Editor’s note: The image above is the United Farmers of Alberta Co-operative Ltd. service station, in Edmonton, Alberta, 1939. Source: Glenbow Library and Archives, Glenbow Archives Collection, Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary.
The co-operative movement played a crucial role in Alberta’s economic development. Co-operatives were community-based economic associations that allowed farmers and ranchers to pool resources, establish businesses and have greater control over selling and marketing their goods to consumers. They reflect the larger spirit of rural cooperation that defined agricultural settlement in Alberta.
Pincher Creek’s first co-operative, the Southern Alberta Haygrowers Association, was founded in 1918 but soon failed dur to Alberta’s postwar economic downturn. However, the more successful Pincher Creek Co-operative Association was established in 1922 through a resolution of the local branch of the United Farmers of Alberta. The co-operative is based in Pincher Creek but once had a strong presence in surrounding districts such as Cowley, Twin Butte, Beauvais and Springridge.
The Co-operative movement on the prairies
The Canadian Historical Association publishes booklets on various aspects of Canadian history. Volume 33 (available here) by Dr. Ian Macpherson provides an outstanding, concise history of The Co-operative Movement on the Prairies (1905-55).
The Grain Growers’ Guide
The Grain Growers’ Guide was published from 1908 to 1928 by the Manitoba Grain Growers Association. The periodical addressed issues relevant to farmers across the rural Prairie West, including the growing co-operative movement in its various forms. The Guide provides a unique and fascinating window into the development of the movement in its various forms, including grain elevators, dairy production and commercial stores.
