Date

Materials

Description

Round green and white badge pinned to a fox fur hat. The badge is mainly a dark green with white details. The outside has writing along the top and bottom portions of the badge with a year split down the middle on either side. The middle of the badge has the image of the head of a husky slightly turned to the right with a white circle around it. The back of the badge is metal and has a long sharp pin that attaches it to the hat.

The Prince Albert Winter Festival originally began in the 1920s but ended in 1929. However, in 1964, the festival was revived and has been an annual tradition for the community ever since. While the festival now is a chance for the community to come together and take part in a variety of different events like dog sled races, trade shows, dances, cook-offs, fiddle shows, and snow sculpting, the festival was originally a celebration of Prince Albert's origins as a fur trading post. In 1862, James Isbister, an English Métis fur trader, settled on a river lot farm in what is now the west end of Prince Albert. Over time, more of Isbister's family came to the area and it was called Isbister's Settlement for a few years. It was not until 1866 that James Nisbet, a Scottish-born missionary, came to the area and established a Presbyterian Mission called Prince Albert. In 1867, the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) started their own farm about four kilometres west of the Prince Albert Mission. Over time, the HBC's involvement in the area grew and they continued their operations in Prince Albert for many years. However, by 1915, the HBC was gone from the area. But, a raw fur division continued to operate in the city until 1987.

While every Prince Albert Winter Festival has a new badge made, they all follow the same design of an image of a husky with the year and name of the event. The badge on this hat is the green version of the badge that was created for the 1971 PA Winter Festival. These badges were (and still are) required for entry into every event at the festival.

Marks/Labels

"PRINCE ALBERT

1971

WINTER FESTIVAL" around the circumference. 

Category