National Day of Truth and Reconciliation 2026

  It has been 11 years since the release of the TRC.

The Victorian Society of Alberta hold this closely.

In the spirit of respect, reciprocity and truth, we honour and acknowledge Moh’kinsstis, and the traditional Treaty 7 territory and oral practices of the Blackfoot confederacy: Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, as well as the Îyâxe Nakoda and Tsuut’ina nations. We acknowledge that this territory is home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3 within the historical Northwest Métis homeland. Finally, we acknowledge all Nations – Indigenous and non – who live, work and play on this land, and who honour and celebrate this territory.

Check out The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) 

A place of learning and dialogue where the truths of Residential School Survivors, families and communities are honoured and kept safe for future generations.

The NCTR educates Canadians on the profound injustices inflicted on First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation by the forced removal of children to attend residential schools and the widespread abuse suffered in those schools.

We preserve the record of these human rights abuses, and promote continued research and learning on the legacy of residential schools. Our goal is to honour Survivors and to foster reconciliation and healing on the foundation of truth telling.

The NCTR was gifted the spirit name bezhig miigwan which, in Anishinaabemowin, the language of the Anishinaabe people, means “one feather.” The name’s a reminder that every Survivor needs to be shown the same respect and attention that an eagle feather deserves. The name also teaches us that we are vital to the work of reconciliation.

The NCTR is located on original lands of Anishinaabeg, Ininiwak, Anisininewuk, Dakota Oyate and Dene, the homeland of the Red River Métis, and home to many Inuit.

Happy Birthday Alberta!

 Happy one hundred and twenty one!

Days of Yore is Coming Aug 1st and 2nd

 We are a few days away from Days of Yore! You will find us and our friends at Heritage Park August 1&2. Come see everything from Vikings to WWII, including rides in military vehicles, and sample Mess Hall classics in the Gunn Dairy Barn. Can't wait to see familiar faces and meet new friends as well!

Hope to see you all there!

Come say "hi".

Enjoy
The Victorian Society of Alberta

July Fashion Friday

This month we have a wonderful little short from the Film Trail Vlog on Facebook.
This film clip shows the actors from The Gilded Age season 4 going back and forth from filming. This footage was shot behind the scenes on June 1, 2026, on location at St. Peter's Church in downtown Albany, NY. 
There are several other videos taken during the filming posted on the FB page.

Enjoy
The Victorian Society of Alberta

July Book Tuesday

 For this month's Book Tuesday we have a reminder that 'Fake News' isn't a modern thing 😁

From Wikipedia

The "Great Moon Hoax", also known as the "Great Moon Hoax of 1835", was a series of six articles published in The Sun (a New York newspaper), beginning on August 25, 1835, about the supposed discovery of life and civilization on the Moon. The discoveries were falsely attributed to Sir John Herschel and his fictitious companion Andrew Grant.^[1]

The story was advertised on August 21, 1835, as an upcoming feature allegedly reprinted from The Edinburgh Courant.^[2] The first in a series of six was published four days later on August 25. These articles were never retracted; however, on September 16, 1835, The Sun admitted the articles were in fact fabricated.^[3]

The hoax came at a time when readers looked for entertainment as much as information from penny press newspapers, which would later change with the development of ethical journalism.^[4]

 If you would like to have a gander at what all the fuss was about the book containing all six articles is available as a PDF file from the Internet Archive.

A pleasant afternoon on the Moon.

Enjoy
The Victorian Society of Alberta

June Fashion Friday

 For this month's Fashion Friday we have a wonderful video from Asta Darling on FB.
Getting dressed to play tennis in 1885!

Enjoy

The Victorian Society of Alberta

June Book Tuesday

For this month's Book Tuesday we have a very interesting set of books.
While covering the American Prairies more than the Canadian ones they are a fascinating look at life on the Great Plains during the early part of our period, before the vast grasslands were divvied up by, rails, roads, barb wire and the plow.
Both volumes are available at the Internet Archive link.

Enjoy

The Victorian Society of Alberta

Commerce Of The Prairies
By Josiah Gregg
1849

Written as a scrupulously accurate guidebook to the prairies and as an authoritative account of the early Santa Fe trade, Commerce of the Prairies has been a favorite of historians, ethnologists, naturalists, and collectors of Western Americana for generations. But Gregg’s masterpiece is not for specialists alone: its vivid descriptions of desert mirages, wagon caravans, Indian alarms and attacks, buffalo hunts, and other early Western phenomena will delight all who wish to know the country as it was before the great herds of buffalo were slaughtered and the roving Indians confined to reservations, before the landscape was transformed by barbed wire, domestic cattle, plowed fields, and modern highways.

Josiah Gregg, a man of rare sensitivity and passionate science interest, joined a caravan of traders bound for Santa Fé in 1831 and almost immediately developed a fascination for the adventure-packed life of Santa Fé trader. And during the ten years that he engaged in the San Fé trade, Gregg took copious notes on the life and landscape of the American prairies and the Mexican plateau, later utilizing them in Commerce of the Prairies.