Heritage in the Hat: Strong Town heritage
By MALCOLM SISSONS on June 27, 2023.
On June 13, I attended the Strong Towns session downtown at The Yard. It was relaxing in that pleasant outdoor space on a warm summer evening with a cold pint on the table. Unplanned, I sat with two members of the city’s Heritage Resources Working Group and a history buff, so naturally discussion turned to the role of heritage in a ‘strong town’. Medicine Hat is fortunate to have many designated historic buildings, artefacts and even three designated areas (Historic Clay District and First Street and Saratoga Park Municipal Historic Areas). They are good reminders of our past but does that help make for a strong town? Part of what builds a community is shared stories. Alumni of schools share stories of the teachers they had. Past and present members of churches, service clubs, scout troupes ‘remember when’. These common memories are often triggered by the physical presence of historic buildings. Sometimes, we have only a sign to go by, for example Toronto Street School. We also have the documentary story of our community, through the Archives and local media (Medicine Hat News). Even social media features some historic photos for citizens to comment on (Facebook page: “You grew up in Medicine Hat, AB if you remember when…”). We have some really deep memories of the community for those who care to go looking. The Esplanade Archives have about 160 oral histories of local oldtimers telling their stories. All of this shared common history creates a sense of community. We have many features that make Medicine Hat unique and make us proud. Hopefully, we all want to preserve our special place in the sun. Heritage is important in the tourism industry. At a recent Brick Experience organized by Medalta at the Brick and Tile Provincial Historic Resource, and event-cap 25 people from as far away as Edmonton and B.C. each paid $100 to make some bricks and have a guided tour of the factory. Four High Teas at Ewart Duggan House sold out right away at $50 a pop! Various studies show that heritage and culture are important attractions for tourists. We should all be happy if our restaurants and hotels are doing well. So, circling back to Strong Towns, what’s the connection? As I understand it, the basic premise is to run your town as a business, revenues need to exceed expenses for a town to remain viable. The older areas of town, where most of the historic resources are found, tend to generate the most tax revenue per acre for the city. A financially strong town means our community can continue to invest in its heritage and carry its memories into the future. Malcolm Sissons is a past member of the Heritage Resources Committee of the City of Medicine Hat. 10-9
