Tell Their Story – Eleanor Thompson nee Middlebrough

As you know in among all the things I do I have a personal project that some of you joined me in called; Getting My Poop In A Group. My challenge is scanning all the photos that my dad gave to me last summer when we were downsizing his home. (perhaps yours is also to do photo scanning or to organize your genealogy or organie your workspace).

As I was sorting through and scanning the photos I came across a few that reminded me of a time in 1970. I live in Edmonton, Alberta and we have an annual exhibition. At the time of my story, it was called Klondike Days but it’s also been called Capital Ex and it’s current named K-Days. The first Klondike Days were held on the original Fort Edmonton site on October 15, 1879.

As a child, going to Klondike Days was a big deal. My mom and my Auntie Edna would take “the kids” (my two brothers, my two cousins and myself) out for the day. We would walk the grounds looking at exhibits and go on rides. I wasn’t much for rides but I did enjoy the Ferris wheel and a wilder ride (that I can’t remember the name of) that spun around forward and backward to music. We would eat the food from the three major food groups. Corn dogs, Cotton candy, and Mini donuts.

Back on that summer day in 1970, it was getting close to 11 pm and we were tired after a full day. Each evening before the fireworks started, the event organizers would draw a number from the adult admission. The holder of that admission number would win $1050.00.

Mom had decided she’s wasn’t going to stop for the draw but just listen for the number over the radio. We were on our way to our prearranged spot where my dad was to pick us up. I’m not sure why she changed her mind but she did go to the grandstand where they drew the number and she was there in time to hear her number.

She was given $1000 and a leather sack with $50 in silver Klondike Dollars. (My dad still has some of the coins and the leather sack) Winning the draw also meant that she was in a parade down Jasper Avenue riding in a stagecoach along with Klondike Kate.

This entire story came back to me as I scanned these photos.

Now that I’ve remembered the story and have the photos why not add it to the family history book I’m creating with Forever Artisan 5? So here is the page that I’ve added. Each time I come across something that I want to put in the book I can create a new page. It can be about someone that I knew or an ancestor I’ve discovered something about. But either way; adding a page at a time is more manageable for me and I’m more likely to get it done. Here’s my newest page. On the next page, I’ll add the newspaper article with the dates that I can figure out by going to Newspapers.com

P.S. I spoke to my dad about this story and he added to the details. There was actually another ticket with the same number as my mom’s so Klondike Days had to pay the prize out twice. He also told me that with the money they bought a new washer, dryer, and dishwasher and had some money left over. (those were the days.)

Note: If you’d like to try Forever Artisan 5 you can go to my Ambassador page and learn more. You can actually try it for FREE. Be sure to check Deals as often the software is on sale.

If you’re interested in trying RESTORE from Vivid-Pix you can either purchase it through Shop the Hound (in Canadian $ and save 10%) or try it for FREE at Vivid-Pix (where you’ll get 10 fixes for FREE). And of course, you can purchase your Flip-Pal at Shop the Hound and pay in Canadian $’s.

Affiliate Link Disclaimer

Note: The post above contains affiliate links. This means I make a percentage on sales via these links. This does not INCREASE the price you pay as a consumer. It’s  simply a supplement to my income so I can continue  to support The DNA Angel Project and to make donations to the Alzheimer’s’ Society.