Trafalgar Castle School - Yearbook (Whitby, Ontario Canada)

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14 VOX COLLEGI starvation and death. To such an extent was this the case that for many years the road they followed was known as the death trail, strewn with its gruesome proof of the doc- trine of the survival of the fittest. A few years before the Klondyke excitement, the C.P.R. had built a branch line from Calgary north to Strathcona, a village three miles away from Edmonton, but directly across the river, as the crow flies. So the inhabitants were able to get out of the town, but they lacked the means of attracting settlers to come into it. Yery slow indeed was the growth of this choice corner of the world un- till 1905, when the Canadian North- ern Railway reached Edmonton and so made the town independent of the C.P.R. In the same year Alberta was ad- mitted as a Province of the Domin- ion, and Edmonton was made the caf iail. A year or two later the Uinv-ersity of Alberta was located at Strathcona, ard then the idea of the amelgamation of the two towns be- gan to take definite shape, and this year it became an accomplished fact. T ' ' is not so easy to a complish as mij ' at at fi rst appear, as there are very ste p banks along t e river here and two towns made one wi hout a connecting link was +00 a] surd f r words, so the ' ro-i-cial (Govern- ment, the municipalities of Edmon- ton and Strathcona and the C.P.R., each contributed towards the build- ing of a high level bridge with rail- way and traffic decks, so that we shall soon be able to go directly across to Edmonton south, a dis- tance of one mile, where formerlv one travfllcd a d ' stanc° of three miles up hill and down dale. The need for more railroad compe- tition is constantly makino- itself felt, and for that reason it was a grand day for us when the Grand Trunk Pacific stretched itself into and beyond Edmonton, and mough it will not be completed for at least two years more, it has ali-eady done much towards opening up the vast country to the west, and will in time become one of the most important commercial highways on the conti- nent. Thus we arc now in the happy position of having three railroads running into Edmonton where eight years ago we had none. Tn the country surroundings and the gardens of simny Alberta, in which all vegetables and grains that thiive in Ontario can be grown with equal success here, small fruits and crab apples grow well, but the tend- erer varieties of fruits have not yet been attempted. Dairy farming is in its infancy as yet, but the con- ditions are so favorable that it is safe to assume that once having- ac- cess to an assured market, it will he- come one of our most thriving indus- tries. At north Edmonton is situated a large packing plant owned by the Swift Canadian Company, which ser- ves as a market for dressed meats for all Alberta, in which product we hope to take a place second to none in the markets of the world. Besides these industries Edmonton boasts of three lumber mills, and several factories, box, sash and door, office supplies, etc. the material for which is obtained from the vast tim- ber limits near the head waters of the Saskatchewan and aloi e the nu- meroi7s other rivers that drain the coiuitry. The r?vrnue obtained from the trade in f ' irs is still very consider- able, as Edmonton is the di-tribu- tion point for traders ' sunplir-s as well as the. point from which pelts are shipped to EIngland and foreign countries. All throup-h Northern Alberta are strata of I ' s nite coal, so that the ever present fear of coal fnmine which is a terror to the dwellers on the prairie, is unknown here. The G. T. P. has established shops at Caldor. n suburb of Edmonton, and the C. N. R. will in all probabil-

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vox COLLEGIl EDMONTON. By Mrs. (Dr.) Hislop (nee Harriet Oliver. It is a far cry from the Ednioniori of fifteen years ago to that of to- day. This is the day of the last best West, and like all Western towns which were as nothing yesterday, we have a thriving city to-day. The case of Edmonton is, however, some- what different, for even in the days when the buffalo roamed un- molested over the broad expanse of prairie, Fort Edmonton was an es- tablished trading post of some im- portance, belonging to the North- West Fur Trading Company. At the time of the proposed con- struction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Edmonton was mentioned as being a coming place, as the then survey pictured the C. P. R. going through Jasper Pass, which was supposed to be in such direct line that our main street, Jasper Avenue, was said to follow through the pass. This caused a comparative boom which, however, was doomed to break as the railway decided to follow along the prairies and take the Kicking Horse pass route in- stead. Some of those who had come in the expectation of immediate rail- road d ' velopmpnt, when they found their ' hopes dis-appointed, pulled out, but a small number remained. For about fifteen years the Old Timi rs will tell you they had a pret- ty lean time of it, as all supplies had to be freighted by ox team from Winnipeg. Sugar was twenty- five dollars a hundred, flour was about the same price, apples, which you have in .such profusion in the orchard at O.L.C., M ' cre unknown ex- cept the dried variety : tea was two dollars a pound, and all other neces- sities were in the same proportion, while luxuries were unknown. For all that, the people lived a fairly happy and contented life for the rea- son that no one was any better off than his neighbor. The rebellion of ' 85 was about the only excitement that broke the ' mon- otony of life until the Klondyke rush. Before ' 85, however, a Methodist church, a public school and a weekly paper had been established so the nu- cleus of the present city was formed. The story of the construction of that pioneer church is an interesting one. Rev. G. McDougall had the lum- ber hand sawed and floated down the river by raft to Edmonton. And there with the aid of a few men and incredible energy and enterprise, he built what to my childish fancy was the grandest architectural monument that ever was, and which, to my grown up fancy signifies the spirit of steadfastness and heroism of the pio- neer missionary. The printing press for the weekly paper was freighted in as all other merchandise came, via ox team; and soon telegraph communication was established between Edmonton and Winnipeg, a thousand miles awav. About 1897 and ' 98 the Klondyke rush started, and Edmonton began to come into prominence. Anyway which enabled the gold-crazed men to get there ' w as utili-erl. Some went down the Athabasca and Mac- kenzie Rivers, nortajjcd across the di- vide to the head waters of the Yu- kon and so arrived at the gold fields safely. Some experienced travellers tried the overland route and got through safely, but these were the men who knew what supplies to take, how to pack, how to cook, and above all, how to endure. But the tenderfoot or the mon- ias and his name was legion, who started out at an un.seasonable time of year, or with insufficient provis- ions, or without a knowledge of camp cookery, met with disease.

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vox OOLLEGIL 15 ity do likewise in the near future— the economic significance of these in- dustries is obvious. Besides the large railway pay roll, there are many men employed in the construc- tion of such public buildings as have been found necessary since provin:ial autonomy was granted. The Parlia- ment buildings and a handsome Court House are nearing comple- tion. Government house is in c()urse of construction, and a very credit- able post office has been accommo- dating the public for some time. Jn the matter of churches and schools, our city compai ' es very fav- orably with any in Canada. Besides the University buildings and the affiliated colleges, Alberta (Methodist , and Eobertson (Presby- terian), there are two high schools, twelve large public schools, three convents, with all the buildings con- nected with them, besides tour churches of each denomination, Methodist, Presbyterian, Church of Ensrland, Baptist and Roman Cath- olic : so that all mental and spiiit- ual needs are in a fair way of being attended to. Nor arc our bodily ills any less faithfully served, as there are four hospitals In Edmonton, and one in Edmonton South ; and becatise of the expanse of country which is S ' rv- ed by these hospitals, there is a con- stant need for more accommodation. As in every new country, from all who have the intei ests of the city at heart, tremendous effort is required to care for the large number of peo- ple constantly coming in from the Old Country, from Eastern Canada and from the United States. For this reason, it is to be expected that our churches and hospitals, our schools and hotels are taxed to the utmost to keep pace. It is hardly fair to expect the city fathers to attend to all these things when the- must needs supervise such interesting details as sanitation, lighting, paving, street cars and water supply, as these utilities are all owned and operated by the mu- nicipality. It therefore rests with the women to undertake the larger charities, such as the Children ' s Shelter, the District Nurse and the furnishing of hospitals ; and to advocate and carry out the establishmen t of play- grounds, the election of a woman school trustee, and laws for the bet- ter protection of women and child- ren. All these things require time and energy, and these are freely p iv- en by all our citizens in order that Edmonton may become the greatest and best citv in all of the Last Best West.