The Second World War brought many changes to the northern regions of British Columbia, and throughout the Yukon. With the need to quickly get soldiers and supplies into Alaska, new airports and roads quickly opened. The most famous, of course, is...
Cardston sent many young men overseas to aid in the fight against the Nazis during the Second World War. Some did not come back, some proved to be heroes, and all served their country and risked their lives. Others not only served their country, but...
As the resident historical writer for the Cardston and District Museum, I am tasked with writing pieces on the various items in the museum’s collection. This historical piece will be displayed with the painting of the March West by Sven Oscar...
When we want to get a look at what the community of Castor was like in the early 20th century, one of the best sources of information is Morest L. Skaret, who wrote a book called Morey’s Bench: Stories from the Life and Times of Morest L. Skaret. In...
The Original Milltone During the early years of the Stettler area, before the railway came through and made travel much easier, a simple trip to get food was an all-day affair. Pioneers would have to travel to Red Deer to get supplies for the farm...
The Prestville Store To look back at the origin of the tiny community of Prestville, we must dive back in time to 1916, when a man by the name of Prest oversaw giving names to the communities along the railroad line. At the time, there were only a...
When we dive into local histories, some of the most interesting stories come from the regular individuals who called the community home for a time. Such is the case with the Bartschies brothers, who may have been born in Switzerland, but would head...
Have you ever wondered about the names of the communities around Vermilion? How did those communities get their names? What made one name stick and stand the test of time, while other names faded away in history? In this column, let’s look at the...
When you look at the communities that sit around Flin Flon, it is easy to see that many of them have unique names. Where do these names come from? What are the interesting stories behind them? This column, we are going to dive into the history of...
When Richard and Maria Bobier, aged 20 and 18, decided to make a new life in Canada, they could not have known the land that waited for them. A vast landscape of promise, they had decided to make their home there. Prior to getting to what would one...