Volunteering is essential to the maintenance of small communities across Canada, whether it’s to save lives in the advent of a fire, or raise funds for a local school. Where do volunteers at the Société Historique et Généalogique de Smoky River to elaborate on the archive’s role in helping enrich their own social lives, and that of the local community?

Driving down Main Street in the Village of Donnelly, Alberta, is reminiscent of hundred of communities across the prairies, which have indeed lost some historic institutions like a general store, or a hotel, but maintain their senior’s halls, churches, and post offices with tenacious pride. With 338 residents as of the 2021 census, Donnelly has been unable to maintain a significant commercial sector, but due to the efforts of three generations of dedicated volunteers has, quite uniquely, maintained its own archive. The Smoky River Historical and Genealogical Society, having just celebrated its 40th anniversary, has countered the often expected trend of stagnation that plagues the anxieties of rural Albertans, and has rather seen interest climb to an all time high.