The United Farmers Historical Society (UFHS) acquires, preserves and makes available the historical records and artifacts of the United Farmers of Alberta, showcasing the co-operative’s contributions to agriculture and life in and around Alberta.
The UFHS archives holds records of the United Farmers of Alberta from its origins in 1909 as a political organization through the emergence of the UFA Co-operative Limited in the 1930s, to the present day. UFHS holdings include over 35m of textual records, more than 7,000 photographs, numerous audio and video recordings, as well as UFA published magazines, newspapers and newsletters. The collection also includes associated records from the United Farm Women of Alberta, Farmers’ Union of Alberta, United Grain Growers, Alberta Wheat Pool, and more.
The archive is open to the public by appointment for researchers to access records and information in-person and is located at the UFA Calgary Support Office.
For the past several years, UFHS has made a considerable effort to archive and digitize the historic records of the UFA. We invite you to explore these records by visiting the online database at archives.ufa.com. UFHS also provides virtual reference services, assisting researchers from all over the province, Canada, and has supported requests from as far away as the UK and Sweden.
UFHS hosts lectures, co-creates museum exhibits, welcomes co-op, internship, and practicum post-secondary students, and participates in community events that engage people of all ages.
Your support assists many of the historical society’s programs and services. Donations and grants support the ongoing stewardship of the archives, collaborative projects with other farm history organizations, archival supplies, maintaining the online database, development of virtual exhibits and presentations and ensuring that UFA’s history is preserved for future generations.
Past UFHS collaborations with other farm history organizations include the co-operatives exhibit at Sunnybrook Farm Museum, Louise McKinney and the Famous 5 exhibit at the Claresholm Museum, and Irene Parlby and Women in Agriculture exhibit at the Alix Wagon Wheel Museum. UFHS is eager to continue this work with similar organizations around the province to showcase the value farming and ranching has in Alberta and bring UFA stories to a wider audience.
Capacity building support helps UFHS to engage with post-secondary students through employment or course-based engagement. Students help to organize, digitize and describe UFHS’ significant records, and make them available in the UFHS online database for researchers. UFHS records are used frequently to fulfill reference requests for the public, to engage with audiences on social media and the UFHS blog, and used in exhibits and displays. With a growing number of records processed and described, digitization is crucial to preserve and provide access to these records, which could not be completed without the support of student employees.
A future goal of UFHS is to develop a virtual exhibit that includes a variety of digitized images and documents including UFA created pamphlets and literature, correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs and more. The exhibit would highlight key stories from UFA history such as the founding of the United Farm Women of Alberta and UFA’s time in provincial government. Through an exciting virtual exhibit, UFHS aims to bring awareness to UFA’s place in Alberta history and showcase the storied history of the UFA to the world. A virtual exhibit is an inclusive way to reach rural audiences who are more likely to have a personal or family connection to the UFA. The UFA has its roots in rural Alberta farming communities and the work of UFHS provides an avenue for these communities to connect with their history and for all audiences to learn more about farming history in our province.