Newspapers back in the fifties were delivered door-to-door by carrier boys. They included The Herald, The Albertan (which became The Sun), and The Star Weekly.
There were two Montgomery papers in the 1950s, the Mirror and the Times. A subscription to the Times cost the unworldly price of two dollars per year!
In 1991, the Montgomery Messenger was started by Elspeth Snow, a member of the MCA Board who remained as editor till 2015. The newsletter was delivered to all homes and businesses in the community by volunteers.
Now the content for the monthly Montgomery Messenger is compiled by members of the MCA, published by Great News Media, and distributed through Canada Post.
Before annexation, the police force operated from the Town Hall at 5000 Bowness Road, now the home of the community group Carya. The police force was comprised of six men with two cruisers. Unlike the Calgary police uniforms of navy blue, the Montgomery force wore khaki-coloured uniforms.
The Police generally looked after crimes like petty thefts, by-law offences, and traffic tickets. They had a jail cell to keep rowdy citizens overnight, and this cell is still located in the building. The officers were required to reside in Montgomery and were given the option of joining the Calgary Police force after the amalgamation. The Volunteer Fire Department was also based out of the Town Hall.
The first Community Hall was located at 4704 17 Avenue NW. It was built with volunteer labour and donated materials. It later became the Men’s Club and then the Guys and Dolls Club.
The present facility, initially called the Montgomery Recreation Centre, was built with funds from the Province in 1962 on the south side of 16 Avenue in front of the Shouldice Arena.
The Montgomery Community Association leases the building, and the associated parking lot from the City. The name of the building was changed in 1992 to the Montgomery Community Centre.
Excerpt from the booklet – A Hunt for History, Montgomery Memories. Copies of the booklet are available in the lobby of the Montgomery Community Centre.
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