Millwoods History

Mill Woods Living Heritage

Catherine C. Cole

Catherine C. Cole, MA, FCMA has been principal consultant of Catherine C. Cole & Associates for more than 20 years and previously worked as a curator and heritage interpreter. She has an MA (History) from the University of Alberta and has conducted extensive material culture and oral history research on Alberta’s social, industrial and labour history. Other significant large-scale projects include: Before E-commerce: The History of Mail Order Catalogues in Canada, a virtual exhibition for the Canadian Museum of Civilization, and research for the related travelling exhibition Rail, Mail and Retail as well as a comparative analysis of the Toronto and Winnipeg editions of the Eaton’s catalogue; and Inventive Spirit: Alberta Patents from 1905-1975, published by the Red Deer Museum, and Alberta Inventors and Inventions a virtual exhibition developed by the Heritage Community Foundation. She wrote Invention Prototypes in Museum Collections for the National Museum of American HistorySmithsonian Institution on the value collecting prototypes.

Notable projects include:

  • ​​Piece by Piece: The GWG Story (2004-2011), a multidisciplinary collaboration consisting of an award-winning book GWG Piece by Piece,  oral history interviewsartifact and archival collectingtemporary displaysvideo balladan award winning virtual exhibition, the successful nomination of the founding of Local 120 UGWA as an event of national historic significance
  • Before E-commerce: The History of Mail Order Catalogues in Canada (2002-2004), a virtual exhibition developed for the Canadian Museum of Civilization, and preliminary research for the related travelling exhibition Rail, Mail and Retail as well as a comparative analysis of the Toronto and Winnipeg editions of the Eaton’s catalogue
  • Inventive Spirit: Alberta Patents from 1905 – 1975 (1999-2003), a book and virtual exhibition developed by the Heritage Community Foundation titled Alberta Inventors and Inventions; wrote Invention Prototypes in Museum Collections, a report on the value of NMAH curatorial programs collecting prototypes for the National Museum of American HistorySmithsonian Institution