by Anthony Imbrogno, a volunteer with The Calgary Heritage Initiative Society/Heritage Inspires YYC
Calgary was booming by 1920.
The CPR built the Palliser Hotel, called the “Castle by the Tracks”, which employed immigrants like my Nona and father. The Kings Arm Tavern inside was frequented by gay men. Meanwhile, Fort Calgary was razed.
A splendid City Hall reflected Calgary’s prominence. And another public building is Heritage Hall, Western Canada’s first post-secondary institution. Hudson’s Bay’s new store opened with a granite columned arcade, unique in North America.
Parks Superintendent William Reader sought to beautify Calgary with Reader Rock Garden, his experimental site. Shaganappi (“rawhide lacing” in Cree), an Indigenous gathering place, became the first municipal golf course (ca.1914).
St. George’s Island became the zoo’s home, with concrete dinosaurs added in 1935. Dinny is the only survivor. Annie Gale, the British Empire’s first woman city councillor, supported self-sufficiency through the Vacant Lot Gardens Club.
Energy resources started dominating the economy. Coal was mined in the Crowsnest Pass – my great-grandfather Salvatore was a miner who died in an accident. Nearby is Turtle Mountain, known to Indigenous peoples as “the mountain that moves”. On April 29, 1903, the Frank Slide destroyed the mine and several homes. Between 70 and 90 people perished.
At Turner Valley, William Herron’s well struck gas. He’s considered the father of Alberta’s petroleum industry. The Herald wrote, “a lively but fairly sane cow town became a madhouse”. Oil was discovered in 1936, sealing Calgary’s fate as Oil Town.
New main streets developed. Off 10 Street NW is the Art Deco-style Plaza Theatre (ca.1934). Apartment buildings also appeared, including Spanish Colonial-style President Apartments and Tudor Revival-style Barnhart Apartments.
Another kind of community formation occurred in 1928 when Métis Nation of Alberta was founded to establish eight settlements.
Then the Great Depression began in 1929. Public works projects generated employment, including the Glenmore Reservoir and Banff-Jasper Highway. Norman Luxton spearheaded Banff’s Winter Carnival and Buffalo Nations Museum. Mount Norquay and Sunshine became ski resorts.
During hard times, sport offered respite. The Calgary Tigers played rugby football and threw Canada’s first forward pass in 1929. The Stampeders won their first game in 1945, perfect for a city approaching 100,000.
All copyright images cannot be shared without prior permission.
“Palliser Hotel, Calgary, Alberta.”, 1929-06-20, (CU1101121) by Oliver, W. J.. Courtesy of Glenbow Library and Archives Collection, Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary. https://digitalcollections.ucalgary.ca/asset-management/2R3BF1WU3E8?WS=SearchResults.
“City Hall, Calgary, Alberta.”, [ca. 1911], (CU169103) by Unknown. Courtesy of Glenbow Library and Archives Collection, Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary. https://digitalcollections.ucalgary.ca/asset-management/2R3BF1SLYACF?WS=SearchResults.
“Provincial Institute of Technology, Calgary, Alberta.”, [ca. 1925], (CU1212545) by Oliver, W. J.. Courtesy of Glenbow Library and Archives Collection, Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary. https://digitalcollections.ucalgary.ca/asset-management/2R3BF1ZY6LN.
“Hudson’s Bay Company Department Store, Calgary, Alberta.”, 1917, (CU166208) by Oliver, W. J.. Courtesy of Glenbow Library and Archives Collection, Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary. https://digitalcollections.ucalgary.ca/asset-management/2R3BF1F3I3I3?WS=SearchResults.
“First Nations camp, Shaganappi Point, Calgary, Alberta.”, 1901, (CU1125950) by Notman. Courtesy of Glenbow Library and Archives Collection, Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary. Please credit Notman Archives, McCord Museum. On occasion of Royal Visit of Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York. https://digitalcollections.ucalgary.ca/asset-management/2R3BF1O8XTG9?WS=SearchResults.
“Entry to St. George’s Island, Calgary, Alberta.”, [ca. early 1920s], (CU1104276) by McDermid Photo Laboratories. Courtesy of Glenbow Library and Archives Collection, Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary. https://digitalcollections.ucalgary.ca/asset-management/2R3BF1XZKVOH.
“Dinny the Dinosaur under construction at zoo, Calgary, Alberta.”, 1937, (CU1225525) by Unknown. Courtesy of Glenbow Library and Archives Collection, Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary. https://digitalcollections.ucalgary.ca/asset-management/2R3BF1O8Q5OQ.
“View of Turtle mountain and slide area, Frank, Alberta.”, [ca. 1903], (CU1104678) by Unknown. Courtesy of Glenbow Library and Archives Collection, Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary. https://digitalcollections.ucalgary.ca/asset-management/2R3BF1F1MFBI?WS=SearchResults.
“View of Dingman #1 (Calgary Petroleum Products #1) well, Turner Valley, Alberta.”, 1914, (CU1157433) by Oliver, W. J.. Courtesy of Glenbow Library and Archives Collection, Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary. https://digitalcollections.ucalgary.ca/asset-management/2R3BF1FRZGBP?WS=SearchResults.
“Filtration plant, Glenmore dam, Calgary, Alberta.”, [ca. 1938], (CU1130063) by Unknown. Courtesy of Glenbow Library and Archives Collection, Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary. https://digitalcollections.ucalgary.ca/asset-management/2R3BF1FP1RI5?WS=SearchResults.
“Stoney at Banff Carnival, Banff, Alberta.”, 1922, (CU1154126) by McCowan, Dan. Courtesy of Glenbow Library and Archives Collection, Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary. https://digitalcollections.ucalgary.ca/asset-management/2R3BF1OKFKFK?WS=SearchResults.
“Sunshine ski lodge, Simpson Pass, Alberta.”, [ca. 1936-1937], (CU1118448) by Unknown. Courtesy of Glenbow Library and Archives Collection, Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary.
