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1884 Town Hall in front of 1911 City Hall under construction

Be a part of Calgary history...... learn about it

If the above picture strikes a curiosity question, your in the right place. I find my mind immediately goes into the question mode: What was it like living in Calgary during the first boom years from 1884 to 1912. Plus many more unanswered questions. This site might provide you some answers.


Why am I doing this?

I wanted to share my stories and historical information about Calgary and area, in a permanent accessible location for all folks who have the history bug. Hence I created this web site oldcalgary.ca

Should you have any feedback or requests please contact me.

 “A culture that’s lost its history is like a person who has lost their memory, History is us.”

David Leonard - Alberta Historian

                     Calgary has so much history from 1875 to today

“History always reinforces that I’m just a part; a caretaker of the here and now, of something so much bigger. It’s an honor to have the opportunity to keep history going.” Marcel Hebert 2021

In the picture to the right, my wife Marilynne and I attended a supper at the Thorpe House located in Calgary's Heritage Park.

You might have noticed we love dressing the part. It adds to the realism.


The Eau Claire & Bow River Lumber Company's lumber mill, established in 1886, became Calgary's first large industry. One of the mills' workers was Bernt Thorpe, a Norwegian who'd brought his family to North America. As a millwright, Thorpe would have helped plan, build, install and maintain the new mill’s machinery.

He built this folk Victorian house for his family near the other homes of the mill workers, insulating the walls with brick cement and adding decorative millwork to the porch. The family arrived with three children and had five more in Calgary, and Thorpe expanded his home several times in response to the needs of his growing family.

Marcel Hebert - Local Calgary Historian

My family first came to Ville Marie - New France (Montreal - Canada) in 1646

I have history in this country

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta, which includes the Siksika, the Piikuni, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Stoney Nakoda First Nations, including Chiniki, Bearpaw, and Wesley First Nations. The City of Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III.

Use the link below to search the Calgary Herald from 1883 onward for free. You only need a free Calgary Public Library (CPL) account # which is the same as the barcode#. Your institution name will be CPL. Once into ProQuest, select Historical Newspapers, then Publication Title " Calgary Herald"

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