Place

Strasbourg, Saskatchewan

Date

1955

DIMENSIONS in centimetres

82.4 x 50

Materials & techniques

Cotton; Machine-sewn

Credit

Made by Eileen Klein

ID

Saskatchewan Western Development Museum WDM-2013-S-3

The year 1955 was a year of celebration, as Saskatchewan marked its Golden Jubilee, 50 years as a province. And what a celebration it was. Hundreds of events in communities large and small paid tribute to the pioneers who settled Saskatchewan. From Alsask to Alameda, Zealandia to Zelma, young and old gathered to remember and reminisce. They picnicked, they partied, and they paraded in celebration of Saskatchewan’s first 50 years.
 
On a trip to Regina, Eileen Klein of Strasbourg stopped at the Eaton’s store to make a special purchase. She and her husband, Monte, owned the hardware store and post office in their hometown. The store had been founded by Monte’s father years earlier and was a fixture in the community. With Jubilee celebrations in the offing, Eileen was looking for something special. She spotted just the thing: specially created Golden Jubilee yard goods. The fabric featured the province’s coat of arms surrounded by stalks of wheat and the inscription “Saskatchewan Golden Jubilee.” The fabric was suitable for commemorative quilts, banners, and bunting.
 
At home Eileen set to work turning her Golden Jubilee fabric into a shirt for Monte. Monte proudly sported his one-of-a-kind shirt during the 1955 celebrations in Strasbourg. The shirt remained in the family and eventually landed in the hands of Eileen’s sister, Iona Thoen, who took it with her to Saskatchewan centennial celebrations at Viscount in 2005 where the shirt was proudly worn one more time.