Tag: alberta history

Crafting Vegreville: The Story Behind a Century-old Miniature Staircase

Crafting Vegreville: The Story Behind a Century-old Miniature Staircase

Jared

Written by: Devon Owen Moar

Over the past year, I’ve been volunteering with the Labour & Industry curatorial team at the Royal Alberta Museum (RAM).  What began as a project to help process recent architectural acquisitions—related to Wallbridge & Imrie and Doris Newland Tanner—has gradually expanded into something much broader.  I’ve since been fortunate to assist with other newly acquired collections, each object offering its own intriguing story and mystery to unravel.

In particular, individual pieces have caught my attention not only for their craftsmanship but for the stories embedded in them. Each one—whether an architectural tool, scale model or illustration—becomes a small but meaningful window into Alberta’s working and community past.

Among the recent acquisitions at the RAM was a particularly appealing object: a 100+ year old scale model of a staircase from the Town of Vegreville. The model was obtained by the RAM in 2024 after the Vegreville Regional Museum ultimately closed its doors.

Curators from the RAM’s history programs—including Labour & Industry, Daily Life & Leisure and Military & Government History—travelled to Vegreville to identify and help preserve objects of historical value within the RAM’s permanent collection. The staircase model was among those selected and is now part of the Labour & Industry collection.

This remarkable scale model is constructed primarily of wood and mounted on a plywood base. It was most likely built to a scale of 1″: 1′ (i.e., one inch equals one foot).  Though small compared to its full-scale counterpart, it’s meticulously crafted—complete with turned balusters, a square landing and even a functioning door with tiny hinges and a wooden knob.  The design reflects the restrained character of early twentieth-century domestic interiors, where craftsmanship and proportion met simple, elegant ornamentation. From the graceful curve of the lower steps and railing to the careful shaping of each newel post, every element has been thoughtfully made, likely by hand woodworking tools, and with the aid of early woodworking machines.

Despite being over a century old, the model has survived in remarkably good condition.  A few balusters are missing and there are signs of minor repairs, but significantly, the overall integrity of the piece remains.  The varnished surfaces retain their warmth, while the hidden undersides reveal the maker’s practical side—unfinished wood, tool marks, and the occasional nail or screw added probably long after its creation.  Together, these details hint at a life of use and care, and a level of craftsmanship that continues to impress.

Front (left) and Back (right) Three-quarter Views of a 100-year-old Miniature Wooden Staircase. Source: Royal Alberta Museum, H24.96.63.
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“I Myself Consider it a Crime”: Whitecap Dakota First Nation Experiences at Red Deer Industrial School

“I Myself Consider it a Crime”: Whitecap Dakota First Nation Experiences at Red Deer Industrial School

Jared

Editor’s note: September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day. Reading residential school histories can be a painful process. If reading this is causing pain or bringing back distressing memories, please call the Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419. The Crisis Line is available 24 hours a day and can also provide information on other health supports provided by the Health Canada Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program.

The banner image above is “General view of the I.I. School.” Date unknown. Source: City of Red Deer Archives, P10890.

Written by: Laura Golebiowski (Indigenous Consultation Adviser) in collaboration with Whitecap Dakota First Nation.

In the late 1880s, a group of Dakota Oyate led by Chief Whitecap were making their home along the northern extent of their territory. They settled near Mni Duza—the South Saskatchewan River—on a landscape known as “Moose Woods”:  rich with water, wood, wildlife and plants for sustenance and ceremony.

Chief White Cap (seated centre) and members of his family, ca 1885. LH-5418, Saskatoon Public Library.
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Immigration halls of Alberta

Immigration halls of Alberta

Jared

Written by: David Monteyne, Professor, School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, University of Calgary

Between 1885 and 1930, the Dominion government built and operated about a dozen immigration halls in Alberta (and rented space for this purpose in a dozen more towns), from Lethbridge and Medicine Hat in the south to Grande Prairie and Peace River in the north. But what, exactly was an “immigration hall”?

An immigration hall was a place where the federal immigration branch provided free accommodations as well as advice to new arrivals from Europe, the United States and even eastern Canada. These prairie immigration halls were part of a nationwide building program, described in my recent book, for which the federal Department of Public Works designed and built: pier buildings in ports like Quebec City and Halifax (Pier 21, now the Canadian Museum of Immigration); immigrant detention hospitals; and quarantine stations on both coasts. Of all of these, the immigration halls were the most numerically significant, with more than 50 buildings erected across the three prairie provinces. The immigration hall was a newly invented building type, unique to Canada.

An immigrant’s late-1890s sketch of the immigration hall at Calgary, which was built in 1885 and used until 1913. Source: Library and Archives Canada, Department of the Interior fonds, Immigration Branch, RG 76, volume 20, file 180, part 1.
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Remembering Rino Basso and David Leonard

Jared

Editor’s note: Alberta’s heritage sector and the Heritage Division of Arts Culture and Status of Women recently lost two dedicated and long-serving colleagues – former Historic Conservation Advisor Rino Basso and former historian and provincial archivist David Leonard.

Written by: Ronald Kelland, Geographical Names Program Coordinator and Fraser Shaw, Heritage Conservation Advisor

Rino Basso

Rino Basso was born at Nordegg, Alberta on July 22, 1946, to Pietro “Pete” Basso, a coal miner with significant carpentry skills and Barbara Basso (nee Sieben), who was a notable volunteer in her community and church and had some nursing training. The Basso family moved to Red Deer in 1947 where Pete Basso started Basso Construction and built houses. Being born in the historic mining community of Nordegg and having a carpenter and a homebuilder as a father may have set Rino on a career path in historic resources management from an early age.

Rino attended Red Deer Catholic Separate Schools, graduating from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in 1965 then enrolling in the Architectural Technology Program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. In the early-1970s, Rino began working with the Government of Alberta as Senior Preservation Advisor in the Historic Sites Service and, as it is known today, Historic Resources Management. There is probably not a single Provincial Historic Resource designated between the 1970s and 2010s that has not seen his involvement. It seems like his name can be found on every file in Historic Resources Management’s records. Rino used to jovially remark that he had probably driven on every byway, stayed in every motel, eaten at every bakery and visited every city, town and village in the province from Edmonton and Calgary to the proverbial “Cucumber Corner,” his shorthand, all-inclusive term for the small communities and rural areas across the province whose history and heritage he dedicated so much of his career to preserving.

Rino was delighted to find that this structure, one of only two known extant, historic sod houses was still standing, 2013. Even after more than three decades working with historic places, he was enthralled when encountering a new site or building.
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The curious life of J.E. Almond and his Great Western Club

Jared

Written by: David Murray, Architect AAA, FRAIC

This story begins with the discovery of hundreds of artifacts that were uncovered during the dismantling of the interior of the original Pendennis Hotel in Edmonton in 2006. The Pendennis Hotel, located at 9660 Jasper Avenue, dates to the late 1890s when it was formerly named the California Rooming House. The earliest photo of the building is dated 1898.

Pendennis after 1904. This building was incorporated into the 1911 hotel expansion. Source: Provincial Archives of Alberta, B4328.
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Architectural camaraderie: the friendship of Tanner, Wallbridge and Imrie

Architectural camaraderie: the friendship of Tanner, Wallbridge and Imrie

Jared

Editor’s note: Jillian Richardson is the curator of Labour and Industry at the Royal Alberta Museum (RAM) and worked on both the Doris Tanner Architecture Collection and Wallbridge & Imrie Architecture Collection there. Devon Owen Moar recently wrote his Masters thesis on Wallbridge & Imrie and worked as the cataloguer for the RAM’s Tanner Collection.

The banner image above is a composite image composed of portraits of the three architects. The portraits of Jean Wallbridge (left) and Mary Imrie (middle) are sourced from the private collection of Mary S. E. Wallbridge-Lillis. The portrait of Doris Newland Tanner (right) is sourced from Cheryl Mahaffy’s “Women Building Alberta” website.

Written by: Jillian Richardson and Devon Owen Moar

While cataloguing the Doris Newland Tanner architecture collection for the Royal Alberta Museum, we noticed something interesting. A few of Doris’s books and technical manuals were inscribed with the names of former colleagues, Mary Louise Imrie and Jean Louise Wallbridge. Finding these inscriptions made us wonder—were these books exchanged as references?  Left to Doris after Jean and Mary’s passings? Or, do they hint at an ongoing professional and personal dialogue that extended far beyond the drafting table? This discovery pointed towards the deeper connection between these three architects, beyond being professional acquaintances. The presence of Wallbridge & Imrie’s names in Doris’s books offers a rare glimpse into the professional and intellectual network of Alberta’s pioneering women in architecture at a formative moment in the province’s history and urban development. 

Exploring these materials raises broader questions about how museum and archival collections—including architectural tools, books, drawings and correspondence—can illuminate the network of support and influence among professional women. While this research is still in its early stages, this small but compelling kernel of evidence points toward a larger story—one of friendship, mutual mentorship, collaboration and lasting bonds.

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Township maps at the Provincial Archives of Alberta

Jared

Written by: Michael Gourlie, Government Records Archivist, Provincial Archives of Alberta

Township maps are a popular research source at the Provincial Archives of Alberta (PAA). An outcome of the Dominion Lands Surveys beginning in 1881 that captured most of what is now Alberta, the township maps document a grid system using meridians, ranges, townships and sections established by federal surveyors. Known as the Alberta Township System (ATS), this grid forms the basis of legal land descriptions used for Alberta land titles to the present day.

The original township maps were subsequently published in several editions, with the published maps used for a variety of operational purposes. They acted as a template or index for various offices to identify land uses for programs such as grazing leases, timber berths, mineral leases, land grants and homestead applicants. They also provided a standardized perspective to administer and oversee land use.

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Where Wallbridge and Imrie lived and worked: a quick guided tour of Six Acres

Where Wallbridge and Imrie lived and worked: a quick guided tour of Six Acres

Jared

Editor’s note: The dwelling Wallbridge and Imrie created remains standing today, bequeathed to the Province of Alberta upon Mary’s death along with several other parcels of land. It is still owned, managed and maintained by the province, with its current tenants being the Land Stewardship Centre. However, its name has since shifted to “Imrie House.”

The author, Devon Moar, recently completed his Master’s thesis on this very topic.

Written by: Devon Owen Moar

First, I want to open with a quote from the poet Muriel Rukeyser:

“The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.”

The hope is that this line sets the tone for how I believe this dwelling exists, shaped both by structure and story. This place is not only a physical, humble shelter but holds a profound account of its inhabitants.

Welcome to Six Acres

Gathering at Six Acres in the Living Room, back inscription: “French Class Finish, 1971”. Source: Private collection of Mary S. E. Wallbridge-Lillis.

Six Acres is a place where architecture, nature, and personal stories blend into one remarkable narrative. The following isn’t just a tour of a building; it’s an adventure through the living history of a place that served as both an everyday sanctuary and a bustling office for two groundbreaking Albertan women, Jean Wallbridge and Mary Imrie. Now, I’m going to share some anecdotes, quirks, and standout moments that make Six Acres far more than just a simple structure.

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John Utendale: From the Monarchs to the Miracle on Ice

Jared

Editor’s note: All images below courtesy of the Provincial Archives of Alberta.

Written by: Michael Gourlie, Government Records Archivist, Provincial Archives of Alberta

From his start playing hockey on the northside rinks of Edmonton to winning a gold medal the 1980 Winter Olympics, John Utendale had a remarkable career as an athlete and coach, but his achievements during his career as educator were no less distinguished.

Born in Edmonton in 1937, Utendale played rugby, baseball and hockey while attending Victoria Composite High School.  He continued to play softball at the provincial level while also playing hockey for the Edmonton Oil Kings.  It was his skill as a hockey player that landed him a contract in 1957 with the Detroit Red Wings organization as a member of the Edmonton Flyers of the Western Hockey League. Utendale would become the first Black hockey player to sign a contract with an NHL team.

Utendale with the Edmonton Oil Kings, Oct. 26, 1954.

He later played for the Quebec Aces, joining Willie O’Ree, who broke the National Hockey League’s colour barrier, and Stan Maxwell for an all-Black line.  He also played for the Windsor Bulldogs and for teams in Sudbury and Windsor.

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New Town Centre 58°

New Town Centre 58°

Jared

Editor’s note: David Murray is an architect in Edmonton and met Arni Fullerton in 1981 while working for him on an alternate, traditional plan for the development of a new town at 58˚ N as required by his contract with the province, led by Montreal architect Ray Affleck. Fullerton and his wife Merle were interviewed on Zoom in April 2024 at their home in Nanaimo.

All images courtesy of the Arni Fullerton Collection at the Provincial Archives of Alberta, unless otherwise noted.

Written by: David Murray, Architect AAA, FRAIC

In the late 1970s, the Alberta Government’s Department of Housing and Public Works, initiated a planning process with the intent to design a new community in northern Alberta, north of Fort McMurray, specifically to house workers and their families at the expanding oil sands extraction developments. It would be a most imaginative and provocative approach to living in the north, the culmination of a lot of precedent research by a team of planning and engineering visionaries.

Illustration prepared by David Murray.

Architect Arni Fullerton was hired by the Alberta government to design the proposed new town. His vision, on which he collaborated with Britain’s Buro Happold Engineers and German structural engineer Frei Otto, was a 35 acre air-supported, weather-controlled, transparent dome, covering a town centre that incorporated housing, recreation fields, a sports complex, commercial properties, a shopping centre, schools, an amphitheatre, parks and a children’s plaza. The town was intended to grow incrementally, outside the town centre dome, over time. All parts of the town would be connected by public transit.  

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