A Look At April 1926

As it is the beginning of another month, it is time to look at what was going on in Vermilion back 100 years ago this month.

The month started off on a sad note when it was announced that Henry Stephens, the former mayor of Vermilion, passed away on April 5. He was 62 and a senior member of the firm Stephens Limited. He had been dealing with what was called a severe cold, and had trouble breathing. He was one of the first men to open a business in Vermilion, and he was on the first town council. He served as mayor from 1910 to 1911. He had also served on the school board for a number of years.

On April 16, a fire destroyed the home of S.R. Cooper, the editor of the Vermilion Sheet. He lost all of his belongings in the fire. It was not known what caused the fire, but it destroyed the 11-room house he owned. While no one was injured, Cooper’s two canaries and his cat died in the blaze. The losses were put at $7,000, of which he only had half covered by insurance.

On April 19, eight carloads of farm machinery consisting of wagons, plows, discs, harrows and other implements arrived in the area. These were all being used by the Clan Donald Colony, who were coming to the area to begin homesteading. They were under the direction of the Scottish Aid Immigration Society and the immigration department of the Canadian Pacific Railway. At this point, 12 of the families were in the area having left the Red Deer district. Their homes were located about 25 kilometres north of the community. Another seven families were soon expected.

On April 21, it was reported that oil prospecting activity was continuing in the area, with the hope that a big oil field could be discovered in the area.

On April 26, a lecture was held using lantern slides by the Hudson Bay Railway in Vermilion in an effort to promote the railway to local residents.

On April 27, Reverend C. Bishop resigned as the pastor of the Methodist Church over the proposed amalgamation of the two United Church congregations. He was expected to leave the community shortly.

The following day, the charge of arson was dismissed against Nick Hawryluk for allegedly setting a haystack on fire on the property of Peter Griska. The offence had occurred on April 10, and Hawryluk was arrested soon afterwards. The charges were dismissed due to a lack of evidence and the fact Hawryluk and Griska were known to be antagonistic to each other.

Contact Craig at craig@canadaehx.com

Support Craig by donating at www.canadaehx.com (Click Donate)

Listen to his podcast Canadian History Ehx on all podcast platforms.