Crowson honoured at Heritage Awards

By Ry Clarke - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on October 11, 2022.

Belinda Crowson has received the Outstanding Achievement Award from Alberta Heritage.

Crowson is a Lethbridge city councillor and the president of the Lethbridge Historical Society, receiving the award for preserving and promoting the city’s history.

The awards were given out on Monday. The biennial awards honour the contributions of individuals, organizations, business, Indigenous communities, and municipalities that engage with the protection, preservation and appreciation of Alberta’s heritage. Individuals should have a minimum of 10 years with the heritage in the province, and have made personal contributions to the field beyond the responsibilities of any heritage related employment.

“It inspires me,” said Crowson. “I see this as a recognition that what I have done has worked. There is always more to do, and that’s the beauty of history. Just last week some people were telling me about a few new stories. There is always more, or a different way, of looking at it or even a different voice to it. You never stop in this field.”

Chosen for the books she has published over the years, her leadership with the Lethbridge Historical Society, and the work she has done in educating students over the years at the Galt Museum, the award reaffirms the work she is doing.

Crowson has published many books on the history of Lethbridge, including “We Don’t Talk about Those Women!: Lethbridge’s Red Light District”. In her time, she has had eight books that she has authored or co-authored, working hard to continually improve the knowledge of history.

“I’ve been collecting information on murders and attempted murders in southern Alberta history,” said Crowson. “What it says about society and how we have changed and how people were discussed through the newspapers and through the court cases. It’s a story that I believe has to be told, but I have to find the right way of telling it.”

The work Crowson does is always changing due to the course of perspectives.

“It changes the way we view a story or event that we didn’t think was important,” said Crowson. “As the world changes around us we realize things had more value. We have to re-analyze the stories and have more people doing it, because we are all going to see it in a different way.”

With this award Crowson hopes she can inspire more people to take up an interest in history and look at the world around them.

“There is always more work to be done,” said Crowson. “I hope hearing about my story will inspire more young people to get into the work of working with the historical societies and doing this research out in the community. We need more people not just learning history, but doing history, getting into the archives and the documents and helping us find the stories.”