Watrous-Manitou Beach Heritage Centre

05/22/2026

05/21/2026

Welcome back Olivia!

05/01/2026

The Heritage Centre has started using the power of AI to bring history to life. The original 1928 black and white photo has been colorized and motion added to try and recreate the atmosphere of 1928.

04/16/2026

Anyone you know looking for a summer job? Pass it on!

03/12/2026

The Heritage Centre has created some short videos (under 2 minutes) using photos and footage of some of our most famous floors - the dancefloor at Danceland, and the map of Canada that was on the floor of the CBK transmitter building (now demolished).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZTY4stIfwc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vir6xa6nqT8

CBK Floor Map

03/04/2026

The archive collection of the Heritage Centre contains some interesting gems of history. Here is a CBC newscast clip featuring the 50th Anniversary of CBK in Watrous.

The second audio link is a 35 minute recording of the opening program of CBK Radio in 1939.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbsD4Sxzo3k 50th Anniversary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rjxJ-l7eSs -CBK Inaugural Broadcast - 35 minutes

CBK 50th Anniversary 1989

01/31/2026

The Watrous–Manitou Beach Heritage Centre held their first Brewing Up History- The Stories Behind The Artifacts event, featuring the remarkable 'Button Dress' created by Flora Shortt.

Board member Joanne Kowalski shared the story behind the dress and Flora’s life. Born in 1899 in Benton, North Dakota, Flora later married Maxim Shortt in Saskatoon in 1918. Over the years, the couple lived in Dundurn, Simpson, and farmed near Renown, raising eight children before retiring to Manitou Beach in 1964.

Flora became well known for her extensive button and salt-and-pepper shaker collections. During Saskatchewan’s Centennial celebrations in 1967, she proudly wore a handmade dress completely covered in buttons from her collection.
Special thanks to Murray Westby and David Reid for sharing personal memories of the Shortt family and that era. The Button Dress now holds a special place in our local history and at the Heritage Centre.

Thank you to everyone who attended and helped bring this piece of history to life!