The Story of the Alberta Women's Institute

              THE

STORY

OF

THE

ALBERTA

WOMET\'S

INSTITUTES

The numbers gradually increased until by the end of December, 1912. there were twenty members. Before many months the name was ('hanged to Women;s Institute as the new mime suggested more scope along educational lines. There is scarcely any line of Institute a('tivity or community endeavor that has not been successfully undertaken at one time or other by this pioneer Institute, the second to be organized in the province. Through the years of plenty and years of drought, through war time and depression, they have carried on a variety of splendid educatiom,l, patriotic, and philanthropic enterprises and no one has ever appealed to them in vain. A young member of this Institute was one of the first girls to win a Government scholarship to the Schools of Agriculture, in 1919. In May 1952, the 40th Anniversary was observed at a garden party honoring pioneers of the W.I. Mrs. C. O. Dayton, the first president of the branch, now living in Seattle, sent greetings and good wishes. Mrs. J. Brown, the first vice-president, welcomed the visitors and gave a brief history of the Institute. Recently Mrs. J. Brown was the recipient of a life membership and pin from the branch. Mrs. Margaret Sibbald, one of the early constituency conveners of the district made the presentation. After forty-three years of continuous operation, not only the members but the whole community, feel that the Verdant Valley Women's Institute is worthwhile-indeed they. do not care to think of what life would be without it.

SHINING BANK WOMEN'S INSTITUTE EVEH SINCE 1919 when Mrs. J. K. Taylor told the A.W,I. convention in Calgary how the bears ate her chickens and broke into her smokehouse and stole her hams and how the W.I. "started a cemetery with a pie social" the name "Shining Bank" has called forth a remini;('ent chuckle from the old timers. On June 8, 1916, the members of a club organized some months previously, met at the home of Mrs. French to organize a Women's Institute. Mrs. J. K. Taylor and Dr. French (Miss Ada) had both become convinced that a Women's Institute was a wonderful idea and just the thing to meet the needs of the women in that district, so the Shining Bank W.I. came into being, with Mrs. J. K. Taylor, president. Later, as most members got their mail at Mahaska P.O. rather than at Shining Bank, the name was changed to avoid confusion and delay in mail servi.ce. Of the dozen or so members, all have long since moved away. In the district where roads were just trails and th~ l~embers widely scattered, the difficulties of travel and commumcatlOn are iJIustl:"ted by the tales of members taking two and a half hours to get
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