Excerpt from:
"HILLS OF HOPE" -Local history book on line. Published by Carvel Unifarm, 1976.
The Village of Wabamun - by Hilda Margerison
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Wabamun, an Indian word meaning looking glass, was first situated on the northeast corner of Moonlight Bay. It consisted of two stores, the C.H Dunn store with Post Office and telephone exchange, and the Taylor-Page Store. Mr H. Carter had a stopping-place close by and Mr. Harry White operated a sawmill.
With the coming of the railway some changes occurred. The modern site was selected by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company. The new town site was laid out by the Grand Trunk Development Company with the idea in mind of it becoming a summer resort. The fishing in the earlier years was excellent. Tests were made of the lake shore. It was found that a hard sand beach lay under the silt while reeds covered the shorelines.
Machinery to do the job of reed and silt clearing was in the works, to be made at the Railway Shops in Edson.
The railway station was built, consisting of office, waiting room, freight and express shed and living rooms for the station agent, bunkhouse for the section hands, tool houses and other necessary buildings. A large corral for incoming and outgoing livestock and a ramp for loading was added. Later a section-house for the foreman was built on the lakeshore, but the site proved to be too damp a location, so it was moved to higher ground west of the station.
The business of moving the buildings from “Old Wabamun” to the new site began in the winter of 1911-1912 across the frozen bay. Then followed a time of great activity. Business premises and homes were built as well as barns, chicken houses, and sheds for coal and wood. Wells were dug, streets were graded, wooden sidewalks were built, wide ones on main streets and narrower ones to all parts of the village. Wabamun was incorporated as a village in 1912.
Homesteaders decided to try village life and moved their houses and shacks into town A dozen or more of these were bachelors, tired of their own cooking no doubt. Jobs were plentiful with all the building going on. Johnson’s Mine, a mile northwest of the village, provided jobs as did commercial fishing and in the winter months the Arctic Ice Company required men and teams for the ice harvest. A long wharf was built to accomodate boat owners and visitors from other parts of the lake.
The Firehall was built and two hand drawn fire engines were purchased as was a bell, it hung in a tower atop the building, which also contained a jail cell, living quarters for the village secretary-treasurer and a large safe for money and records. The land set aside for a park was brushed by the men of the village, picnic tables were built as were benches. Some of the larger trees grew here so visitors could always find welcome shade on a hot day. This park was situated on the north end of Main Street with the ball park to the east. In the spring of 1913, the village consisted of several impressive buildings. The Great Western Store, with Carl P. Fogelstrom as proprietor, was a large two-storey building, with the traditional hitching rail at the side and a water trough for the horses and other livestock. This store was on the corner of First Avenue and Queen Street.
Later in the year, Mr. Fogelstrom built residence to the east of the store, well back from the street. He and his wife were a childless couple. A widowed sister and her two children came to live with them for a time. Her son, Floyd O’Neill attended school in the village.
East of the store was the residence of R.W. Menzies who was engaged in the fishing industry. He had a packing plant and icehouse on the lakeshore and his own private wharf on which he had small rails and used mine cars to transport the fish boxes to the packing and ice houses, from the boats..
The Wabamun Trading Company, owned by William J. Taylor, was another large two storey building on the corner of Main Street and First Avenue. Mr. Taylor also had rooms above the store which he rented to overnight visitors. He employed Mr. Charley Green as a clerk..
Next door was Dr. Walter Anderson’s Store, the Wabamun Drug and Stationery
Company and Ice Cream Parlor. The living quarters for the Andersons and their sons, Mack and Lawlor were above the store. Dr. Anderson had a marvellous collection of Indian beadwork, leather goods, moccasins and weapons. As doctor he served the village, surrounding districts and Indian reservations. He was an excellent doctor and his wife was a fine and charming person. The doctor had the only section of cement sidewalk in front of his store, a portion that he laid himself. Also, he built a fancy rustic
fence around his property..
Hayward (Harry) Carter’s Confectionary was a two storey building. (where Chomcij’s house now stands) He later rented this confectionery to a family naned Robinson with grownup sons and daughters. Mr. Carter turned to the livestock business and livery service.
Mr. and Mrs. Farank Cassan, daughters Agnes and Frances Priscilla (Tootie), son Harold (always called Jim), lived in a bungalow on the west side of Main Street between Second and Third Avenues. Their oldest daughter Agnes passed awy in June, 1913, after a lengthy illness. Mrs. Cassan was organist for St Saviour’s Anglican Church and a member of the Ladies’ Guild. .
Across the street was the Post Office, Telephone Office and residence of George and Ethel Laight (nee Woollard) and family, Bernard, Agnes and baby Edwin, who died that year. Later, a daughter Helen was born at the Boswell Maternity Home. The Laights always had an exquisite flower garden with borders of sweet smelling pinks on each side of the walk. Mr. Laight also sold insurance and was mail carrier, meeting all passenger trains. Mail for many points north and west was handled by the Wabamun Post Office staff. Mrs. Laight’s brothers, Ed and Stan, carried the mail to many points..
Between Second and First Avenues on the east side of Main Street was a vacant building owned by Mrs. C.H. Dunn, which was to become home to the Margerison family, George and Kate, son Gilbert, and daughters Dorothy and Hilda. The Alberta Government Telephone Exchange was moved into the front part of this building in July, 1913. Mrs. Margerison was appointed agent. Gilbert was the operator.
A long distance operator, Miss Grace Chisholm of Edmonton, was sent out to instruct them in handling of the switchboard and men from the Commercial and Traffic departments to explain all procedures. Dorothy and Hilda soon became operators too. The Palm Pool Room and Barber Shop was operated by Joe Babiuk, a bachelor. He also had an agency for Best gasoline lights. These were overhead lights and Joe installed them in most of the business places in Wabamun. The lights were also used for lighting the open air curling rink next to the Lakeview Hotel. It should be stressed that the one street light of Wabamun at the top of the hill, between the Grand trunk Pacific Station
and the two hotels used Best gasoline lights. Dixon’s Restaurant and house, owned by Mr. and Mrs. George Dixon, were situated on First Avenue near Main Street. They had two children, George and Frances. This was a large restaurant where tasty meals were served. Miss Nora Zeigler was employed by the Dixons.
The Royal George Hotel, just east of Dixons, was owned by Mr. and Mrs. A. Smith. Mr. Smith was a Boer War veteran, partially paralyzed down one side. While on the farm Mrs. Smith had made and sold a lot of butter so to distinguish them from others of the same name these Smiths became known as the "Butter Smiths".
The Lakeview Hotel, owned and operated by Mr. and Mrs. C.H. Dunn, was a thirty room structure with a large dining room and licensed premises. The Dunns had two sons, Basil and Ellis. There was a player piano in the dining room; dances and impromptu concerts were held there, often by guests of the hotel, to pass a rainy evening.
One porter of the hotel played an autoharp and harmonica. He was often called upon to
perform. Later in the year the Dunns sold the hotel to Martin L. Forster of Wainwright, who commenced enlarging the building, immediately adding a section to the front consisting of large rotunda, with a beautiful fireplace, ladies lounge, extension to the bar-room, twenty-four bedrooms and a large two storey veranda across the front of the building. Mr. Alfred Broadhurst was the architect who designed the building. It had a tower at each end from which guests obtained a splendid view of the lake. There were
fire escapes at each side of the building. A large kitchen was added to the east side; the former kitchen was then used as a storeroom.
The corner lot on the east side of the hotel was enclosed with a heavy rail fence which, incidentally was very comfortable for loiterers to sit or lean on and have a gossip. Two bear cubs, a black and cinnamon were kept in an enclosure on this lot; they were a great attraction until they finally grew too large. They were sent to a zoo.
The Forster children were: Russel, Claudine (Sis) Carl, Wainwright, Jessie; later Doris and Eileen were born. Miss Jennie Brodie was the children’s nurse-maid. Mrs. Forster’s sister, Lil Darsam, lived with the family until her marriage to Walter Talbot, who worked for the railway. They resided in Edson after their marriage.
In the summer of 1913, Robert Clifford Kirkpatrick was appointed station agent; a position he held for more than thirty years. His wife Cynthia, children Robert and Catherine arrived from New Brunswick in August to take up residence. The station was a very busy place with passengers, mail, telegrams, express freight and settler’s effects
which arrived daily by the carload for points north, south east and west.
There was an afternoon operator, Billy Goodwin, who later became agent at Evansburg. A night operator worked from midnight until eight in the morning. Two of these were Mr. Bell and Mr. Ballantyne.
The Kirkpatricks were community minded people taking part in many projects. Mrs. Kirkpatrick was a music teacher. She served on the school board, was a member of several women’s organizations, including the Women’s Institute, and an organist for both Anglican and Methodist churches at various times. Mr. Kirkpatrick served on council, in all capacities, on the local school board as member, chairman and secretery-treasurer. He was a member of the Wabamun Community Club from 1919 on, also the Tennis Club. In later years he was appointed Justice of the Peace. He was known to all as "Kirk".
The Grand Trunk Pacific Rilway played a very large part in the life of the village. The crews of the local passenger trains and Weigh Freights became well known to all, as did the members of the building and bridges gang who often spent weeks here repairing the trestle bridges. These boys attended all dances, card parties and skating parties, played ball and tennis. They enjoyed the chance to join in, as many places where they worked were quite isolated and lacked community spirit.
Just west of the railway corral were the nine large packing warehouses of the Arctic Ice Company, a stable for the many horses used in the operation and a house for the permanent staff to live in. At this time the ice was packed in sawdust, then loaded into boxcars and shipped as required in Edmonton.
In later years the ice was loaded directly into the boxcars; the packing houses were eventually torn down. The barn remained as it was still needed. The house was no longer used and was given to the station agent for services rendered to the Ice Company. After the advent of electrical refrigerators most of the ice crop was used by the railways for air conditioning their passenger trains.
Mr. Arthur Galland of Edmonton was the manager of Arctic Ice Company for many
years. He was well known in the community and his coonskin coat and cigars were unmistakable.
Mr. Walter Street worked for the company and eventually became barn boss. He loved the horses and devoted his life to them. He possessed a fine tenor voice, consequently, he was in demand to participate in all concerts.
On the corner of King Street and Third Avenue stood the large red Livery Stable operated by Harry White and his brother-in-law Walker Short. It consisted of a blacksmith shop, large buildings for the livery rigs, corrals, Short’s shack and White’s residence. Whites were also in the dairy business. Mr. White was a Justice of the Peace; he served on council and School Board also as policeman. The Whites had three children: Winifred, Henry and Robert. Walker Short was unmarried. Mr. Henry White’s parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Stoker White, lived on Third Avenue between King and Alberta Streets.
Jens and Hakon Hellum’s blacksmith shop and residences were on Alberta Street. Peter Hellum was chef at the Lakeview Hotel and he was married and had two sons. The Jens Hellum family consisted of William, Christine, Madelaine, Peter, Marion and Harold. The Jens Hellum family eventually moved to Duffield where there was more business for his trade and no competition.
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