Donald Robertson sent a message to Dave McKay - President and CEO, Royal Bank of Canada - Email Address that said:
Good Evening Dave,
Many years ago I became the owner of the Union Bank Tourist Registry, which would have been at the entrance of the Union Bank Building in Winnipeg from 1924 to 1927. In 1925 the Royal Bank amalgamated with the Royal Bank.
In the registry there are approximatey 3500 signatures from all over the world. It is interesting to look through the names and locations from which people traveled. At that time travelling to Winnipeg was a major deal and they would have entered an impressive 10 story sky scraper.
There is one particular signature that I am researching. On July 24th 1924 the name of John D. Rockerfeller appears. It will be interesting to confirm if this is THE John D. Rockerfeller. There is also the publisher of an east coast newspaper by the name of A.L Barrett. He worked with the Western Star in Curling NFLD. Signature appear from all over the USA, New Zealand, Australia, China and England to name a few countries.
I have produced a PDF file with a short history of the building, the Union Bank of Canada and the take over by the Royal Bank. Included are a number of pictures of the registry as well. If you are interested in seeing this PDF, please drop me a line and I will send you the PDF document for you to check out.
My wife and I are downsizing our home and will be selling a number of of our treasures. The registry is one of these items. In light of the fact that this is Canadas 150th birthday, this memento may be of interest to you.
Have a great weekend Dave.
cheers
Don Robertson
Lanark, Ontario
613-259-3409
