This fonds consists of materials used, created, and accumulated by the Westlund and McAusland families. The majority of the material consists of financial records related to the farming operations of Arthur Westlund and Clarance McAusland near Brownlee and Melfort, Saskatchewan respectively. Although broadly speaking, the story of agriculture in Saskatchewan is well known – cyclical environmental factors, changes in product prices and markets – this fonds provides evidence of the impact of those changes on the lives of a single family, over decades. How that family interacted within the local community is also revealed in terms of how and where they spent their income. The source material, in farm account books, vendor receipts, property tax assessments, banking and investment records, income tax returns, crop insurance documentation, and other materials generated from the farming operations, provides direct evidence of farm and community in the lives of one farm family over generations. In addition to the farming records, there is a small amount of correspondence, family memorabilia, ephemera, and artifacts. The fonds includes some material related to the Saskatchewan Liberal Party as the McAuslands were members of the party for a number of years. The fonds also includes records related to the operation of the Royal Winter Snow Plow Club, of which Clarance McAusland was a member. There is also a small collection of publications which are largely related to agriculture.
