The year 1970 marked Manitoba’s 100th year as a province of Canada. At the time of Confederation, the land now known as Manitoba was split between various Indigenous bands, the Hudson Bay Company, and the Métis. Due to fears of an American invasion, the Canadian government purchased Manitoba from the Hudson Bay Company in 1870, making it Canada’s fifth province. However, they did not consult any of Manitoba’s residents about the sale of the land which resulted in numerous resistance movements. The most famous was the Red River Resistance where a group of Métis, led by Louis Riel, established their own government and negotiated their own terms for entering Confederation. After a long standoff and negotiations, the Red River colonists agreed to enter Confederation after the Canadian government promised to protect Métis land and culture.

The Centennial celebrations commemorated Manitoba’s entry into Canada in numerous different ways. The government gave money to preserve Manitoba’s heritage, host commemorative celebrations and events, and of course, produced many centennial souvenirs. These souvenirs were wide ranging from mugs, pins, and t-shirts to license plates, dinnerware, and banners. This serving tray is one such souvenir that has been donated to the museum. It was made in Canada by an Ontario-based company called Gift Craft and is carved out of high-quality balsa wood with brown plastic sides. Burnt into the wood are a group of crocuses and print reading: “Manitoba 1870-1970 Canada”. A pattern of maple leaves runs around the edge of the bottom of the stray. Crocuses are Manitoba’s official flower and the maple leaf is well known symbol of Canada.

This souvenir tray was donated to the museum by Mrs. Kobar whose family were long time residents of The Pas. It is unknown when exactly it was donated.

References:

Tattrie, Jon, “Manitoba and Confederation”.  In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Article published November 12, 2014; Last Edited May 09, 2018. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/manitoba-and-confederation