Our 2015 project --YORKTON’S WHISKEY MAN--HARRY BRONFMAN & PROHIBITION IN SASKATCHEWAN (1915-1924) is an informative and fun presentation with an attractive display case and the power point saga describing the Temperance movements, Prohibition in Saskatchewan and the Aftermath. It shows how dramatic a time it was in our province’s history, how Prohibition made us almost a police state, how Harry Bronfman of Yorkton became a prominent player of the Prohibition years, and the eventful export liquor trade along the Canadian-American border. We show how Harry Bronfman was the Bronfman family’s main player in starting the family’s move to Montreal in the mid 1920s where they established their liquor empire. This permanent display can be viewed in the main foyer of the Gallagher Centre; on the west wall passed the lottery tickets kiosk, whenever the facility is open. The intent was two-fold: to tell the story and to show how valuable archival materials are to our society. Funding to support the project came from the Saskatchewan Council of Archives and Archivists and the Saskatchewan Lotteries Community Grant. It is 100 years this year, that Prohibition was enacted in Saskatchewan, and the bar at Harry Bronfman’s Balmoral Hotel of Yorkton was closed down as were all bars in the province’s hotels! We invite you to drop in at the Gallagher Centre and visit our display.
