South Peace Historical Society

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    • About Dorthea Horton
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    • Brief History of the Peace
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  • Table of Contents

    • Part 1: First Nations of the Peace River Region
    • Part 2: The Fur Trade Era
    • Part 3: Transportation and Communication
    • Part 4: Old Timers and the Price of Land
    • Part 5: Dawson Creek: The Story of the Community
    • Part 6: Mysteries, Adventures and Indian Legends
    • Part 7: Arts, Crafts and Recreation
    • Part 8: Agriculture
    • Part 9: Church Histories
    • Part 10: Schools
    • Part 11: Health Care
    • Part 12: Industries and Enterprises
    • Part 13: Policing the Peace
    • Part 14: Pouce Coupe, Rolla, and Other South Peace Communities
    • Part 15: Chetwynd and the Fort St. John Area
    • Part 16: The Alberta Peace
    • Part 17: Natural History of the Peace River Region
    • Part 18: Interviews with Old Timers
    • Part 19: Remembering Our Veterans

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16-003: Historical Data for the City of Grande Prairie

1881 – Thomas Kerr built a house for the Hudson Bay Company near Cut Bank Lake.

1896 – Louie Callihoo staked homestead near location of Highland Park Subdivision.

1899 – Alex Monkman cut road from the Spirit River to Bear Creek, future site of the city.

1900 – Monkman built trading post for Cornwall & Bredin at Lake Saskatoon.

1905 – First settlers on future city site were Joseph Germain and George Bredin.

1906 – First white woman on ‘la grande prairie’ within 60 miles – Mrs. H. B. Clifford, Flying Shot Lake.

1907 – First white child born in area – Hilda Clifford.

1908 – First Roman Catholic Mission established (south of future city)

  • First Royal North-West Mounted Police, stationed at Clifford’s .
  • First District Court held, Judge Noel of Edmonton, at Clifford’s.
  • First Protestant service (Anglican, Rev. Merdoch Hohnston) at Clifford’s.

1909 – Rev. Alexander Forbes (Presbyterian) filed (site of Montrose Elementary & J.H.S. and Grande Prairie Municipal and Auxiliary Hospitals);

  • Walter G. McFarlane, Dominion Land Surveyor, laid out townships, sections and quarter-sections.

1910 – Argonaut Co. Limited charter; and townsite surveyed by J. H. Smith, DLS.

  • First agricultural fair;
  • First “Hospital” established by Rev. and Mrs. Forbes on the Clifford place;
  • First marriage among settlers performed by Rev. Forbes (Miss Ayre and Thos. Glendenning); First Protestant (Presbyterian) service on townsite.
  • Rev. Forbes, Smith & Sons dwelling

1911 – First Protestant Church erected on townsite (McQueens Presbyterian), Rev. Forbes.

  • First store building erected – Alphaeus Patterson as Patterson & Son Store;
  • First postoffice opened in a caboose, J.O. Patterson, postmaster.
  • First bank established – Union Bank, William Innes, Mgr Patterson & Son Store.
  • First Dominion Land Office opened, on John Wilson’s land, future townsite.
  • First July 1st celebration on prairie, at Lake Saskatoon;
  • First Agricultural society formed;
  • First dentist, Dr. A. O. Srproule;
  • First doctor, Dr. Arthur Bradford.
  • Edson Trail opened.
  • Population, Peace River Country, less than 2,000 Indians, Metis, white settlers and traders.

1912 – Grande Prairie School District #2357 established, 3rd in south Peace.

  • First hotel built – Salmond’s Hotel, City Hotel (Tissington & Squires).
  • First white child born in Grande Prairie (Harold, to Mr. & Mrs. J. J. E. Clarke).
  • Municipality of Bear Lake, first meeting December 11, 1912.
  • Municipality of Grande Prairie organized.

1913 – First school built, site of present Beaver Lumber Company, 13 pupils.

  • First teacher, I. V. Macklin.
  • First meeting of Municipality of Grane Prairie – January 6.
  • First newspaper, the Grande Prairie Herald, March 25, editor W. C. Pratt.
  • First showing of motion pictures; First band in operation.

1914 – Population of Grande Prairie, 50; Declared a village, Reeve J. B. Raft

  • First council meeting June 15; First Pioneer Hospital opened (later called the Kathryn Prettie Hospital)
  • First immigration hall, temporary quarters in the old Patterson & Son Store building.
  • First Anglican Church (Christ Church) erected.
  • First Anglican Church wedding
  • First Roman Catholic wedding recorded
  • First Board of Trade (mentioned only).
  • First Royal North-west Mounted Police barracks erected, site of MacLeods Store.

1915 – First supreme Court sitting, Mr. Justice Beck.

  • First fire department organized.
  • First electric plant installed, Voz’s flour mill.
  • First meeting, re-organized Board of Trade, November 3rd.

1916 – E. D. & B. C. Railway reached end of steel at Grande Prairie.

1917 – First two-story school north of Edmonton (Montrose); housed both elementary and high school grades up to Grade 11.

  • First village waterworks installed and Town water tower built.

1918 – Village office and fire hall rented from J. B. Oliver

1919 – Village, population 1,040, erected to town status March 15, Reeve R. L. Michaelis succeeded by G. A. James, first elected town mayor.

  • Captain W. R. “Wop” May began barnstorming at fairs

1920 – Town Hall constructed, accommodated fire department, council chambers.

1925 – “Punch” Dickens landed float plane on Bear Lake with mail.

  • First provincial courthouse erected north of Edmonton.

1927 – First separate school district formed, St. Josephs Roman Catholic School opened.

1935 – First mail flown in due to railway tracks washed out in Slave Lake flood; Canadian Airways seaplane landed on Bear Lake and mail transferred to Postmaster Cameron.

1936 – Mail carried by G. W. Grant McConachie, United Air Transport president; passenger service established December 19th.

1937 – First government contract for airmail service; First letter carried went to Mary Beaton, Grande Prairie. License for airport at Grande Prairie received.

  • Radio CFGP put the town on map July 27, 1937.

1939 – Grande Prairie Public Library established by Woman’s Institute.

1940 – A standard gravel road from the hospital to the town boundary, William Sharpe, Chairman, said the foundation of two inches will be laid.

1941 – The Airport saw the construction of fifty thousand dollars worth of buildings.

1942 – The population of Grande Prairie ws given as 1,645 establishing the town as the fifth largest in Alberta.

1943 – R.C.M.P carried out the policing in Grande Prairie instead of civilian town constables.

1944 – New three-story brick faced Academy was opened on 102 street to house 35 girls attending St. Joseph’s Separate School.

1945 – Mrs. N. Nnatiuk organized first Blood Donor Clinic to assist the Red Cross.

1946 – A Memorial Plaque to the hospital co-founder, Mrs. Alexander Forbes was unveiled with a fitting ceremony at the hospital.

1947 – Elder R. M. Child organized the Peace River District Western Canadian Mission and became it’s first President.

1948 – The Canadian Cancer Fund Drive was launched with W. I. member Mr. Hugh McDonald convening.

1949 – Grande Prairie Memorail Arena was erected, and organization was making it’s first drive for clothing for Unitarian Services distribution.

1950 – The R. C. A. F. station airfields were given over to the Department of Transport.

  • First county of Province formed – Grande Prairie County No. 1 December 21st.

1953 – First natural gas turned on in Grande Prairie.

1954 – May 13, Alberta Fire Commissioner A. E. Bridges officially opened Fire Hall.

1955 – Grande Prairie airport welcomed it’s first Corviars signalling expansion of Commercial Air development.

1956 – Multi-Million dollar North Star Refinery went on stream.

1957 – Residential cement sidewalks were laid.

1958 – Town erected to city status; Town Mayor J. C. Mackie succeeded at first city election by G. M. Repka.

1960 – First Door-to-door mail delivery.

1961 – First Auxiliary Hospital in Alberta proposed for Grande Prairie.

1962 – Grande Prairie received its first television station CBC in November of that year.

1963 – Grande Prairie first public kindergarten was set up on a $5.00 per pupil basis.

1964 – First tower apartment go ahead for clairment road, Montrose Apartments.

1965 – Giant Co-op Complex start April 6

1966 – The Victorian Order of Nurses was established. Junior College was established in September.

1967 – Liberty Airways Limited was officially opened for chartered service & Ambulance Service.

1968 – Mr. Elmer E. Borstad was elected Mayor of the City of Grande Prairie.

1969 – Alberta Resources Railway was officially opened in Grande Prairie with the last spike driven in by the Honourable H. P. Strom.

1970 – Procter & Gamble Cellulose Limited announced the construction of a pulpmill $80 million dollars – 8 miles south of Grande Prairie on December 10.

  • Metropolitan Store opened in September
  • Television Station C.F.R.N. in June to September 7 Live

1971 – M.T.D. Control Tower completed in spring Grande Prairie

  • Grande Prairie Packers was completed with the new plant costing $1 million dollars.

1972 – Thunderbird Air started Air Service as a second major Air Service into Grande Prairie.

  • Approval by County of the Paving of the County Road to the Proctor & Gamble Pulp Mill
  • The G. P. Motor Inn was completed in February for business; completion of thebridge over the Wapiti River

 

« 16-002: Grande Prairie – its History

16-004: Facts Worth Knowing About the Grande Prairie District (1928) »

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