Redwater and District Museum dedicates resource corner

By Brandie Majeau

The Redwater and District Museum proudly dedicates a corner of their museum to Ruth Melander.
Melander was a founding member of the North Central Heritage Trail and became a member of the
Redwater and District Museum around 2004. Ruth Melander served as the president of the museum
from 2007 to 2017, and her passion for history and dedication to narrating the passage of time for the
Redwater area made her an invaluable member of the organization.

“She did a lot of research,” remarked Audrey Petruk, museum VP. “And she really knew Redwater
history.” Melander was also well-versed in genealogy and conducted genealogy classes for community
members.

With this fondness in mind, the Ruth Melander Resource Room came to be. The room dedicates an
intimate corner of the museum to shelves of books exhibiting everything from historical medical texts,
community history books, family history books, almanacs, and vintage crafting books. There are also
piles of vintage catalogues, Canadian Legion books, the Alberta Historical Review, and yearbooks for
Redwater schools as well as schools in the surrounding area.

One of the most exciting features of the Ruth Melander Resource Room is the computer. A quick glance
reassures one that this is, in fact, just a computer. What’s special about this computer is the progression
of records of high school photos from the many local schools that existed once upon a time. There are
currently over 4000 photos on this computer, which is thrilling for those who may not have had the
opportunity to obtain their own school photos when they were younger. Redwater and District Museum
has given individuals the resources to browse a childhood that may have otherwise been forgotten. The
goal is that the museum will soon have the capabilities to print these photos, giving former students a
second chance at obtaining a high school keepsake.