top of page
Writer's pictureCraig Baird

Brimacombe Wins Top Job

A. Brimacombe received the honour of being the first overseer of the village of Vermilion. Since Vermilion was only a village at the time, it had an overseer but once it became a town later that year, it would have a mayor.

As for Brimacombe, he had been in the area for some time, and lived near Bowtell before Vermilion became the main commercial centre for the area. In his election, he was elected by acclamation.

Harry Bowtell, for whom Bowtell was named, was brought in as the appointed returning officer after the Lt. Governor of Alberta ordered that the new village elect an overseer to manage affairs.

Brimacombe was nominated by H.B. Stephens and that nomination was seconded by Dr. Ryan. With no other names brought forward after one hour, Brimacombe received the top job.

As soon as he won, he was asked to give a speech to the crowd that had gathered. He thanked the people of the village for his election and the honour that they had given him as the first overseer. He stated he would do his best to fulfill his duties to the village. He added that in a multitude of councillors there was safety.

The first councillors were then chosen with H.B. Stephens, Dr. Ryan and Harry Bowtell receiving the positions. At the time, they were called an advisory board, rather than a village council.

The next issue was determining just how much Brimacombe was going to be paid to be overseer. A motion was put forward by Dr. Ryan and approved that Brimacombe receives $100 for his services. That is likely per year, not per month, as adjusted for inflation it would amount to almost $4,000.

The next course of action was to create a single tax to be circulated and a meeting to be called to decide how taxes should be spent.

This was agreed upon by all members and the first village council meeting came to an end.

Contact Craig at craig@canadaehx.com

Support Craig by donating at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/craigU

Listen to his podcasts Canadian History Ehx, Canada’s Great War, From John to Justin, Pucks and Cups and Canada: A Yearly Journey on all podcast platforms.

17 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Christmas Carols

Christmas was always a favorite time of year for me at our house in rural Alberta in the 50’s and 60’s. My Mom always puts a lot of...

Smallpox Hits Vermilion

Today, smallpox is no longer a concern. Since about 1980, it has been eradicated from the planet through a comprehensive and worldwide...

Coconut Yogurt Clusters

Christmas is coming, and so is all the Christmas baking. Here is a unique Christmas treat, that is full of healthy ingredients, instead...

Comments


bottom of page