From the Archives of Western Newspapers

Posted on May 25, 2023 by Ryan Dahlman

By Samantha Johnson

Commentator/Courier

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Saturday, May 22, 1886 – The Calgary Weekly Herald

The CPR will shortly open a stockyard in Calgary that will hold 20 cars of cattle. It will be located on the right of way just west of the coal shed.

The CPR line is now fully open from Calgary to the coast and trains will soon be running. 

The excursion to the mountains on the 24th promises to be a success. Two members of the committee travelled to Banff to explore the locality. They will select spots for the train to stop, look for the easiest routes to points of interest, determine if crossing the river to visit the springs can be done safely and prepare picnic areas and games. 

The rain last week has swelled the rivers, particularly the larger streams. On Monday, High River rose by two feet but by Wednesday was receding. 

War medals for Major Hatton’s troop have arrived. No names are engraved, which is an unfortunate omission as it will tend to increase the number of war veterans beyond computation. 

Tuesday, May 23, 1911 – The Edmonton Capital

In Los Angeles, Bert Connors and J. Parks have been accused of complicity for their attempt to dynamite the new county hall of records last September. Detectives say the arrest of the two was the culmination of months of surveillance.

At the regular meeting this evening, city solicitor Bown will advise the council that D.R. Fraser, who was appointed commissioner last Friday, is not eligible to that office due to his firm having the contract to supply lumber to the city. According to the oath of office, all aldermen, commissioners, etc. must declare they are not interested either directly or indirectly in any contract with the city. This Fraser did, despite the fact his company holds the lumber contract. 

John Whitestein got off with an exceptionally light sentence of only three months imprisonment for bribing police officers to obtain protection for a resort on Fraser Avenue where gaming was taking place in contravention of the law. Mr. Robertson declared to the court that Whitestein, with the exception of this case, has proved himself to be a good citizen. 

Friday, May 28, 1915 – Redcliff Review

The fire committee wished to purchase a truck for the brigade, but the mayor and other councillors thought it best to wait until Judge Carpenter had been here to make his investigations. Councillor McLachlan thought it best not to wait too long because if anything serious happened under present conditions, the blame would come back on the council. The matter was deferred for the present. 

On the recent casualty list were fourteen young men from Medicine Hat. Harry Washford of Redcliff was reported missing after a recent battle but Chief Reynolds received a card from him stating he was okay. R.W. Roy is on the list of those taken prisoner and his father has had no word from him. Previous to enlisting, Roy was employed as a CPR fireman in Medicine Hat. 

Empire Day started off with Jack Calderwood winning the Times Road Race, which was from Redcliff to Medicine Hat and covered a distance of five miles. Mayor Bott started the runners off with a shot from a horse pistol. There were five runners, but one fell behind at the three-mile mark and eventually quit. The remainder kept an even pace until the top of the hill just outside the ballpark where Calderwood put on a burst of speed to take first place.