Miner's Silver Ghost
Announcements
Welcome to 2025.
H ello everyone and welcome to 2025. The Calgary chapter of the Morse Telegraph Club says goodbye to the old year and hello to the new on ...
Thursday, August 28, 2025
Friday, August 15, 2025
Centennial Stamps
Received this email from one of our Junior Telegraphers, Hugh Cowling.
Thanks Hugh!
This framed sheet showcases the U.S. 3¢ Telegraph Centenary stamp (Scott #924), issued on May 24, 1944 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first official telegraph message. The stamp’s design features a prominent telegraph pole with wires receding into the distance, symbolizing the dawn of electrical communication. Embedded in the design is the historic message “What hath God wrought”, the very phrase tapped out by Samuel F. B. Morse in 1844 during his first telegraph transmission from the U.S. Capitol to Baltimore
Friday, August 8, 2025
Jack the Signalman.
In the 1880s, a chacma baboon named Jack made history — not for mischief, but for working as a railway signalman in South Africa. And yes, he was paid in money and beer.
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Junior Telegraphers mentioned in dispatches!
The TV network here in Calgary did a segment on the Junior Telegraphers at Heritage Park
Enjoy!
https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/article/at-heritage-park-the-morse-telegraph-clubs-junior-members-are-keeping-the-code-alive/
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
The year the CPR crossed Alberta 1883
I found this map in a copy of the July-August 1883 copy of Canada Rail magazine.
It covers the the progress the CPR made in 1883 starting just East of Maple Creek in April and ending at Laggan in November.It made it to Calgary in August that year.
Fascinating.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
A story from the days of Steam!
Todays story comes from Thom Cholowski, Administrator of the Historic Saskatchewan FB page. Enjoy 73
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Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Alberta MTC Line at Supertrain 2025
During Supertrain in Calgary this year I was interviewed by the Ham Radio Blogger Vince d'Eon.
Check it out!
73
Monday, April 14, 2025
History in the making... with a golden key!
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT ASSISTS CAMP FIRE GIRLS IN OPENING NEW NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS IN NEW YORK. WASHINGTON, D.C. MARCH 6. THE MUCH COVETED HONOR OF BEING THE FIRST YOUNGSTER TO PRESS THE HISTORIC GOLD TELEGRAPH KEY USED BY PRESIDENTS WENT TODAY TO CAMP FIRE GIRL JANE BRANDT, RIGHT, AS SHE ASSISTED PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT, HONORARY PRESIDENT OF THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS, IN LIGHTING BY WIRE THE CROSSED LOGS AND FLAME LAMP IN THE ORGANIZATION'S NEW NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS IN NEW YORK CITY. TODAY'S CEREMONY MARKED THE 27TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS. ON THE LEFT IS CAMP FIRE GIRL MARGARET PATSY BIRGE.
Friday, February 7, 2025
Welcome to 2025.
Hello everyone and welcome to 2025.
The Calgary chapter of the Morse Telegraph Club says goodbye to the old year and hello to the new on a high note indeed.
Membership continues to climb with the addition of several new members including one young girl who is a junior high school student and is the youngest member in all of the MTC. She joined the CG chapter after attending a telegraphy camp at Calgary’s Heritage Park.
The Calgary chapter initiated a junior telegrapher program at Heritage Park in the fall of 2023. The program now has ten young lightning slingers learning the trade through that program, with more to come I’m sure. My thanks to chapter secretary-treasurer and MTC Board member Marilyn Maguire, and Janice Povey, for their stewardship and mentoring of the next generation.
On a sad note we had to say goodbye to two members last year with the passing of Bill Atkinson in February and Nick Bobrownik in August. We also noted the passing of Edmonton chapter member Jim Crone in May who assisted Calgary chapter members at Heritage Park’s Railway Days in 2023. May they rest in peace.
The Calgary chapter will be holding our annual general meeting in late March. While the date has not yet been determined, I expect it will be held once again at the Nichols public library.
Chapter members will again be attending Supertrain, Calgary’s annual and Canada’s largest model railway show. The show will go on Saturday April 5 and Sunday April 6, in the Olympic oval at the University of Calgary. Our booth will feature information on the art and science that is Morse and we will host a working, multi-station landline Morse network as we did last year. It’s our expectation that we will connect it to the Alberta MTC line as well. Please visit: https://www.supertrain.ca/ for more information on the show.
And speaking of the Alberta MTC Line, as of the end of 2024 we had 5 active stations on the line. A sixth site, in BC, will be connected later this month. Kevin Jepson, the project’s Wire Chief and network administrator, tells me that he has more than two dozen museums wanting to join or wanting more info. The concept of connecting museums with landline Morse telegraph equipment to a working network is proving to be popular. My thanks to Kevin, and Tim Taylor, for moving the project along so well. If you would like more information on the line project please visit: https://alberta-mtc.blogspot.com/.
Lastly I want to mention that members of the Calgary chapter, and members of the Heritage Park Morse Telegraph Club, will again be demonstrating landline Morse at Heritage Park on Tuesdays and Saturdays from May to September. For more information on the park please visit: https://heritagepark.ca/.
That’s all I have for now. Until next time stay well.
73
Ken Ashmead, President
Morse Telegraph Club, Calgary “CG" Chapter
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