Self Guided Historic Walking Tour of Edmonton - The End of the Line

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About

On the south bank of the North Saskatchewan River is the community of Strathcona. It resides on the traditional territory of the Sacree, or Tsu-T'ina Nation of the Blackfoot Confederacy, as well as the Strongwood Cree Nation. In the 1850s it also became home to the Papaschase Cree who were drawn to Fort Edmonton across the river. As the fur trade wound down in the 1870s, many Metis and Scottish fur traders began to settle alongside the Papaschase in what would become Strathcona. After the signing of Treaty 6 in 1877, the Papaschase were forced to relocate to a reserve in south Edmonton, though even that reserve was eventually dispersed. The Papaschase Cree have been fighting for redress ever since.

Strathcona was now fully open to European settlement, and in 1891 the Calgary and Edmonton Railway arrived and terminated here, paving the way for the growth of a town opposite Edmonton on the other side of the river. For a couple exciting decades Strathcona was a thriving commercial centre and independent municipality. When a bridge was built across the North Saskatchewan River, the obvious financial advantages of amalgamating with Edmonton were impossible to ignore, and in 1912 Strathcona became a part of her bigger neighbour to the north.

After amalgamation, Edmonton's growth surged ahead while Strathcona's slowed. For many years this was seen as a curse by Strathconians who didn't share in the wider economic prosperity. Yet it had the unintended effect of preventing the destruction of thousands of heritage buildings. This is why, wrote the historian Lawrence Herzog, "Strathcona... boasts an amazing stock of vintage buildings - a virtual time capsule of the community's early vibrant years."1

On this tour we will follow the story of Strathcona and the people who lived here. Through the built heritage we can still get a taste of the excitement people experienced during those heady years, from the Klondike gold rush, to the rapid and dynamic growth that followed Alberta's becoming a province, and beyond.

The route begins at Strathcona's old train station and follows a small circuit around the neighbourhood before returning to about the same spot.

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• Learn more about On This Spot onthisspot.ca
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Organizer

On This Spot

On This Spot​ guides people on a tour back in time, showing & telling the history that surrounds them. On each spot, users will find themselves standing in the footsteps of a photographer who took a historic photo. On site tourists/users can use the built-in camera feature to create their own then-and-photos, which can be shared on social media and saved as a digital souvenir. Selections of these photos are chained together into walking tours that take a deep dive into local history.

On This Spot​ strives to make history engaging, educational, and accessible to all with a focus on easy to use features and a succinct writing style. The aim is to create an intuitive user experience that provides historical unparalleled depth without overwhelming or confusing users.