Readers may recall the article describing the history of St. Marguerite s Church which appeared in the November 2011 issue of Relative Speaking. This remarkable log built structure has endured the test of time surviving, not only the harsh Alberta ...

The history of this small 44 x 24 plastered log built church dates back to 1912 according to oral history but was actually established on June 1, 1915, by Rev. Emile Legal, Archbishop of Edmonton. It was known interchangeably as St. Margaret s ...

Too often lately, we have been reminded that policing is perilous work in events ultimately having tragic outcomes. One day prior to the funeral for Constable Daniel Woodall, I strolled through the Historic Cemeteries of Fort Macleod the Union...

Great empires were often built from the wealth that precious substances such as gold and silver provided. Yet, if one examines religious texts, it is often a course substance with little monetary value that has played a significant role in major human...

This question is often asked by children and provide an excellent opportunity to introduce young people to the past. You certainly can regale the child with tales of that time, but to make more of an impression you might have him or her relive...

One hundred years ago, there was a great celebration in the place that had been called Carlstadt. (That settlement had originally been named Langevin.) The summer of 1915 seems like a rather strange time for a celebration as WW I, the Great War, raged...

Many readers will recall The Bridges of Madison County the book by Robert James Waller that was immortalized in a Hollywood movie. How many will be familiar with the churches of Lamont County right here in Alberta? As we have just emerged from the...

Fort Saskatchewan is nestled on the east bank of the North Saskatchewan River just 32 km east of Edmonton on Highway 15. For many years, the community has been actively involved in preserving many of its historic sites, including its courthouse, the CN...

The history of the Canadian railways has, at times, assumed almost mythic proportions. It certainly has served as artistic inspiration for an iconic folk song, a television docudrama, a popular history book, and even epic poems. Our nation was in part...

The eventful history of Alberta is a composition of many separate chapters. These chapters, while often separate and distinct, can also commonly overlap, bleeding into one another. These periods may contain advances, sharp declines, and even the...

By the early 1950s, small town newspapers across western Canada were expressing concerns about changes that were beginning to surface, but few truly saw the magnitude and how extensive they would be. These changes would ultimately not only alter the...

Scattered around Alberta, there are a number of local and regional archives that have wonderful resources for family historians researching related in that area. Often these archives remain largely unknown to researchers living outside of the area in...

When Alberta became a province, a wave of unbridled enthusiasm swept it resulting in a number of rather ambitious projects. The Alberta government in 1906 decided that a residence fitting the vice-regal status of the Lieutenant Governor should be built...

On a visit to Medicine Hat, Rudyard Kipling stated that the city had all hell for a basement. I was invited to make two presentations at Medicine Hat on May 1st of this year. So, I headed off to Hells Basement, a euphemism inspired by the...

Those of us who possess a deep and abiding interest in the past are indeed sensitive to those instances where heritage is threatened in the interest of what is commonly referred to as progress . Such events are commonplace on the urban landscape...