Edmonton: The Young Old City
Friday July 14, 2006
Patrick Farrell
For any Canadian traveling abroad, there will inevitably be at least one conversation where it is admitted that Canada, to say nothing of Alberta and Edmonton, is a young place with little history worth mentioning. As for Edmonton in particular, the unusually informed foreigner might have heard of Gretzky and the mall but not much else could reasonably be expected of them. What is alarming in these exchanges is that the Edmontonian will likely be unable to add the slightest detail to this woefully meager collection of facts about our fair city.
One of the problems with history is that it is up to us to tell ourselves about it. This is a problem from several perspectives, not the least being that while there may be many interested in listening there are few able to tell. There is no history tree from whose branches we can pluck ripe facts, details and stories about the past. Neither does history lay forgotten in an old shoe box, with only its closed lid in the way of historical insight. A person cannot stand beside the High-Level Bridge and simply absorb the story of its creation. Unless we take the time to investigate and think about the origins and development of our city, we cannot expect to know much about it.
There is real value to be had from taking the time to scrutinize ourselves. Just as the unexamined life is not worth living, the unexamined community gives short shrift to the various threads of its development. A potential downside is that there can be no end to this scrutiny. Lucky for us, there are plenty of resources at our disposal which put some order to Edmonton’s vibrant and complex past. Recent collections such as Carolina J. Roemmich and Linda Goyette’s
Edmonton In Our Own Words, and the City of Edmonton’s
Naming Edmonton: From Ada to Zoie provide numerous insights and point in as many directions for further inquiry. U of A Professor Rod Macleod’s
Edmonton’s Story is a concise and informative history of the city conveniently available at
www.edmontonhistory.ca. The 10
th annual Edmonton and Athabasca District Historical Festival is just around the corner (July 22-30), offering participants the opportunity to experience our city and region’s heritage first hand.
The other day I was looking for articles about Edmonton in the New York Times. I was surprised to find virtually thousands of pieces stretching back as far as the 1850s, at a time when Fort Edmonton was about as populated as a contemporary apartment block in Strathcona. An article from 1884 under the heading “Scientific Gossip” writes of a “gum” found 150 miles north of Edmonton which shows “the usual character and composition of crude petroleum.” In a quirky story from June 1907, we learn of two young Edmontonians, R. Hoerschgen and W. Spark, who set out to navigate the continent’s rivers systems starting from Edmonton down to New Orleans. Who knows if they made it? Covering Prince Edward’s visit to Edmonton in 1919 the Times writes of the young capital, “It is a fine, lusty place that has not yet put off its coltish air. It is a Winnipeg just leaving school, and it has the wonderful precocity of these cities in the eager west.”
This is not to justify an historical interest in Edmonton solely because the New York Times wrote about it. But it does show that despite our characteristically Canadian skepticism towards our own value and importance in the world, Edmonton was and continues to be a place worth noticing.
Column ID#: 13
**Opinions expressed by guest columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Connect2Edmonton members, partners or sponsors.**
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