Coyote Flats Oral History Project
We successfully applied to the federal New Horizons for Seniors Program for a grant to fund the Coyote Flats History Project, and then partnered with Picture Butte High School (PBHS) and the Centre for Oral History and Tradition (COHT) at the University of Lethbridge. A portion of the grant was used to purchase 4K video cameras for the PBHS media lab, making the lab the production centre for the Project. The COHT has provided the Project with countless hours of training, advice, support and guidance.
The Coyote Flats Oral History Project aims to conduct recorded interviews with seniors in Picture Butte and area. The interviews are focused on collecting stories and memories about:
- the history of the people who settled Picture Butte and Southern Alberta
- the development of Coyote Flats Pioneer Village
- the historic buildings and artifacts at Coyote Flats Pioneer Village
There have been two types of interviews conducted.
- Life History Interviews
These interviews are facilitated by trained interviewers over an extended period of time to collect full stories, memories, facts and more from interviewees. Interviews are typically an hour or more in length, and content shared will be used to develop interpretive assets at Coyote Flats. These videos will also be archived for future use, and copies will be provided to all interviewees.
- Short Bite Interviews
These interviews are conducted by student of the Picture Butte High School media classes as part of a class project to create videos about Coyote Flats Pioneer Village. The content from these interviews will be used to create short videos that can be featured on the Coyote Flats website.
The Project is ongoing. In addition to achieving our initial goal of recording the important stories and memories related to Coyote Flats and Picture Butte area, we have further developed strong partnerships with PBHS and COHT, while increasing community knowledge and awareness of Coyote Flats Pioneer Village.
Our facility exists to honour the pioneers and heritage that built our amazing communities. It has been a privilege to further record these stories and ensure their survival for the generations to come.
Summary provided by Kimberly Lyall,
Oral History Co-ordinator
