Small
This virtual tour is conducted by a community member, John Cochrane, portraying a surveyor, A.S. Hern, after whom the town was named in 1918.
Hern introduces the concept of a history of the Siglunes area, entitled “Life, Love and Laughter,” explaining that it will be illustrated using bits from a dinner theatre production, as well as skits performed over the last few years at the Thresherman’s Reunion. He then shows where Ashern is, and briefly presents the history of the development of the area during the early 1920s.
The exhibit’s narrative, pictures and tiny video bites touch on historical events, sometimes in a humourous way. We are introduced to a strap-using teacher, a man who built a castle on the prairies, a municipal official who bribed local farmers to promote the area for recruitment purposes, and the town hall trial of a pig. We hear about a historical bank robbery, and a group of local men who posed as Nazis and took over the railroad station. A man in the 1950s tried to do a “woman’s job,” and a lady tells how she got her husband with a box lunch. There is heroism and sadness around the 1989 fire. Finally, Hern talks of the demise of the railroad and bids us farewell.
