Congratulations are in order to Heritage Acres for the tremendous effort they put forth and the success in their endeavor to move the historic BIG DAIRY BARNS from their original site on Boss Zoeteman’s home quarter to Heritage Acres.
"Heritage Acres is an agricultural museum dedicated to promoting an interest in, and preserving the heritage of, the agricultural industry in Southern Alberta from 1880 - 1960."
It is a recognized museum and has had extensive funding from individuals. organizations and government grants. The expectation of honest representation of historic data is a given.
The material provided by Heritage Acres to the media for press and video release disregarded the facts and misrepresented the historical significance surrounding these buildings. The conscious decision to change the name attached to these historic structures and focus on the history after 1960 was too obvious to miss.
Just why the historic account began after Mr. Zoeteman sold the land in 1961 and why the rich agricultural history of the dairy barns and the pioneer, Bastian Zoeteman, that built, owned and operated them was disregarded by Heritage Acres is a mystery. That it happened is a reality.
This is a matter that concerns the family of the late Bastian Zoeteman and many residents of this community. It is also a disturbing ethical issue, that should be of serious concern to the members, board and executive of Heritage Acres and beyond.
The misrepresentation of this matter was not due to lack of knowledge, information or access to information nor were there barriers to the history of these buildings through the direct descendants of Boss Zoeteman.
Those concerned have prompted me to write. For all, he was my Dad. To this community, he was a true pioneer and by dictionary definition, a developer, innovator, trailblazer, groundbreaker, founder and creator. He was all that and more.
He bought land in Pincher Creek in 1938, at age 35. By 1948 he had a large farming operation, a thriving farm implement business, a large dairy operation and milk delivery service and one of the first and most modern pasteurization plants in Alberta, according to the dairy inspector. He built the first barn in 1946, the second soon after, a new Pincher Farm Equipment building in 1947 and the Pasteurization Plant in1948.
When my research is complete I will write his story and an accurate account of the rich history that belongs with THE BIG RED BARNS for this community and future generations.
Those responsible for this oversight owe the family and the public an apology and need to take the necessary steps to acclaim and preserve an accurate historical record of the dairy barns, as would be expected of a museum.
Just for clarification.... was Heritage Acres given the opportunity to correct this prior to this letter being published in a public forum? While the emotions are well founded and a family's history is important this seems like a situation of accidental oversight escalated for the sake of hurt feelings. As a community we have no control over how things come to be known and the barns have come to be known as the Vogelaar barns. It doesn't recognize the entire history but it's what occurred over time. Our town and the people in it are more than willing to honour our history. Perhaps this could have been solved in a more diplomatic manner?
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ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that this person comes forward at this point in time. The opportunity was given to contribute information about the barn but none was given. I think the main issue here is that as a result of the fund raising committee of which I was a member, the barn has been saved and moved to Heritage Acres for all to enjoy and preserve the heritage. There was no intent to exclude the Zooteman history, rather there has been an ongoing search for the accurate information about the construction, the carpenter and the work crew. This is a heritage project and far from complete. Any information about the history will be welcome and appreciated. A daughter's personal information will help to complete the history. As a result of our family using and maintaining the barn for 59 years we do feel the Vogelaar family has played a role in the history of the dairy barn.
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