By Dorthea H. CalverleyThe Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway [ED & BC] gave an economic boost to the whole Peace country. Men who had come to prove-up their homesteads had to live on their quarter section for a certain number of months every year. The rest of the time they found work for money… Read More

By I. CampbellSixty years ago the City of Grande Prairie was only a speculative gleam in an Edmonton promoter’s eye. Its future site was unmarked. It was still part of the blue lakes and the vast expanse of lush, green parkland stretching beyond the Birch Hills to the north, across the great Smoky River to… Read More

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… Read More

From the Grande Prairie Board of Trade, ca 1928 The central plains of Western Canada for the past twenty-five years have been known as “The Bread Basket of the World”. Today, with population steadily on the increase, leading statesmen are confronted with the ever-pressing problem of finding fertile areas capable of producing food for teeming… Read More

By Dorthea H. CalverleyThe difference between a “road” and a “highway” is a matter of approach. Let us say a “road” is a track for vehicles, the worst boulders and stumps having been removed, and trees cleared away enough to permit a load to be drawn through. Some side hills would have “cuts”, and muskegs… Read More

The Northern Alberta Railways Company operating out of Edmonton serves Northern Alberta and North-Eastern British Columbia. This Railway is jointly owned by Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways and was incorporated by an Act of Federal Parliament on June 14, 1929. The Charters authorizing the construction of the lines now comprising the Northern Alberta Railways… Read More

“A growing town in the growing Peace River Country”.The town is named after the Beaverlodge River, which flows within one and a half miles southwest of the town. The name Beaverlodge is derived from “Lodge” or temporary dwelling, of the Beaver Indians. In 1908, prior to the township survey, the first permanent settlers arrived and… Read More

Cross-posted: 13-009: Mr. Harry H. Reynolds (Policing the Peace) Interviewed by Lee Phillips April 15, 1973 at Enilda Mr. Reynolds was born in England eighty-seven years ago and came to Canada as a small boy. He first lived in Winnipeg but as soon as he was old enough, joined the North West Mounted Police. He… Read More

From an interview by Lee Phillips, April 1973 Joe Mearon was born eighty years ago in Grouard. He enjoys good health, but lives in High Prairie with his daughter since his wife passed away. His wife was Eliza John, and they raised fifteen children. Eight are still living — five boys and three girls. One… Read More

By Lee J. Phillips, 1973In the land north from Fort Edmonton, the pioneers left few written records. It is very doubtful they realized they were pioneers and making history. They were merely looking for fertile land and locations where they could establish homes and raise their families. Few living today can recall the hardships of… Read More