by Deb Lee, Heritage Committee
This year marks 75 years since Bridgeland-Riverside became a formal Community Association in the City of Calgary. Seventy-five years is quite a milestone, but we’ve also come to learn that Bridgeland and Riverside started an association 117 years ago. According to The City of Calgary’s website, “the first group to operate like today’s community association was the Bridgeland-Riverside Athletic Association (BRAA)”. Established in 1908, “The BRAA started as informal ‘get-togethers’ to organize community recreational activities, such as hockey and soccer.” These activities enabled the new residents from many different countries to get to know one another.
Our two hyphenated communities were completely separate at that time. Riverside (emanating north of the Bow River and the historic Reconciliation Bridge, formerly known as Langevin Bridge, on the west side) was established as a village in 1902 and then annexed to the city in 1910. Bridgeland, further to the east and built on the lower escarpment, was established in 1907.
Learning more about this remarkable community collaboration has been challenging, but stories in old Calgary newspapers (via the newspapers.com website) shed some light. In early 1924, there’s a column about a meeting to elect officers to the Bridgeland Riverside “community club”. In May of that year, the club liaised with the Riverside Baseball Club to support their team. Money was also set aside for the horticultural group to offer a prize for the best flower garden in the two communities, and a dance was planned. The Association decided to speak with the city commissioner to advocate for the grading of 8 Street, from the General Hospital to the Boulevard (the precursor of Memorial Drive).
News about the BRAA in 1925 focused on the opening of a community centre on 4 Street and plans for whist drives and dances. Launching of separate committees for sports, social, and horticultural endeavours was reported in 1926 as well, and the beginnings of a conversation about taking over space in the former Firehall #4, after the fire services had been moved to the nearby General Hospital. It was rare in these articles for the names of the many involved residents to be mentioned. As so often happens when delving into stories from the past, we’re left with lots more questions to be researched.
What’s clear from these newspaper articles is that the role taken by our early community association, the BRAA, has carried on to the present day. The purpose is to bring people together for the betterment of the community and to voice community concerns. We do this now through our BRCA committees, such as Beautification, Events, Planning, Programs, Safety, and Transportation. We are able to pursue our goals and activities because regular people –like you– volunteer your time to plan, organize, get things done—and to have some fun along the way. Just as they did in 1908, it’s the efforts of volunteers that make it all happen!
We are planning to celebrate our 75 years as a formalized Community Association. Watch for more details and sign up to help make it a reality.
Click here to the Bridgeland Community News home page for the latest Bridgeland community updates.
