This Week in 1914 Archives - South Peace Regional Archives

Exodus from the North – the Royal Visit of 1939

Posted on 2 June, 2015 by SPRA

A casual photograph of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth when Marion traveled to Edmonton for their 1939 tour.

The six week tour of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth was the first time a reigning monarch had visited Canada. As World War II loomed, the tour was scheduled to ensure Canada’s support of Britain. Political motives aside, tremendous excitement was evident in the whole population. It’s pretty mind-boggling to realize that Edmonton’s population of 90,000 swelled to 200,000 for the six and a half hour visit. Many of the visitors were from the north, including 250 school children who had been sponsored through fundraising efforts led by the Legion and CFGP. A special train fare of 1.25 cents per mile ($10.20 round trip) was in effect. CFGP was going to broadcast the proceedings to those who remained at home, hoping for suitable atmospheric conditions for clear reception.

Researched & written by Kathryn Auger

Grande Prairie Herald Tribune ~ June 1, 1939

This Week In 1914 – Load Up Your Sleigh and Come Along

Posted on 22 December, 2014 by SPRA

Leaving for supplies in Edson, 1912

Even during Christmas week practicalities were in the forefront. This large ad appeared in both the Herald and Signal newspapers this week. It seems that knowing the railroad would reach Grande Prairie in 1916, farmers were holding grain to ship by rail rather than the arduous trip over the Edson Trail. The merchants of Edson placed this ad to encourage the shipment of grain during the winter, offering immediate cash .

researched and written by Kathryn Auger

Frontier Signal – December 24, 1914

Grande Prairie Herald – December 22, 1914

This Week in 1914 – Happy 100th Birthday Charlie Wales!

Posted on 16 December, 2014 by SPRA

Charlie Wales (standing) and Gerald Carveth, ca. 1970, when Charlie was President of the Oldtimers’ Association.

The Dec. 22, 1914 edition of the Herald newspaper has a small announcement at the bottom of page 1 – a son born to Mr. and Mrs. R. Wales on December 18. I had found this item some time ago, and made a copy for Charlie’s niece Clarice. She passed it on to Charlie, and one day when we were having lunch we asked him about his birth announcement being in the newspaper so soon. He told us that the Edson Trail passed between their house and barn, and a lot of people stopped in on the way by. He figured someone must have been there and knew about the new baby in the house, and when they got to town, passed the news around. I think it is really special to find these old birth announcements and especially one for a great fellow like Charlie, who turns 100 years old on Thursday.

written and researched by Kathryn Auger

Grande Prairie Herald – December 22, 1914

This Week in 1914 – Ice Boat Adventure

Posted on 9 December, 2014 by SPRA

An Ice Boat, 1980. Courtesy of Kathryn Auger

An item from the Moose Creek City Notes in the Frontier Signal of Dec. 10, 1914 describes a hair-raising boat ride on the ice of Buck Lake. Moose Creek City appears to have been another name for Emerson’s Cache Stopping Place, located about 20 km southeast of Sturgeon Lake, but it isn’t certain where Buck Lake was. No matter where it took place, it was quite a ride.

written and researched by Kathryn Auger

Frontier Signal ~ December 10, 1914

All Their Worldly Goods

Posted on 4 December, 2014 by SPRA

an auction sale in Grande Prairie, 1914

This auction sale notice appeared in several papers, and in January 1915 the Notices to Creditors and Claimants were published in the paper. Reading the list of goods possessed by these men would make one wonder if the proceeds would even pay for the ads. There isn’t much information about the men, although it appears they were both homesteaders, and both were working at other jobs when they died.

written and researched by Kathryn Auger

Grande Prairie Herald ~ December 4, 1914

Ku Klux Klan Successfully Organized

Posted on 26 November, 2014 by SPRA

J.B. Taft Stagecoach (1913) ~ Taft was one of the members of the society

Anyone looking through the old newspapers is startled by the headline on page two of the November 26, 1914 Frontier Signal: “Ku Klux Klan Successfully Organized.” There is no direct statement of the aims of the organization, but it mentions that they worked with Temperance organizations, showed their patriotism on all occasions, and learned first aid. There are several comments to make about this announcement. One is that the other newspaper in town, The Herald, didn’t even report this event. Another is that the organization was never mentioned again in the local papers. At that time, the Klan was the proponent of a “nativist” philosophy, holding that Anglo Saxons were the apex of civilized development and that “foreigners” such as Europeans and others were to be guarded against. 1914 seems very early to have seen a Klan group organized in the north, as most information I could find talks about organizing Klan groups in the 1920s in Montreal, Ontario, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, and they were mainly concerned with anti-Catholic activities. There are reports of Ku Klux Klan groups in southern Alberta working with mine owners against unions in the mines. While the Klan may have been different then from what we understand it to be today, it still doesn’t sound like a “fraternal order” that would be an asset in town.

background information from Wikipedia and The Canadian Encyclopedia

written and researched by Kathryn Auger

Frontier Signal ~ November 26, 1914

Entertainment for Long Winter Evenings

Posted on 18 November, 2014 by SPRA

Hermit Lake School ~ 1918-1919

Two items in the November 17, 1914 Herald invited people to take part in activities to pass the evenings. At Hermit Lake, a literary society was formed. In Grande Prairie one could “take up the study of history” or even Latin. I wonder if there were any takers for the history lectures!

written and researched by Kathryn Auger

Grande Prairie Herald ~ November 17, 1914

Grande Prairie Herald ~ December 1, 1914

A Local Wedding

Posted on 12 November, 2014 by SPRA

William Innes ~ 1911

Having two newspapers in Grande Prairie must have been quite a challenge for the editors and writers, as in a small town there is only so much news to print. These accounts of the same wedding really highlight the different styles of the editors of the two newspapers – one pretty straightforward, the other fairly flowery. It was likely difficult for The Frontier Signal in this instance, as his report of the wedding appeared in the paper published six days after the account in The Herald.

written and researched by Kathryn Auger

Frontier Signal ~ November 19, 1914

Grande Prairie Herald ~ November 13, 1914

Co-operation ~ This Week in 1914

Posted on 15 October, 2014 by SPRA

This short item shows how everyone helped out in an emergency, from the flour mill owner blowing his mill whistle, to the citizens who rushed west of town to help put out a fire.

Grande Prairie Herald Oct 16, 1914

Written and researched by Kathryn Auger.

Front Page Fills ~ This Week in History

Posted on 8 October, 2014 by SPRA

The Grande Prairie Hotel was located on the south side of Richmond Avenue, between 100 and 101 Street.

Even with two newspapers in town, it is difficult some weeks to find something interesting. This week, the Frontier Signal’s entire front page was a write up about the Agricultural Exhibition and prize winners. The Oct. 6 edition of the Herald is missing. So I thought this would be an opportunity to use some “front page” items I have collected from various papers. These news articles give new meaning to the term “slow news day”!

June 2, 1937

Nov 18, 1915

Feb. 10, 1938

Nov 25 1927

Dec. 6, 1935

Oct. 4, 1913

Aug. 7, 1939

Written and researched by Kathryn Auger.