Alberta History 1899-1901

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Jasper Alberta's Historic View

1899

Marlin Callihoo (f) Metis born June 22, 1899 Alberta daughter Jean Francois Callihoo, Iroquois Metis born August 29, 1855 Alberta most likely Devil Lake (Lac Ste Anne) married about 1890 Elizabeth British Metis born August 25, 1871 Alberta, living Lac Sainte Anne 1901.

Trail Creek, (Alberta), marriage, Robert Hardwood, Metis, born 1876 Alberta, married Settann, Metis, b-1875 Alberta. One child is noted: Joseph P. b-1900.

South African War broke out, and by October Canadian troops were involved, seven thousand in all, before it ended in 1902.


The glaciers in the Rocky Mountains, Banff, Alberta advanced in the late 1800's. The years 1899-1900 were strong El Nino years.

The North Saskatchewan River, in Edmonton (Alberta), went on a rampage and took the old steamboat North West to break away and smash up on one of the Low Level Bridge pears.

The village of Bouleauville is incorporated, into the Mission District of Calgary. Bouleauville was a French Metis community near the Elbow River.

Fort Saskatchewan became a village this year.

Innisfail became a village this year.

Wetaskiwin became a village this year.

Strathcona became a village this year.

On February 23, 1899: Imperial Oil Limited took over the Sarnia Refinery as well as all Standard Oils other Canadian resources.

On April 29, 1899: Strathcona, (Alberta), across the river from Fort Edmonton, is incorporated as a town of eleven hundred and fifty six people. Strathcona is named after a wealthy Lord Strathcona, alias (I)-Donald A. Smith born 1808 in Scotland, an employee of the Hudson Bay Company in Labrador for thirteen years. He amassed a considerable fortune from the Nascopie People who suffered a considerable mortality rate during his reign. They were reduced to starvation and cannibalism so that Lord Strathcona could live and prosper.





1900

Henry Fuller Davis (1820-1900) is better known as 'twelve foot Davis' for his 12 foot claim on a gap between two other claims that he made $12,000.00 worth of gold. Few remember his Northern Freightways business running between Quesnel, Fort Vermilion and Fort Edmonton. He employed over 100 men. He had an unshakable reputation for treating Indians fairly. He advanced credit to the Indians and considered them to be inherently honest. He nearly always was paid up. He used the Indians as canoe men and packers. Those who really knew him say he was known for his kindness and hospitality to all. Davis was not a religious man and wrote his own epitaph by saying he was not afraid to die because I never killed anyone, never stole from nobody, never willfully harmed nobody and always kept an open house, for all travelers all my life. It is noteworthy that the Egyptian origin of the ten commandments took this form of 'I did not kill' rather than 'thou shall not kill'.

Ted Humphrey is believed to be the first settler in Writing on the Wall Provincial Park on the Milk River, Alberta.

Vast armies of harvesters from Eastern Canada made an annual migration to the West to harvest the crops for two dollars per day. It took ten men to harvest what one man could sow. This is the land that the Hudson Bay Company proclaimed not fit for habitation. The population of the Dominion of Canada had reached five million people. The Calgary Eye Opener Newspaper is banned on the Canadian Pacific Railway, denied use of the mail service, and is sermonized against from the pulpits.

The Low Level bridge in Edmonton (Alberta) is opened for train traffic and the first train crossed this year.

Taylorville (Alberta) is recorded to be a Mormon village this year by the RCMP but does not appear in the 1901 census. The RCMP again referred to the town in 1908.

Galician (Austro-Hungarian) farm
This is a typical Galician Farm, (Austro-Hungarian peasants), skilled at growing wheat. They were so highly regarded by Canada that brokers were paid a bonus of $2.00 per person and $5.00 per family head of house to entice them to Canada. The French at Morinville, Alberta however were not pleased to have these people in their community, even if they were Roman Catholics. The Salzl were Austro-Hungarian and settled in Morinville, (Alberta). This photo however is from Manitoba.

February 1: The Canadian Government increased the head tax on Chinese immigration to $100 per head to restrict this undesirable elements according to the English. There were 80 Chinese men living in Calgary at this time. This Head Tax would not be repealed until 1967.

1901

April 1: The population of the west is: Manitoba 255,211, B.C. 178,657, Saskatchewan 91,279, Alberta 73,022, Yukon 27,219, NWT 20,129.

October 3: (I)-Armand Louis Leon Trochu, born April 15, 1857 Belle Isle, Brittany, France who married 1882 Marguerite Marie Lorois of Nantes sailed for Canada to build an empire in Alberta to be named St. Ann Ranch and Trading Company.

November: The first oil well drilled by Alexander Calvert in Waterton, South West (Alberta) is producing 300 barrels per day. Others suggest it was more like 30-40 barrels a day. They hit oil at 1,020 (1024) feet. The well stopped producing by 1904. The Rocky Mountain Development Co owned by Allan P Patrick, John Lineham of Okotoks and John K Leeson of Calgary had brought in a modern rig for $680.00 from Ontario. Oil seepage has been used for many years by the Indians and early pioneers. This discovery resulted in the creation of Oil City, 20 blocks long, lots were sold and buildings erected.

Jasper Alberta's History