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Thurston Library
by M. C. MacLean
In loving memory of Mrs. Evelyn Thurston and in appreciation
of her contribution to our lives, cultural, charitable or
entertaining, we dedicate these memoirs. Her activities
were many and varied, but the one that left a lasting mark
and whose effects can never be fully assessed was the supplying
of reading material in the early 30's.
With great effort and untiring perseverance she had secured
reading matter of all descriptions from her friends in England,
which she, in turn packaged and sent with the help of Mrs.
Mary Boyd, the local postmistress to each family of the
three districts: Rife, Hoselaw and Moose Lake.
Mrs. Thurston carried on with her collection until she had
enough books to start a small lending library, of which
she was solely responsible. In time a room was built on
to her home to take care of this enterprise. When the number
of books became so large and the work involved became too
much for her, she called a meeting to form a library committee.
This was in 1946.
At the meeting a Library Board was elected and a decision
was made to move the books to the Rife School, where the
teacher would be expected to act as librarian. More than
3,000 books were moved, catalogued and shelved. After a
few years the interest in the care of the books waned, partly
due to the fact that the Rife School had been closed, the
pupils going to Glendon.
In 1953, a group of Bonnyville citizens interested Mrs.
Thurston in the idea of turning over the books to Bonnyville
to help form a library there. Hence the beginning of our
E. Thurston Memorial Library.
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