Red Deer historian Michael Dawe came to town last week to not only chat about the century of rich heritage from Central Alberta's largest municipality but a little bit of Innisfail's as well.
ìThe history of Red Deer includes the history of Innisfail and area,î said Dawe to a group of 20 at the Innisfail and District Chamber of Commerce's monthly luncheon. ìIn fact, Red Deer was a smaller community than both Lacombe and Innisfail until 1906 until the newly moved settlement began to draw water from the Red Deer River.î
He pointed out that Innisfail drew its water from wells and Red Deer did not adding that large cities are usually found beside a river.
Dawe was in town on Feb. 19 to talk about his new book, Red Deer: The Memorable City, now in its second printing.
ìWhat most people don't know is that the Saskatchewan Land Company owned all the land between Innisfail and Penhold, and around the burgeoning community of Red Deer, a total of 115,200 acres,î said Dawe. ìPurchased for $2 per acre, it was up for sale at $10. That is part of the reason Red Deer developed more slowly than Lacombe and Innisfail. Land was more expensive in Red Deer.î
The contribution of Innisfail citizens to the growth of Central Alberta culturally and politically was not small, said Dawe. Dr. Henry George was an early naturalist who not only looked after the citizens of Innisfail but also preserved specimens and had his own museum in the area. He was behind what became the Red Deer River Naturalists in the early 1900s, Dawe pointed out.
ìOne thing that I tried to do with this book was to include photographs not normally seen,î he said. ìI used the Dr. George photo albums as a source that records Innisfail from the early 1890s until his passing. His wife was a talented painter, and she painted the Alberta crest from her third-storey window in Innisfail. The addition of the St. George cross might not have been accidental.î
Other influential early Innisfail citizens included John Adrian Simpson, who was a North West Territories MLA from 1892 to 1904 and MLA to the inaugural Alberta legislature in 1905, added Dawe.
He noted that Innisfail was a curling power for many years, often winning provincial championships and bonspiels throughout the province.
Dawe presented a slide show of photos from the late 1800s up to the present day that left participants wanting more. Members of the crowd shared stories of their families and histories.
Red Deer: The Memorable City is presented thematically as the development of Red Deer followed waves and movements, said Dawe, adding a chronological presentation would have been more confusing than following movements across time.
ìI talk about the geography of the land, the natives who were here before us, history of education, the history of early churches, war and conflicts, entertainment, boom times, and the present in this book,î added Dawe. ìIt took three and a half years of research, a year and a half of writing, and Red Deer: The Memorable City is the result. I am proud of it.î
Information on the next Innisfail and District Chamber of Commerce event can be found at www.innisfaillive.ca
