Since overseeing the delivery of The Mathias/Sunwapta Totem last fall to the Royal Alberta Museum (RAM), I have been in occasional contact with them to observe their progress and research. In April of this year, I was asked to write a letter to the Edmonton Community Foundation in support of a grant proposal by The Friends of The Royal Alberta Museum Society. This letter was co-signed by two of my co-conspirators in this venture, Al Thompson and Alan Mabee. Today, I am very happy to report that a grant from The Foundation has been awarded to the Conservation Project, in the sum of $24,000. This is in addition to the $3210.00 the donor group provided to the Conservation Fund last November. This is, to say the least, a massive boost to those who have worked hard to get it this far and re-enforces the high regard The RAM, The Friends Society and Edmonton Community Foundation have for this heritage project.

What this funding will do is allow the Museum to enlist expert help in bringing the Totem to its full potential for interpretation and display. As well, it will stabilize its fragile condition after many decades in the elements. Two such experts from the West Coast will begin work almost immediately. Cody Mathias is an aboriginal totem carver and the grandson of our Totem’s original craftsman, Joe Mathias. He will bring his tools and skill to do any replacement/repair of damaged woodwork as well as consulting on the original colours used. Andrew Todd, from Bowen Island, BC is a conservator with a specialization in totem poles. He has worked with First Nations groups on numerous projects since 1987. And the most interesting part, as an observer, is the public can witness these men at their trade in the public gallery at the Museum. Both will be here from July 5 to 9, 2011 working in the alcove just to the right as you walk in the main doors of the Museum. The Totem is, in fact, there now. Carefully wrapped following storage and treatment for a slight ant issue. Yes, the Totem did have a bit if an infestation problem, but its all better now!

I would encourage anyone who is able to go down to the Museum during this week and see the work taking place first hand. After this time, the Totem will remain there for work by other conservators. There may be a need to take it away for more intense treatments as required, but it will be visible for much of the summer.

In the end, I believe the arrival and conservation of The Mathias Sunwapta Totem is very timely for its future within the Museum. Many of you will know the RAM has been in the news recently with the announcement of a major new facility announced by the Province. For those who haven’t heard, the Alberta Government will be constructing a new $340 million dollar RAM in downtown Edmonton, with an expected completion date of sometime in 2015. I hope this bodes well for the Totem as the planners and curators determine how the new galleries will take shape in the coming years. Its prominence in both funding and public profile should help its inclusion in what promises to be a spectacular showcase of our history.

Thanks for your continued interest.

Regards,

John Hanson

http://edmonton.ctv.ca/

…for those outside of the broadcast area and will be archived there for a few weeks with other features.

Also, check out the totem pole donor page at the Friends of the Royal Alberta Museum Society’s page at :   http://www.framsociety.ca/

They have a big image of the totem pole as well as info for those outside of the employee group wishing to donate.

Payments are flowing in nicely, thanks very much. Anyone within the station who would like to bring their $50 to Irene Honstein for this Friday payday, please keep in mind she works 10 to 2 Mon. , Wed.& Friday and will leave to make the bank deposit before 2pm so please see her with cash or cheque payable to the “Sunwapta Totem Fund” earlier in her workday. Any payments not received by the time we close the account at the end of October will not have those employee names included as part of this project.  I will send out a list to all of the paid contributors after this Friday’s deposit so you can confirm your name is on the list. The final list will go to the Royal Alberta Museum as per the original plan to be forever tied to the history of the totem.

Thanks again everyone.

Regards,

John Hanson

We had an excellent meeting yesterday at CTV with two folks from the Museum. Cathy Roy is the Curator of Western Canadian History and she was given her first opportunity to see the totem in person. She was thrilled to see it and expressed how essential it was as an artifact in the telling the story of early media in Alberta. As well she assured us that in the Museum’s hands it is valued and will be kept safe forever.  The schedule is to have it delivered this afternoon to their warehouse.  She did say that the conservation work will be costly and time consuming and that our targeted excess funds are well appreciated.

The other person at the meeting was Marilyn Nelson, Business Manager of the Friends of the Royal Alberta Museum Society.  She offered clarification on the rules governing donations to the Society relative to the totem project. She said that an individual or company can donate to a specific purpose such as the totem and the Society is bound by law to target these donations as such. A charitable receipt will be issued for this. If an individual or registered not-for-profit agency makes a donation that is more general in nature, the Society can apply for matching grants from the Provincial  Gov’t. There are many restrictions as to what these matching funds can be used for so it is unfair to say these grant funds could go to the totem. I offer this information to those who wish to donate extra funds or if you hear of other non-staff who wish to be involved. All of our extra funds, after up front costs, will be targeted to the totem project so we are assured no part of it will go to efforts outside of the project as proposed. Marilyn said donations and questions can be sent the following ways:  the website at     www.framsociety.ca Her email at:      marilyn@framsociety.ca or by phone at: 780 453 9103    Specify Sunwapta Totem Pole.

I will keep everyone up to date on what our total contribution is at as the funds accumulate. A cheque to The Friends will go out after the staff donations close Oct. 31, 2010, as per the earlier note.

A quick note on the totem’s history that has recently come to light.  First, to its early days before Sunwapta. Many of us assumed it was of an early 1950’s vintage, just before the start of TV here in 1954. In fact, it is likely 20 years older, having been given as a gift to Dr. Rice in 1939 by Mrs. M.D. Muttart, of the famous local lumber family. She was given it as a gift by some aboriginal people as thanks for some of her charitable work. The totem then sat for several years at the Jasper Place Lumber yard before coming to this site.  The extra years and connection to one of Edmonton’s other famous families is of great interest to the Museum.  The other part of the totem history concerns a question many people were asking me, ‘how did it ever leave CFRN in the first place?’   This is outlined in Lawrence Herzogs’s article released yesterday, but for the benefit of those who haven’t seen it, here’s the story. In 1989 Ken Macklin was teaching sculpture at the U of A and one of his students mentioned that CFRN was renovating and there may be some scrap metal to be had. He comes out and does find some, but in his searching he comes across a large construction dumpster. In it, with no other debris, is the totem! An inquiry as to its fate confirms it is destined for the dump!!! He asked if he could have it, and until 2002 it lived at his home. After that, it was sold to the man who had it until the auction a few weeks ago, where our odyssey began. Being an artist, he recognized it as a piece of art and as a young lad he knew it as having been a landmark and a part of his family history. His mother was Virginia Macklin, host of Morning Magazine on CFRN for many years with Norris McLean. He is very happy with our efforts in all of this and has in fact bought a share in memory of his Mom.  If you find yourself at the Art Gallery of Alberta, you can thank him for his totem pole rescue effort by going to look at his impressive sculpture residing outside of the Terrace Level on the third floor.

Thanks again for everyone’s support in this very important heritage conservation project.

Cheers

John Hanson

If the donation is received by an individual Albertan, an eligible Alberta-based not-for-profit organization (and Canada Revenue Agency-registered charity) can apply for a proportional donation grant from the Government of Alberta called the Community Spirit Program (CSP). There are a lot of restrictions on what the funds received from CSP can be used for. For this reason it would be misleading to tell Totem Pole donors that their donation that is matched by the Government would also be used for the Totem Pole.

However, the funds received from CSP would definitely go towards charitable purposes in Alberta. For example, the Society is a major sponsor of education programs at the Museum. We also help financially disadvantaged children and families visit the Museum by working with 30 social agencies in the City. We also sponsor Aboriginal student interns at the Museum. So, if someone donates $50 to the Totem Pole, the $50 goes to the Pole and the CSP matching amount goes towards a charitable purpose.

At the moment, this is how one can donate to the Friends:

1. People can donate online at www.framsociety.ca. After they donate, please ask that they phone me (780 453-9103) or email me at marilyn@framsociety.ca to specify Totem Pole.
2. They could also phone me at 780 453-9103 to pay by credit card or mail to Friends at 12845 -102 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5N 0M6.
3. Admissions at the Museum also accepts donations on behalf of the Friends.

Please contact me with any concerns, questions, ideas.

Marilyn Nelson
Business Manager
Friends of Royal Alberta Museum Society
12845 -102 Avenue
Edmonton AB T5N 0M6
780 453-9103
marilyn@framsociety.ca

For 35 years, it was an Edmonton landmark. When the 18-foot high Thunderbird totem pole at the front door of CFRN’s Sunwapta Broadcast House at 18520 Stony Plain Road was removed during an extensive reconstruction in 1989, it marked the end of an era.

But not the end of the story.

The totem, which may have been handcarved sometime around 1954 by Chief Mathias Joe Capilano of the Squamish Nation, was thought lost. For many years, nobody seemed to have any idea where it had gone.

Then, in 2004, CTV Edmonton’s sales manager Alan Mabee heard that the totem was in the possession of collector George Suntjens of Sangudo. Once word reached the station that Suntjens had decided to sell it in an antique auction September 11th, a plan was hatched among a small group of employees, past and present, to bid on it. The group also initiated discussions with the Royal Alberta Museum and Athabasca University to see if either institution wanted it.

John Hanson, a CTV news photographer,and Allan Thompson, a retired graphic artist who worked 37 years at the station, headed to the auction, hopeful they would snag it back. They were outbid by Ken Adams, a retired gentleman from the Whitecourt area. Afterwards, Hanson felt he needed to tell Adams about their hopes and plans for the totem.

“I didn’t want it to slip away – again,” he says. “We lost it once, then didn’t get it at the auction. I approached him, hoping he would see our commitment to bring it back to Edmonton and donate it to a suitable institution for historical preservation and public display.”

Discussions continued for several days and Mr. Adams agreed to sell the totem to the group for the exact sum he paid for it – $3,150. “He was swayed by our passion to preserve and display the historic Sunwapta totem pole in a more public way,” Hanson says. “At the auction he had no idea there was a group effort from Sunwapta bidding against him. He had an interest in preserving it as well and wanted to make sure it would be well cared for.”

Last week, Hanson and his cousin Joe Rosich, coordinator at Athabasca University’s Heritage Resource Management Program, hauled the totem back on a flatbed trailer. Its homecoming arrival at the former CFRN emptied the building.

“The reaction to this has been utterly remarkable,” Hanson says. “As the word has gotten out, we’ve had interest from all over. My email has been going full time.”

Hanson sent an open letter to past and current employees asking for help to pay for the acquisition, and within two days more than 70 of them had expressed an interest in buying shares in the totem reclamation effort. They include Ashleigh Banfield, Pat Kiernan, Ian Leonard, Bruce Hogle, Robin Cleator and yours truly.

The totem, with its 11-foot wide wingspan, was an iconic part of the cowboy chic facade of Sunwapta Broadcast House. The station swung into the saddle in 1954 when CFRN went on the air as Edmonton’s first television station owned by broadcasting pioneer Dr. G.R.A. (Dick) Rice.

Back then, the building on the original Highway 16 was the only significant structure west of 170th Street. Sunwapta Broadcast House said goodbye to travellers leaving Edmonton and hello to those arriving from points west.

“This totem pole is such an iconic piece of Edmonton history,” says Cathy Roy, curator of Western Canada History at the Royal Alberta Museum. “We always hoped that we would get it, and thanks to the staff association coming together to donate it, we have it.”

She says the museum is excited to have the totem join its cache of CFRN artifacts, including Dr. Rice’s personal collection donated in 1988. “This is a pivotal artifact for the story of media in Alberta.”

The totem has been moved to the Royal Alberta Museum’s conservation centre, and it is now being evaluated. Time and weather have left their traces, yet the marks of the carver’s tools are still clearly visible in the huge cedar log. The faces on the front of the pole remain impressive, as does its wingspan.

If it is confirmed that the totem was the handiwork of Chief Mathias Joe Capilano, it makes it all the more historically significant. He was a famous First Nations carver, who created the Thunderbird House Pole, erected at the crest of Prospect Point in Vancouver’s Stanley Park on August 26, 1936.

The legend of this CFRN totem doesn’t stop there. It turns out this isn’t the only time it’s been rescued from a chipper.

Further detective work by Hanson reveals that only a quirk of fate saved it when it was unceremoniously removed from the building in 1989. Ken Macklin was teaching sculpture at the University of Alberta and heard from one of his students that CFRN was doing renovations, and there was a bunch of scrap metal that he might be able to get for their sculpture needs.

“So I went out there, and asked the fellows, and they said, ‘Sure, help yourself,’” Macklin remembers. “And so I went out back, and right at the bottom of this big dumpster was the totem pole. There was nothing on top of it or anything, so I asked them, ‘Are you throwing this out, and if you are can I have it?’ They said, ‘Take it,’ and so I loaded it up and brought it home.”

He says he just couldn’t bear to see it go to the dump. “I didn’t know what I was going to do with it, but I knew I had to take it.”

Ironically, Ken is the son of Virginia Macklin, host of CFRN-TV’s Morning Magazine show. “I had fond memories of it because of my mom, and she had just passed away. I remember going there as a kid and looking at it and trying to climb it. But it had some rot on the bottom and the top, and I couldn’t afford to have it properly restored. So I stored it next to my shop for a few years, and then sold it in an auction for $450 in 2002.”

That’s when the totem was bought by Suntjens. Once any needed restoration work is completed, the totem will find a new public home, maybe at Athabasca University’s new campus building and then perhaps in a future gallery at the Royal Alberta Museum.

“It’s great to see it come back to the city, and know that it will be restored and be there for people to see and appreciate,” says Macklin, who has purchased a share in his mother’s name. “I’m certainly glad I grabbed it when I did.”

“It’s been more of an adventure than any of us imagined,” Hanson says. “This all started a few weeks ago with just a curiosity in an old totem pole. Shows you just how interesting and rewarding history can be.”

This article originally appeared in Edmonton Real Estate Weekly. Reprinted with permission of the author. © 2010 Lawrence Herzog

This past Saturday, many members of the public were given a glimpse at our project as the totem was on display at the CTV Edmonton open house. It was not a planned attraction, but rather a last minute one that resulted when some trucking difficulties stranded the pole and trailer at the station.  This serendipitous event caused great excitement among those that came to hear me spin tales about the totems colourful past and future. I heard from scores of people who that were thrilled to see the landmark they knew for all those years and many who were interested in contributing to the preservation of this huge piece of our history.

There have also been two fascinating parts to the totem’s pre and post Sunwapta history that we learned recently. I will fill you all in on all of this in my next email along with details on where to send your $50 cheque. We will hope to have the payments in short order to pay back Mr. Mabee bankrolling of this as well as our volunteer transportation service’s fuel costs.

Again, thanks for the enthusiasm and pledged funds on this very important project.

Regards

John Hanson

Some of you reading this who are recent additions to the CTV company likely don’t know what “Sunwapta Broadcasting” means.  Others still working here from the days before we were known only as CTV Edmonton will remember it was the original name of this company, from its earliest beginnings under the ownership of Dr.G.R.A. Rice, through the Electrohome years until their ownership ceased. The name has passed into history, along with the architectural style of the old CFRN building which many would call ’50s cowboy chic when seen in vintage photos.  The iconic symbol of that building and the earliest on-air TV broadcasts was an 18 foot tall totem pole, carved by a West Coast artist named Chief Mathius for Dr. Rice in the early 1950s. It was installed here around 1954.  The totem pole you see in front of the station today, now 20-years-old, is its replacement. It was put up when Electrohome renovated the ’50s out of here in 1989-90. The original was thought lost by many, until earlier this month. And this is where the history lesson ends and the point of this journey begins to take shape.

A few staff, past and present took an interest when it became recently known that the original Sunwapta totem pole was coming up for sale Sept. 11 at an antique auction near Sangudo, Alberta. A plan was hatched among a small group to have myself and Allan Thompson, a retired 37-year veteran graphic artist from CFRN, bid on the nearly 60-year-old pole in an effort to purchase it on behalf of an as yet undefined larger employee group and donate it to a suitable institution for historical preservation. There was a lot more drama to the story, but suffice to say, we narrowly lost the bid. The tale got a bit more complicated when I took it upon myself to not let the new owner walk away without at least telling him of our plans. Names and phone numbers were exchanged. The fellow in question is named Ken Adams, a retired gent from the Whitecourt area. There was enough conversation and a flurry of emails to him over the early part of the following week to convince Mr.Adams to part with it for the exact sum he had paid just a few days before. Although he was aware of its place in history, he was in fact, swayed by our passion to preserve and display the historic Sunwapta totem pole in a more public way. At the auction he had no idea there was a group effort from Sunwapta bidding against him. He had an interest in preserving it as well and wanted to make sure it would be cared for. Had we not been successful in these efforts, it would live out the next many years out of public sight in a private building, part of his antique collection.

We have letters on file from both Athabasca University and The Royal Alberta Museum indicating enthusiastic interest in providing archival restoration, a permanent home and equally important, telling the story of the artist who carved the pole and the people who worked for the pioneering company known as Sunwapta Broadcasting. To fully appreciate the significance of this original totem pole you have to look back at some archival material to see that it was visible everywhere: station IDs, letterhead, promotional material and to the greater population, it was a beacon on the western-most edge of the city. Facing Stony Plain Road, near where the current main door is, the totem was a landmark for decades. People approaching Edmonton from the west knew they were getting close to the city when they saw the totem pole. Anyone who lived in Central and Northern Alberta or worked at Sunwapta between 1954 and 1990 recognize this totem pole as a landmark.  For the sake of those that want an idea of what it looks like, there is a black and white photo of the pole in a frame across from the CTV news assignment desk. Another is in the studio ready room and images of it in various forms are on the 50th Anniversary posters around the station.

The object of all of this is to give some perspective to anyone who wishes to take part in preserving history. The plan is to take a headcount of anyone interested in buying a share in the totem pole, divide that by the total amount it costs to get it to the city, and come up with an equal share value. The value of the share should be in the range of $75 to $100.  The purchase price of the totem is $3150.00 with some transportation costs from the Whitecourt area to be determined this week. CTV General Sales Manager Alan Mabee has very generously offered to front the money to pay the current owner and get it to the city. He will be reimbursed, except for his equal share, by the group owner’s contributions. The total should be well under $4000. For example, if the total price ends up at $3500 and we have 50 owners, the share price is $76. Anyone with a Sunwapta, CFRN TV/radio or CTV connection, retired or current is welcome to participate.  The more participants, the smaller the share cost. As well, any family or friend of a deceased employee could buy an “in memory of” share for that person. There will be appropriate recognition on future signage with the names of all the “owners” displayed along with whatever museum quality interpretation is presented by the institution in the display. Please understand this is an employee driven plan with no corporate financial support from CTV or any other organization.  Due to overhead costs, there is no framework for a charitable foundation and no tax receipts will be issued. This project is motivated by a love of history and Sunwapta employee’s place in it.

The totem pole will then be gifted to The Royal Alberta Museum  or Athabasca University for professional attention as their experts see fit. It is hoped that it will be displayed for all to see in the near future, potentially at Athabasca Universities’ new campus building and later The Royal Alberta Museum in a dedicated future Alberta gallery with a media component.

This preservation and public showing of this totem pole is important for many reasons. It is a recognized piece of aboriginal art. It was the defining image of a pioneering broadcast company both on the air and in the community. It was a landmark for decades in the City of Edmonton. It has resided in private hands for 20 years, with three different owners, largely out of public view. The totem has lived outdoors for approximately 60 years. It is weathered and decaying but it remains an amazing piece of art. The marks of Chief Mathius’ carving tools in the huge cedar log are still clearly visible. The faces on the front of the pole are impressive as is its 11 foot wingspan. The time has come for it to come indoors, be restored, conserved and recognized by the public as the icon of Western Canadian culture that it is.

If you are interested in being a part of this effort and having your or another employee’s name added to the history of this totem in perpetuity, or if we can answer any questions, please contact me: John Hanson @ 780-818-0903 (john.hanson@ctv.ca) or  e-mail Alan Mabee (alan.mabee@ctv.ca) .

Your declared interest needs to only be a “YES” at this point. The final share price will be determined with the completed number of participants and the total dollar amount after we get the totem pole to the city by Tuesday, Sept. 21. We will cut off the total number of participants in a couple of weeks to keep the time frame reasonable and to process the share payments in a timely way. You will be contacted soon to make the share value known. As well, the names and number of share holders will be made known to all participants as soon as possible. Any declared totem pole owners not on the CTV Edmonton email list must provide a phone number or email to co-ordinate share payment and other communications as this progresses. Please consider your participation carefully as the total number of shareholders affects the share price for everyone. At the close of this we want the donors to be committed to follow through so the equation remains the same.

Thanks for listening to the story of what has become more of an adventure than any of us, who a few weeks ago expressed a curiosity in an old totem pole, had ever imagined.

Regards,
John Hanson
CTV/CFRN/Sunwapta News Photographer