The Project
In the past 50 years, hundreds of thousands of Calgarians have walked past a time capsule in the city’s Plus 15 system without knowing it was there. In Greetings from 1975: The Calgary Time Capsule, podcast host Peter Brown uncovers the time capsule’s story and explores its intriguing contents.
The time capsule held thousands of nominations from a 1975 contest to crown Calgary’s “Citizen of the Century,” alongside letters from local organizations, citizens, and school children. Through the podcast, Peter shares some of the most entertaining stories behind these entries — from a Northwest Mounted Police officer who still sparked anger a century later, to the man who brought cowboy hats and pancakes to the Stampede, to a beloved zoo curator and his boa constrictor named Agnes.
Greetings from 1975 offers a revealing, surprising and thought-provoking look at who and what we choose to remember, introducing listeners to engaging characters from Calgary’s past.
Watch the trailer
Podcast Episodes:
Episode 1: Devin the Capsule Hunter
About the Episode
A time capsule is found in Calgary’s downtown Plus 15 pedway. It holds thousands of nominations in a 1975 contest to crown Calgary’s “Citizen of the Century.” Host Peter Brown sets off to track down the best stories.
You can read the transcript here.
Image Gallery
Click images to enlarge
Episode 2: Colonel James F. Macleod Should Have Been Named Citizen of the Century, and Not Brisebois the Winter Jerk
About the Episode
Why is one 1975 Calgarian so angry at a NWMP officer who left Fort Calgary a century earlier? Historian Aritha Van Herk talks about the turbulent career of Ephrem Brisebois, the “winter jerk.”
You can read the transcript here.
Image Gallery
Click images to enlarge
Episode 3: There’s Only One Choice and it’s Guy Weadick
About the Episode
Did Guy Weadick get enough credit for the creation of the Calgary Stampede? Most people who nominated him thought he hadn’t. Dr. Christine Leppard of the Stampede’s Sam Centre discusses Weadick’s bold vision and his famous falling-out with the Stampede.
You can read the transcript here.
Image Gallery
Click images to enlarge
Episode 4: I Mean Come on, The Citizen of the Century is Clearly Tom Baines.
About the Episode
Tom Baines was a hero to hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren. The former curator of the Calgary Zoo visited schools with his collection of shark’s teeth, bear claws, amazing stories, and a boa constrictor named Agnes. Hear some of the charming and funny entries those kids submitted, and actual audio of Tom Baines making a school presentation.
You can read the transcript here.
Image Gallery
Click images to enlarge
Episode 5: If Tom Baines isn’t Citizen of the Century, I Don’t Even Know What We’re Doing Here
About the Episode
One man’s life-changing encounter with Agnes the boa constrictor. The mystery of the “snake eye” solved. And the legacy of the legendary Mr. Baines.
You can read the transcript here.
Image Gallery
Click images to enlarge
Episode 6: Wrap-up and Resealing the Time Capsule
About the Episode
We talk about Colonel James Walker, who was named Citizen of the Century.
We’ll hear a few final entries, and then audio from the ceremony in which the capsule was re-sealed. We finish with messages to the future — this podcast will be placed in the capsule!
You can read the transcript here.
Image Gallery
Click images to enlarge
Follow this series on these platforms
About the Host
Peter Brown enjoyed a 25-year career as a CBC Radio host and producer, including stints hosting CBC Edmonton’s afternoon show Radio Active and leading the creative team on the award-winning national comedy program The Irrelevant Show. These days he can be heard on the CBC airwaves doing comedy on The Debaters and devising word puzzles once a month on The Sunday Magazine.
Recently he’s ventured into the worlds of podcasting and radio documentaries. He was show runner and sound designer for the CBC podcast The Flamethrowers, which examined the role of conservative talk radio in the election of Donald Trump in 2016.
His 2023 Ideas documentary Flop Sweat: Why we Choke When it Matters Most won second place in the prestigious International Sports Press Association (AIPS) awards. His most recent documentary is about improvisation. It’s called Say Yes, and among other subjects, it looks at the legacy of legendary Calgary improv teacher Keith Johnstone. You can find it here cbc.ca/listen.
Peter is also a popular emcee and keynote speaker. He’s a regular performer in Edmonton’s improvised comedy soap opera Die Nasty, and he also enjoys writing bios about himself in the third person. Yes, he likes that quite a lot.
About the Artwork
Citizen of the Century is a bronze sculpture by artist Hazel O’Brien, unveiled on November 17, 1975. The artwork is a bust of Colonel James Walker and was created to commemorate him as the winner of Calgary’s 1975 “Citizen of the Century” contest.
Commissioned by Alberta Government Telephones and the Calgary Jaycees, the sculpture honours Walker’s lasting impact on Calgary. He was instrumental in shaping the city’s early development — operating its first telephone system, organizing its first school and helping establish many foundational services.
A time capsule was placed in the base of the sculpture and remained sealed for nearly 50 years. When opened, it revealed thousands of nominations naming different Calgarians, newspapers, a 1975 phone book, a silver dollar and much more — all connected to the “Citizen of the Century” contest. The capsule was then resealed with new additions and is set to be reopened in 2075.