River Valley - 1915

John Walter's Lumber Yard and Saw Mill

Walter's Mill and Yard, 1913 [EA-10-1451]

John Walter arrived in the Edmonton area in 1870 and became one of the region's most prominent business leaders. His most successful operation was the lumber mill he established in 1893 on the south side of the river. After years of success, the mill began to suffer with the decline of the housing boom in 1912. During the 1915 flood Walter's lumber stocks and sawmill were washed away. The business never recovered.

The John Walter's Co. Ltd
"The Bulletin Greater Edmonton Number" Edmonton Bulletin 1911, page 62-63

Pollard Brickyard

Pollard's Brickyard beside the High Level Bridge, ca.1912 [EA-10-322]

Pollard Brickyard was started by brothers John and Frank Pollard in 1898. The brickyard suspended production in 1913, and finally closed in 1915 after the flood.

Municipal Golf Links

Victoria Golf Course ca. 1910 [EA-24-22]

The Municipal Golf Links was Canada's first municipal course when its seven holes were unveiled in 1907. The land was leased by the City from the Hudson's Bay Company until the City purchased it outright in 1912, at which time the land became a municipal park as well as a golf course.

Alberta Motor Boat Co.

Low Level Bridge looking west, 1915 [EA-10-302]

The Alberta Motor Boat Company was established in 1911 by James Weir and James Buchanan. They manufactured a wide variety of boats that plied Canada's northern waters. After the building was destroyed by fire in 1948, the business relocated to the west end.

Arctic Ice Company

Edmonton Ice Company, n.d. [EA-439-7]

The Arctic Ice Company was established in Edmonton in 1900. Prior to widespread refrigeration, ice was cut from the North Saskatchewan River and delivered to homes and businesses to preserve food. In 1913 the Arctic Ice Company took over the Edmonton Ice Company warehouse on Ross Flats. The building was sold to the City and demolished in 1978.

Arctic Ice Company, Limited

City Flour Mills

The City Flour Mills as shown on the 1913 Fire Insurance Plan [FIP 1913 page 93 detail]

The City Flour Mills were built in 1899 by the Dowling Milling Co. In 1906 the business was purchased by R. P. Ottewell, with A. B. Campbell as manager. The company milled wheat into flour, and the elevators had a capacity of 110,000 bushels. The business survived the flood, and was last listed in Henderson's Directory in 1921. In 1922 the property was listed as vacant, and by 1925 the elevators had been demolished.

Campbell & Ottewell
"The Bulletin Greater Edmonton Number" Edmonton Bulletin 1911, page 178

Twin City Ice Company

Advertisement from the Edmonton Journal, June 30, 1927

The Twin City Ice Company was established in Edmonton in 1912. Prior to widespread refrigeration, ice was cut from the North Saskatchewan River and delivered to homes and businesses to preserve food.

Edmonton Brewing and Malting Co.

Edmonton Brewing & Malting Co., 1906 [EA-500-136]

William Sheppard built this brewery in 1905. The Edmonton Brewing and Malting Co. operated here until 1913, when they moved to a larger space, using this building as an ice house until the 1920s, when it was purchased by Sicks Brewing Company and refitted once again as a brewery.

Edmonton Brewing and Malting Co.
"The Bulletin Greater Edmonton Number" Edmonton Bulletin 1911, page 106-107

Huff Grading Company

Huff's gravel dredger on the North Saskatchewan River, 1911 [EB-26-462]

James Huff established the Huff Grading Company in 1906. He used a large dredge on the river to scoop up rocks and gravel from the riverbed, which were then crushed and washed at his plant on shore. The business survived the flood and continued operating for several decades.

Huff Grading Co.
"The Bulletin Greater Edmonton Number" Edmonton Bulletin 1911, page 106-107

Edmonton Cement Products, Ltd.

Edmonton Cement Products Ltd., 1913 [Edmonton Journal 1913 Anniversary Edition, page 76]

Edmonton Cement Products Ltd. was established in 1912, and specialized in producing building blocks. These were easy to use, inexpensive to buy, and provided good insulation at the time. After only a year in operation, the company had a capacity of 800 blocks a day.

Edmonton Cement Products, Limited
"Tenth Anniversary Number" Edmonton Journal 1913, page 76

Diamond Park

Baseball at Diamond Park, ca. 1920 [EB-23-2]

Diamond Park was built in 1907 on land leased from Donald Ross. It played host to sporting events such as baseball, soccer and rugby games, as well as the Edmonton Exhibition. The bleachers were torn down in 1936.

John Walter's Mill (North Side)

Walter's Mill (North Side), 1912 [EA-10-1454]

Prominent Edmonton businessperson John Walter owned a very profitable saw mill on the south side of the river. Around 1900 he established a second mill across the river in Ross Flats. Both operations were destroyed during the 1915 flood.

Edmonton Water Works and Electric Light and Power Station

The Rossdale Power Plant and Edmonton Water Works as shown on the 1913 Fire Insurance Plan [FIP 1913 page 88 detail]

A new electric light plant was built in Rossdale just east of the Walterdale Bridge in 1903, with additions made in 1906 and 1908. The power plant provided power for Edmonton's citizens and industries 24 hours a day. The plant also provided power to the Edmonton Water Works, which pumped water from the river, filtered it, and supplied it to homes and businesses in Edmonton.

J.B. Little Brick Yard

J. B. Little's Brickyard, ca. 1895 [EA-47-2]

John B. Little came to Edmonton in 1892 and started a brick making operation on River Lot 20, in present-day Riverdale. The brickyard produced bricks almost continually until 1956.

Fraser & Co.

Fraser Lumber, 1920 [EA-24-27]

Daniel Fraser and Richard Hardisty established a lumber mill and grist mill on Fraser Flats in 1881 under the name Hardisty and Fraser. In 1889 the name was changed to Fraser & Co., and the business was incorporated in 1904. The steam power mills had a capacity of 50,000 feet of lumber in a day, and provided seasonal employment for between 60 to 70 men.

D.R. Fraser & Co. Ltd.
"The Bulletin Greater Edmonton Number" Edmonton Bulletin 1911, page 37

P. Anderson and Co. Brickyard

Low Level Bridge, 1908. Notice the P. Anderson and Co. Brickyard in the top left corner. [EA-10-341]

Pete Anderson owned a brickyard on Gallagher Flats between the present-day Muttart Conservatory and the Low Level Bridge. Production began in 1901 and continued until 1914, when he ceased operations and went overseas to serve in the Great War. He resumed production in 1929, but closed the brickyard permanently in 1932.

P. Anderson Brick Co.
"Tenth Anniversary Number" Edmonton Journal 1913, page 132

Edmonton Lumber Company

Edmonton Lumber Company, 1912 [EA-506-1, detail]

The Edmonton Lumber Company was located on the south bank of the North Saskatchewan River just east of the Low Level Bridge. Logs were driven along the river from lumber camps and processed at the site. A convenient arrangement that proved disastrous during the flood.

Edmonton Lumber Co.
"The Bulletin Greater Edmonton Number" Edmonton Bulletin 1911, page 174

Mines

Mouth of a Coal Mine, date unknown. [EA-10-3056]

Beginning in the 1880s there were a number of small coal mines in the river valley. Most were operated by one or two people, and did not last long, though there were some larger operations as well. By the 1910s almost all of the mines had closed, as companies moved upriver to exploit the Clover Bar seam, near Beverly.