Fonds 533 Bay Tree Community Club

Bay Tree Community Club. — [1925-1999]. — 3.5 cm of textual records. — 3 photographs.

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Agency History

Bay Tree is located in Saddle Hills County on Highway 49, on Range Road 131/Township Road 791, close to the Alberta-British Columbia border. Settlers started moving into the Bay Tree area about 1914, drawn there by homestead land, which cost $10.00 for a quarter-section. Many of the settlers were veterans of WWI who were offered free land under the Soldiers Settlement Board scheme. The first public building erected in the Bay Tree area was Bay Tree School in 1921, with Minnie McNaught as the first teacher, teaching children from the Davies, Bourque, Bourdon, Smathers and Ryan families. By 1930, there had been an influx of settlers in the district and a new school was constructed on SE 4-79-13-W6. People continued to be drawn to the area and by 1937 a new and even bigger school was built on the same site. There was a strong feeling of community among the people who arrived in Bay Tree. Homes and schools were constructed by neighbors banding together to support each other. Sports teams and community clubs were supported by the local people who were proud of their achievements. In the early years, community events were organized by the Farm Women’s Union, later called the Women of Unifarm. After the Women of Unifarm disbanded in 1979, the Bay Tree Community Club was formed to continue community fundraising and events in Bay Tree. The meetings were held in the homes of club members.  Each year the members would make and raffle a quilt and raise additional funds with a bake sale. They also organized Halloween events at the Bay Tree Hall.  The Community Club was generous with their fundraising, supporting charities like Camp Tamarack, Disabled Persons Society of Dawson Creek, and the Fairview College Foundation.  The Community Club also helped spruce up the Bay Tree Community Park in 1981, and appears to have had involvement with the Silver Valley Campsite. The Club disbanded in 1998.

Custodial History

The records were deposited at South Peace Regional Archives by Vivian Dechief, member of the Bay Tree Community Club.

Scope and Content

The fonds consists of records relating to the Bay Tree Community Club. They are divided into four series:  minutes, financial records, correspondence and quilting, which the ladies used as a fundraiser. The correspondence includes information of the closing of the Silver Valley Campsite. The records were in no particular order when they arrived, but the minutes were grouped together in duotangs labeled with the year. It should be noted that there are balance sheets in the duotangs with the minutes, and original order has been maintained. Taped to the inside cover of one of the duotangs was a photo marked 1991. This was removed and added to the other photos of quilts.

Notes

Title based on the contents of the fonds. Historical note: Information for the Agency History was taken from Homesteaders’ Heritage (Bay Tree F.W.U.A. Local 106. p. 24).