The Town of High Prairie recently dug up a time capsule that was originally buried for 50 years.
High Prairie Time Capsule seal prior to its opening. (Photo/High Prairie & District Museum and Historical Society)
Various dignitaries were on hand for the event, including current High Prairie Mayor Linda Cox, Big Lakes County Reeve Ken Matthews, Children’s Services Minister and Lesser Slave Lake MLA Danielle Larivee, as well as Ron Anderson, whose father, Terry, was High Prairie’s mayor back in 1967.
Once the volunteers got through six inches of concrete, they found a variety of items inside from 1967.
“There were 10 issues of our local community newspaper inside,” said Cox. “And I remain a supporter of community newspapers, and I am really following what is happening to our national newspapers, and I am worried that our local newspapers are not receiving the support that our communities should be giving them.”
She says newspapers, as well as radio stations, continue to remain important sources of news for each community. In fact, Peace River Broadcasting’s CKYL was even at the original event back in 1967 when the capsule was originally sealed, and was there when it was unearthed.
But newspapers weren’t the only things found inside the time capsule.
“We also saw farm equipment,” Cox continued. “You could tell that 50 years ago, High Prairie was an extremely agricultural community. But I did not see very much forestry, and forestry is one of our biggest employers right now, so that was interesting.”
Cox says that the town continues to move forward, especially with the recent developments coming up with the area.
“We’ve got a brand new hospital, about $228-million,” she said. “I think that our former mayor, Terry Anderson, put it well, when he said that we’re a pretty steady community.
“The population, I think he said, was just over 24-hundred, and today, we have about 26-hundred,” Cox continued. “But he really didn’t take into account how much growth was in the county surrounding us. People in the area do use our service area, but they do live out in the country.”
She says within the next 50 years, the town will have a huge integrated college within the community, and have the First Nations communities come in and partner with them to make this another good service responsive area.”
– Posted by BET
