Prince Albert Historical Society
I recently received a request from Ted, who attended the original Vincent Massey School. He recalled having seen a woman walking regularly through the school grounds and, as she seemed to be somewhat eccentric, he asked one of the teachers, Peter Toews, if he knew who the woman was. The answer he received was that the woman was Minnie Jones.
Would I be able, Ted wondered, to write a column on Minnie Jones?
I have to admit that I had have heard a lot of stories about Minnie Jones through the years. I, too, had seen her, and often wondered about her. But factual information is limited, making this a particularly challenging column to complete. I present the following, with the hope that any errors or omissions might be brought to my attention so that in future we can have a more complete history of this fascinating woman.
Minnie Jones was born Minnie Isbister, the daughter of James and Margaret Isbister, on July 28th, 1881 in the Northwest Territories. She was baptised by the Reverend James Settee on September 11th, 1881. Minnie married an Indian Agent, Robert Martin Jones, on March 18th, 1903 at St. Andrew’s Church, Halcro, Northwest Territories with J. Isbister and C. Mackie as witnesses.
They resided in the St. Catharine’s District and had a family of three, two girls and one boy. The girls, Daisy Ruth, born March 22nd, 1905, and Ella, born about 1907, moved with their father and brother to the east (probably Ontario), but Minnie remained in the Prince Albert area. Daisy was baptised by the Reverend J. Hintsey on May 5th, 1905, at St. Catharine’s Church. Ella married a W. Buck. The only information I have found on their brother, whose name is unknown, was that he lived “down east”.
Minnie also had a daughter, Katherine, born in Mont Nebo, Northwest Territories, in 1900. Katherine was adopted at the age of one week by the Fraser family, but it is believed that she was raised by Mr. and Mrs. John Chumick. Katherine married Norman Benjamin at Sandy Lake on December 28th, 1924, the community where they continued to live and where they farmed. Katherine and Norman raised 16 children. Katherine died in 1975, and was buried at the Sandy Lake Reserve cemetery, the same cemetery in which her grandmother had been interred.
Little is known about Minnie, aside from some minor details about her offspring. A great-grand-daughter has said that her marriage and separation resulted in some emotional or mental health issues. Minnie lived most of her adult life as a divorced woman in homes on the west flat, in Midtown, and on the east hill.
She apparently was a dancer on the steam boat The Marquis, which may have resulted in her later routine of dancing outside the Octagonal Building at the summer exhibition. It is unknown if she danced on the boat with partners or as an entertainer. Many people remember that she drove a red wagon, sometimes pulling it herself, and sometimes using her dog to pull it. Minnie is remembered for her kohl eye shadow, and her hats, often decorated with flowers and dead birds.
One longtime member of the Historical Society wrote about Minnie, referring to her as a “Grande Dame” which she felt suited Minnie. A “Grande Dame” she suggested referred to a lady, especially one of great dignity, being somewhat flamboyant, and prone to extravagant and eccentric fashion.
She told of seeing Minnie, who was small and slim, wearing a black coat with a fur collar, even though it was June. Her hair was flaming red, and covered by a black cloche hat with big purple flowers pinned to it.
Doing her shopping in Eaton’s, Minnie would pull out a ball of wool, unravel it until she came to the bills wrapped up inside. She would then pay for her purchases, with the change ending up wrapped up once more inside the ball of wool.
She is reported to have owned a significant amount of property in the city. I have been told that she owned land from between First Avenue East and Sixth Avenue East, likely between 13th and 25th Streets. It is possible that some of her wealth was accrued from the sale of this property, possibly to the Canadian Pacific Railway when they needed property upon their arrival in Prince Albert.
One of my favourite stories is about Minnie owning a taxi company. If you search for documentation regarding this, you will not find her name attached to the ownership of any cab company – only the name of the man who managed it. And the story of Minnie and a local car dealership. This dealership was finally receiving new cars after the end of World War Two. New vehicles were starting to arrive at the local dealership. Minnie wandered in, looking as eccentric as ever, and the veteran car salesmen realised that it was time for them to break for coffee. They disappeared into the back room, leaving a rookie salesman to serve Minnie. I am sure that each of them regretted their actions, as the young salesman ended up selling Minnie three brand new cars, for cash! The cars were, of course, for her taxicab company, Black and White Cabs.
Minnie died in North Battleford on Monday, May 10th, 1971, just short of the age of 90 years. The death notice listed her home as being Saskatoon, late of Prince Albert. Her funeral, conducted by Archdeacon Bill Rowe, was held at MacKenzie Funeral Home, prior to her burial in the family plot here at St. Mary’s.
If you have enjoyed this story of Minnie Jones, there are numerous other stories of interesting local people. I invite you to visit each and every one of the four museums which the Prince Albert Historical Society operates in the city. From now until the end of August they will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day of the week. Come and meet our wonderful Summer staff, who are willing to share the history of Prince Albert and area with you.
fgpayton@sasktel.net
