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Although Claudia Tennant was not a graduate of the Galt School of Nursing, it was a key part of her life. Tennant spent twenty years at both the Galt Hospital and the Lethbridge Municipal Hospital as the Director of Nursing for the Galt School of Nursing. Her original decision to become a nurse was influenced by Lucy Hatch McInnis, a graduate from the Galt School of Nursing’s first ever class in 1913.
In 1907, just one year after miners went on a nine-month strike, Eliott T Galt donated $30,000 for the construction of a larger hospital in Lethbridge. The city matched this amount, and a new hospital was built to replace the 1891 hospital building which was no longer large enough to serve the community. The new Galt Hospital, which we know today as the Galt Museum & Archives, opened in 1910. With this addition, the hospital could now accommodate 65 patients.
Many of us will at least have vague memories of Senior Men’s basketball here in Southern Alberta. True Senior men’s basketball. It began being played in Southern Alberta not long after the game made its way here in 1904. I’ve been able to find records of Senior Men’s ball being played for Provincial Championships as early as 1908. The earliest reference to an Alberta team was in 1915, and the first Southern Alberta team was in 1918 and it was just called “Lethbridge”.
It all started 120 years ago, on July 1. The town of Raymond, with its population of under 5000 people, has perhaps one of Alberta's longest and most notable histories of any basketball program. In 1904, the Raymond Exhibition sponsored what has become known as the first official game of basketball in, what was then, the Alberta region of Canada’s Northwest Territories. Alberta became a province in 1905.
Construction of the original Galt Hospital in 1891 was financed by Sir Alexander Galt, owner of the Northwest Coal and Navigation Company. Coal miners in the Oldman River Valley desperately required health care due to unsafe working conditions. Frequent exposure to dust and toxins often led to illnesses such as pneumoconiosis (black lung disease), pulmonary disease, asbestosis, and cancer.
Prairie short grasses, rolling foothills, the Rocky Mountains, and the Chinook winds. These words, spoken to a Southern Albertan whether they still live here or not, evoke a myriad of memories, each unique to the individual, yet all rooted in the concept of home. Family names like Tollestrup, Hicken, Gibb, McMurray, Molcak, Rice, Karren, West, Bourne, Heggie, Stevenson Rollingson, Mirkovich, and many others evoke another set of memories of “home”. Home on the basketball court.
We might all have that one family member who can magically repurpose old fabrics into warm quilts. Some assume that making a quilt is simple, but the process is quite lengthy. Quilters must plan out their design, pin cloth together, and sew through many layers of fabric. The Galt Museum & Archives has a large collection of quilts. Within this collection are five quilts by Katherina Betts that were donated by her son Ed and daughter-in-law Gloria Betts.
Past issues of the Lethbridge Herald have long served as an encyclopedia of community life, a Who’s Who of Southwest Alberta. However, not everyone was fairly represented. In the Galt Museum’s archives are images of Blackfoot people once featured in the newspaper without identification, leaving their stories untold. The 1,000 Faces Project was designed to bridge this gap by recovering and preserving their names in archival records.
Recent News
The Galt Museum's recent exhibitions, Treasures & Curiosities and A Smile in Every Bottle were a big hit with the community. Kevin and Jane played a key role in making them happen.
On May 1, 2026, the Galt Museum officially launched three new temporary exhibits. Down in the Valley (lower-level gallery) explores people’s connection to and reliance on the Oldman River for life on the prairie. Dried Out: Prohibition in Alberta looks at why prohibition was introduced, how it was enforced, and its lasting impact on Alberta society. A Smile in Every Bottle: Sicks’ Lethbridge Breweries Ltd. focuses on the city’s former brewery and how the Sick family built a brewing empire across Western Canada and into the United States.
The Galt Museum & Archives have partnered with the Art/ Museum Studies program at the University of Lethbridge to award any undergraduate students who identifies as Black, Indigenous or racialized with $1,500 and the opportunity at the museum as a inter during the Fall Term.
Once again, the energy, curation, and organization at LIFF 2026 were outstanding. The festival saw a general increase in attendance over 2025 and expanded in several meaningful ways… read more
“I think opening a brewery was a logical next step,” says Tyler Stewart, curator at The Galt. “People are ecstatic about the exhibit experience. We thought, if we’re already digging all these artifacts out collections for the exhibit, why not put them to good use?”
Today marks a strategic milestone in the history of the replica Fort Whoop‑Up, as staff officially adopted a comprehensive emergency response plan. The framework is designed to address risks including fire, flood, and the clandestine sale of unregulated consumable liquids.
Ready to spend your summer bringing stories, culture, and history to life?
The Galt Museum & Archives and Fort Whoop-Up are hiring up to five Visitor Engagement Attendants for an 18‑week term beginning May 1, 2026.
Ella Emma Dunn lived to 105, cared for by people who considered her family. Remembered for her generosity and resilience, she left a legacy of community, compassion, and belonging. Her life continues to inspire as a powerful example of kindness shaping a city’s history.
Check out the list of amazing International Women’s Day programming the Galt will be featuring and collaborating on in March!
Many have visited the Research tab on the Galt’s website, but educators have a new resource at their fingertips! Educators can now download packs of high-resolution images which follow distinct learning themes. Educators may use these resources as they see fit, free of charge!
Dr. Frank Hamilton Mewburn was a wiry and fiery surgeon, politician, army officer, and university professor who greatly contributed to the development of Lethbridge. Mewburn came from a long ling of medical professionals, graduating from McGill University in Montreal in 1881.