About the Project

IN 2010 the Municipal District of Big Lakes Council recognized that evidence of our history is being lost every year, and that more must be done to rescue historic knowledge from obscurity.  It is not enough to save buildings and objects without the stories that bring those artifacts to life.  It is, after all, the stories that make our heritage truly unique, providing meaning to the objects themselves, and holding the spirit of our communities.

In December 2011 the MD completed its first oral history project with the help of a $10,000 Research Grant from the Alberta Historic Resources Foundation.  The MD has also decided to continue with a second phase of the project, and has submitted a new grant application to the AHRF.  If the grant application is successful, the new project should begin in the spring of 2012. 

If you are interested in finding out more about this project, being interviewed or helping out as a volunteer on our Oral History Advisory Committee, please contact Cathy Wilcox, Grants Manager at 780-523-5955 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

The Oral History Project - Phase I

On May 11, 2011, MD Council approved the hiring of Catherine C. Cole & Associates as our oral interview consultant.  Catherine and her team brought a great deal of experience in oral histories and video production to this project. 

Working with our consultant, our Oral History Advisory Committee compiled a lengthy list of potential interviewees, and some topics that could be discussed during interviews.  Committee members also spent untold hours contacting potential interviewees, setting up interview schedules for the project and proofreading interview transcripts - many thanks to our volunteers for this work! 

In the end our consultants were able to transcribe numerous archival interviews that had been done in by our museums in previous years, and to do 21 new interviews of people from around the MD.  Each interview was documented with video recordings and written transcripts, which will be kept on record at the MD main office in High Prairie, but with copies for our museums.  In addition, each interviewee has received a DVD and transcript of their own interview, which will likely be of interest for their families as well.