Indian Head Walking Tour Brochure & Map.pdf - Tourism ...

35. 631 Grand:
The Indian Head Opera House
Arthur James Osment came west from Ontario to
construct the buildings for Bell Farm. He also built
the Opera House Block, on the southeast corner of
Grand and Woodward, in 1904, using local brick with all
walls four bricks thick. The buff-coloured bricks were
hauled from Lake Katepwa in the Qu’Appelle Valley
by horse and wagon for the opera house and the three
stores to the south. At the time, it was the only opera
house between Winnipeg and Vancouver and was used
for plays, music productions, Chautauqua and splendid
balls. Arthur’s son Walter painted scenery sets, and these
fragile rolls can still be found in the basement.
In 1938, as the opera era closed, the building was sold
to Mr. Baldwin and used for silent pictures. He built a
projection room and installed new talkie equipment.
Owners have included Ted Williams, the Hatton
family, Gordon Wilson, and Harold (Sparky) Clark.
Clark replaced the seats, reducing the seating from 300
to present day 240. He painted the ceiling, upgraded
the concession, installed a newer projector and
repaired the motor to the power drapes. Clark relied
on Ernie (projectionist) and Lorraine Brooks (tickets
and concession) who worked every evening except
Wednesday from 1957 to 1972, including Christmas Eve.
Greg and Helen Stewart, new owners in 1993, replaced
the lobby carpet, installed a new heating system and
painted the tin-tiled ceiling. They still maintain the two
reel-to-reel projectors, but in 2011, purchased a more
modern lamp house platter system. The Stewarts are
most diligent in preserving the “Wall of Fame”, which
includes signatures of performers, with the earliest dated
1914. DT
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