Grande Prairie Dorm Reunion fonds. — 1993-1994. — 2 cm of textual records.
Agency History
The Grande Prairie Dorm Reunion committee organized in the spring of 1993 and started making plans for a reunion in the summer of 1994. 241 tickets were sold to the reunion which was comprised of a wine and cheese party on the Firday night, late registration Saturday morning, visiting in the cafetera of the Composite High School in the afternoon and then an evening program including supper and a dance.
The first Dorm was the former Grande Prairie Military Training Center located in the area of 91-91 Ave and 101 St. The need was to enable rural students to complete their high school at the Grande Prairie High School. The old army barracks served as few as 50 and as many as 90 students from 1944-1950, with one hut for males and one for females. In August, 1950, a new residence, Wapiti Lodge replaced the army barracks. In 1955, the United Church took over operations of the Dorm from the County of Grande Prairie. As the number of students requiring lodging dwindled with more bussing available to County high schools, 1960 saw only 35 registered at the Lodge and by 1964 Wapiti Lodge had fulfilled its duty as a County high school domritory. In 1966 the Lodge was used as a Grande Prairie Junior College residence and in the 1980s-1994 the Lodge became a men’s hostel.
Custodial History
The records were donated to the South Peace Regional Archives by Dalton Longson in 2009. An accrual of records was donated by Barb Boyd 2012.
Scope and Content
The fonds consists of a list of dorm residents from 1944-1946, financial records from 1993-1994, a receipt book recording the participants in the reunion (1993-1994), and the reunion booklet, “Former Dormers”. An accrual added the minutes of the organization (March1993 – Oct 1994), a list of former students who attended the reunion, a menu and a permit from the City of Grande Prairie , Community Services, for the use of the Composite High School gym.
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