ESTEVAN — The Souris Valley Museum's antique vehicle collection gained national attention recently, thanks to a journalist from Regina.
Dale Johnson's article about the cars that are on display at the museum appeared in the Sept. 18 edition of the Old Autos newspaper, produced out of Bothwell, Ont.
While the museum was honoured with this recognition, executive director/curator Melanie Memory said they had no idea it was coming.
"One day in August a gentleman came in. He didn't tell us who he was, he looked like a tourist," Memory shared with the Mercury and SaskToday. "He just came and asked if he could take photos of the vehicles and if we could open the door on one, and we did … He and his wife were here for quite a while, they went through everything. He did spend quite a bit of time on the vehicles and read everything. He didn't ask us a lot of questions about them, but he told us, he really enjoyed it, signed the book and they left.
"And then he emailed us [on September 18] and told us who he was and what he wrote and sent us a copy … And I was really surprised because we had no idea that that's what he did. But it was really nice to see, I shared it with my board, and they were all pretty excited to see that he spotlighted the collection. It was a nice surprise," Memory added.
Johnson, who is a journalist with a professional interest in automobiles, also wasn't originally planning on spotlighting Estevan's museum's collection, when he and his wife came to the Energy City for a tourism visit.
"My wife and I drove from Regina to Minot in July and passed through Estevan. We hadn't been through Estevan for a few years, and there seemed to be lots of interesting new shops on the main street," Johnson shared.
"I said, 'Sometime we should come and see Estevan, instead of just passing through.' So, a few weeks later, we made our destination Estevan. We arrived on Wednesday, August 2, and set up our tent at the beautiful Woodlawn Regional Park.
"We shopped downtown, browsing through all the nifty, little independent shops. We went to the NWMP Museum at the Estevan Art Gallery, went to the Souris Valley Museum, the farmers' market downtown, and went to the play Stag & Doe at the Souris Valley Theatre, right near to where we were camping. We spent just one night in Estevan and saw lots.
"I did not plan to write an article. This was going to be a two-day camping vacation. But when I stepped in the museum and saw all the vehicles, I thought, 'I have to do an article about these vehicles.' I'm an automotive writer and have written about 1,500 articles over the past 25 years or so. So, when I see interesting cars, I write about them," Johnson said.
"I also thought this story was worthy to be shared with a national audience. I figured the readers of Old Autos, a national publication in Bothwell, Ontario, that I've written for since 1997, like to hear about old cars, and this was a great display.
"If there are cars that readers have never heard of, that's interesting, no matter where they are. And if they've heard about them, like Model T's, they can relate to them. I also like to let people across Canada know there was once a General Motors assembly plant in Regina – most people are very surprised to hear about this part of Canadian automotive history – and the museum has a 1929 Chev truck that was manufactured in Regina. For the audience for my article, I obviously focused on the vehicles at the museum and just made a brief mention of the other displays and buildings."
Johnson noted that the staff at the museum was really helpful. He said that both Estevan museums were interesting and educational, and the city impressed them in general.
"The Souris Valley Museum really tells the story of the Estevan area well, and there is lots to see beyond the cars," Johnson said. "And the NWMP Museum says so much about current issues. It gave me a better understanding of issues in the news these days about First Nations people.
"We found lots to do in Estevan. The downtown was very impressive, as it really seems to be revitalized with independent shops and restaurants. Some downtowns are not so interesting."
Featured in the article were five vehicles, including the Bennett buggy from the times of the Great Depression and the Dirty 30s. That piece came to the museum from Stan Durr.
"It's called the Bennett buggy after Canadian Prime Minister Richard Bennett, blamed for the poverty in Canada at the time," Memory explained.
Johnson noted that even though he's seen vehicle displays similar to the SV Museum before, there is always something to learn.
"For example, I have written about Bennett buggies in the past, but I always thought they were created when owners could no longer afford gas, so they had horses pull their cars. What I didn't know until I saw the display at the museum, is that a Bennett buggy wasn't just a way to save on gas bills, but also cash could be raised by selling off parts of the car, like the engine and the windshield. I did not know that," Johnson shared.
The museum also displays Glen Peterson's first gravel truck, which was restored and is in good shape, and two other trucks and a Model T from Durr's collection as well.
"This Model T was one of Stan's favourite vehicles here, so we have that one right here at the front. And then we have the fire truck, the number two engine from the City of Estevan," Memory said.
The SV Museum is becoming more popular among tourists, especially now that all travel restrictions are a notion of the past. This summer they welcomed over 650 tourists, with a lot of Canadians travelling through the area, but also many Americans and people from other countries.
Johnson, being one of them, noted that while he travelled to a number of big centres recently, he indeed liked their time in Estevan.
"With COVID largely over, I travelled more than usual this year – to Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, as well as Minot. And Estevan was also interesting to see. There are interesting things everywhere – in big cities far away, and in smaller places close to home.
"The trip to Estevan was wonderful, refreshing and relaxing. It was just over two hours from our home in Regina until we were setting up the tent at Woodlawn. The trips to Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto took far longer by airplane. Most flights were delayed, a couple by 13 hours. And driving around Estevan was a treat. The traffic in the bigger places requires plenty of concentration.
"I can't wait to go back to those big cities, because there is lots more to do there. But I also want to spend more time exploring Saskatchewan. We have lots in our own provincial backyard that we often don't know about because Saskatchewan people tend to often go on more exotic trips to bigger places. Actually, there's lots to see right here, and staying close to home can be just as interesting and offer plenty of benefits," Johnson said.
Johnson worked as a journalist for several years, mainly in Regina and Toronto, for the most part as a reporter and anchor at CBC Radio and TV. He also worked in media relations with Credit Union Central of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina, and he currently teaches courses in media relations and effective writing at the U of R. With his interest in vehicles, he will be going to Oshawa, Ont., shortly to serve as a judge for the car-of-the-year awards put on by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. He's also written a book called The Last Best Car – the 67-X about a rare Canadian car and is working on another one.
For more about Johnson, check out his website at daleedwardjohnson.com or reach out to him at [email protected].
The Souris Valley Museum remains open for tourism and programming, not only during the summer months but also throughout winter.
Until mid-May, their hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
