as the local grocery store
today. Mr. Story's influence
reached far beyond the town,
however, and Museum staff
recently discovered that Mr.
Story was a signator to a
document in Toronto that
formed the United Church of
Canada. The Story's daughter,
Evelyn Lett O.C., returned to

the village in 1989 to be
part of the village's
centennial celebrations.
   The temperance movement
changed the history of the
village and the insurance
company in two irrevocable
ways. "Sip of Whiskey", the
anglicized pronunciation of
the Cree name of the village,

was considered unacceptable,
and the name of the village
was changed to Wawanesa.
Alonzo Fowler Kempton chose
Wawanesa for his new
company's home because he was
considered unwelcome in the
nearby town of Glenboro due
to his overindulgence in
"spirits". It was in

Wawanesa that he and Charles
Kerr convinced 20 farmers to
invest $20 each to begin a
mutual insurance company, and
the company began its long
and successful history.
   Kempton – founder &
president of the new company
– was a determined yet
volatile visionary, and he