future generations. 

Contact info
Contact Marilyn Campbell, Archives Technician
Office hours: Wed./Thurs. 11:30-5:30 pm; Fridays 10:00-4:00 pm.
Phone number: 780-865-6079
or e-mail

maricamp@hintonlibrary.org