Current News
The 2011 International Gathering of the Clan Chisholm, recently awarded to the United States Branch, will be held along the North Shore of Lake Superior, in Duluth, Minnesota. While final dates are yet to be established, the Gathering will occur sometime between July 1 and August 15. Many alternatives were suggested but the decision came down to a location that is central to the Canadian and United States branches of the Society.
Duluth is:
- At the western end of Lake Superior, North America's inland sea
- Served by Northwest Airlines from Minneapolis; 165 miles north of the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport
- 77 miles from Chisholm, Minnesota
- Home to blue skies, vivid sunsets, and gloriously comfortable summer weather
If you'd like to work on the event, please contact David Higgins, US Branch Chairman.
In the meantime, we provide for your review the following Web sites with information about Duluth and the surrounding area:
- VisitDuluth.com: The Official Duluth Travel Guide
- Northern Images Photography
When you open Northern Images, go to Galleries and check out Duluth, Lake Superior and, under Lighthouses, Split Rock. This last bit of heaven is a classic example of what Lake Superior's North Shore has to offer.
Details will be posted here as they become available.
The US Branch is proud to announce the official approval of the new Chisholm Colonial Tartan!
Kat Moore (Lenexa, Kansas, USA) designed the tartan, working with Duncan Chisholm in Inverness, who was instrumental in getting this over the approval hurdles (Thank you Duncan!). Chief Hamish reviewed and approved the tartan at the recent gathering in Banff.
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From Kat:
I am pleased to announce the arrival and registration of Chisholm Colonial
Tartan. The category of 'Clan Tartan' is what this new design is registered as. At our
Clan Gathering in Canada this past August 2008, our Chief Hamish Chisholm of
Chisholm viewed the new design and approved it officially! Duncan Chisholm of
Inverness, Scotland has been extremely good about having the initial cloth woven, doing
all the important paperwork and other labors as well, that were required to make this
project a reality.
I wanted to create a tartan that honored all those Chisholms who left Scotland to start a new life in the various 'Colonies' around the world. My original inspiration for this project came from the desire to honor my ancestor, James Chism of Virginia (1657- 1698). He was one of the many first generation American born Scots of our Clan. I am of the twelfth generation of this American-Scots line.
The colors that were chosen for the new tartan have specific significance. The following is the rationale for my color choices:
- In order to begin a new life in distant lands, ocean crossings had to be made for most of our families. The blues in the tartan are representative of the oceans.
- The brown color literally represents the earth of the lands that were colonized.
- The Clan Chisholm badge is the Fern. The green in the tartan represents our ties to our clan and to Scotland.
- The blood red in the tartan represents the blood that all Chisholms, worldwide, share by birth and heritage.
It is my fervent hope that Chisholms of all spellings and nationalities will find this
tartan pleasing. I am proud to present Chisholm Colonial as my gift to Chisholms
everywhere!
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Kat was kind enough to submit the following photos:
Best Clan Tent Award, 2008 NH Highland Games
The award is given at the closing ceremony of the games on Sunday afternoon. Judges visit over 50 clan tents during the weekend, judging appearance, relevance, staffing (in Clan attire) among other things. Congrats to Val Chisholm Perry (and family) on the award!
More pictures are available at the Clan Chisholm Photo Gallery.
Society News
Congrats to US Branch Members serving on the Society's Clan Council!
Val Perry, Clan Chisholm Society President
David Chisholm Higgins, US Branch Representative
Bardon Higgins, Society Webmaster