1881 - Thomas Kerr built a house for the Hudson Bay Company near Cut Bank Lake.

1896 - Louie Callihoo staked homestead near location of Highland Park Subdivision.

1899 - Alex Monkman cut road from the Spirit River to Bear Creek, future site of the

city.

1900 - Monkman built trading post for Cornwall & Bredin at Lake Saskatoon.

1905 - First settlers on future city site were Joseph Germain and George Bredin.

1906 - First white woman on 'la grande prairie' within 60 miles - Mrs. H. B. Clifford,

Flying Shot Lake.

1907 - First white child born in area - Hilda Clifford.

1908 - First Roman Catholic Mission established (south of future city)

First Royal North-West Mounted Police, stationed at Clifford’s .

First District Court held, Judge Noel of Edmonton, at Clifford’s.

First Protestant service (Anglican, Rev. Merdoch Hohnston) at Clifford’s.

1909 - Rev. Alexander Forbes (Presbyterian) filed (site of Montrose Elementary & J.H.S.

and Grande Prairie Municipal and Auxiliary Hospitals); Walter G. McFarlane, Dominion Land Surveyor, laid out townships, sections and quarter-sections.

1910 - Argonaut Co. Limited charter; and townsite surveyed by J. H. Smith, DLS.

First agricultural fair; First "Hospital" established by Rev. and Mrs. Forbes on the Clifford place; First marriage among settlers performed by Rev. Forbes (Miss Ayre and Thos. Glendenning); First Protestant (Presbyterian) service on townsite.

Rev. Forbes, Smith & Sons dwelling

1911 - First Protestant Church erected on townsite (McQueens Presbyterian), Rev.

Forbes. First store building erected - Alphaeus Patterson as Patterson & Son

Store; First postoffice opened in a caboose, J.O. Patterson, postmaster.

First bank established - Union Bank, William Innes, Mgr Patterson & Son Store.

First Dominion Land Office opened, on John Wilson’s land, future townsite.

First July 1st celebration on prairie, at Lake Saskatoon; First Agricultural society formed; First dentist, Dr. A. O. Srproule; First doctor, Dr. Arthur Bradford.

Edson Trail opened; Population, Peace River Country, less than 2,000 Indians, Metis, white settlers and traders.

1912 - Grande Prairie School District #2357 established, 3rd in south Peace.

First hotel built - Salmond’s Hotel, City Hotel (Tissington & Squires).

First white child born in Grande Prairie (Harold, to Mr. & Mrs. J. J. E. Clarke).

Municipality of Bear Lake, first meeting December 11, 1912.

Municipality of Grande Prairie organized.

1913 - First school built, site of present Beaver Lumber Company, 13 pupils.

First teacher, I. V. Macklin.

First meeting of Municipality of Grane Prairie - January 6.

First newspaper, the Grande Prairie Herald, March 25, editor W. C. Pratt.

First showing of motion pictures; First band in operation.

1914 - Population of Grande Prairie, 50; Declared a village, Reeve J. B. Raft

First council meeting June 15; First Pioneer Hospital opened (later called the Kathryn Prettie Hospital)

First immigration hall, temporary quarters in the old Patterson & Son Store

building.

First Anglican Church (Christ Church) erected.

First Anglican Church wedding

First Roman Catholic wedding recorded

First Board of Trade (mentioned only).

First Royal North-west Mounted Police barracks erected, site of MacLeods Store.

1915 - First supreme Court sitting, Mr. Justice Beck.

First fire department organized.

First electric plant installed, Voz’s flour mill.

1915 - First meeting, re-organized Board of Trade, November 3rd.

1916 - E. D. & B. C. Railway reached end of steel at Grande Prairie.

1917 - First two-story school north of Edmonton (Montrose); housed both elementary

and high school grades up to Grade 11.

First village waterworks installed and Town water tower built.

1918 - Village office and fire hall rented from J. B. Oliver

1919 - Village, population 1,040, erected to town status March 15, Reeve R. L. Michaelis

succeeded by G. A. James, first elected town mayor.

Captain W. R. "Wop" May began barnstorming at fairs

1920 - Town Hall constructed, accommodated fire department, council chambers.

1925 - "Punch" Dickens landed float plane on Bear Lake with mail.

First provincial courthouse erected north of Edmonton.

1927 - First separate school district formed, St. Josephs Roman Catholic School opened.

1935 - First mail flown in due to railway tracks washed out in Slave Lake flood; Canadian Airways seaplane landed on Bear Lake and mail transferred to Postmaster Cameron.

1936 - Mail carried by G. W. Grant McConachie, United Air Transport president;

passenger service established December 19th.

1937 - First government contract for airmail service; First letter carried went to Mary

Beaton, Grande Prairie. License for airport at Grande Prairie received.

Radio CFGP put the town on map July 27, 1937.

1939 - Grande Prairie Public Library established by Woman’s Institute.

1940 - A standard gravel road from the hospital to the town boundary, William Sharpe,

Chairman, said the foundation of two inches will be laid.

1941 - The Airport saw the construction of fifty thousand dollars worth of buildings.

1942 - The population of Grande Prairie ws given as 1,645 establishing the town as the

fifth largest in Alberta.

1943 - R.C.M.P carried out the policing in Grande Prairie instead of civilian town

constables.

1944 - New three-story brick faced Academy was opened on 102 street to house 35 girls

attending St. Joseph’s Separate School.

1945 - Mrs. N. Nnatiuk organized first Blood Donor Clinic to assist the Red Cross.

1946 - A Memorial Plaque to the hospital co-founder, Mrs. Alexander Forbes was unveiled with a fitting ceremony at the hospital.

1947 - Elder R. M. Child organized the Peace River District Western Canadian Mission and became it’s first President.

1948 - The Canadian Cancer Fund Drive was launched with W. I. member Mr. Hugh McDonald convening.

1949 - Grande Prairie Memorail Arena was erected, and organization was making it’s first drive for clothing for Unitarian Services distribution.

1950 - The R. C. A. F. station airfields were given over to the Department of Transport.

First county of Province formed - Grande Prairie County No. 1 December 21st.

1953 - First natural gas turned on in Grande Prairie.

1954 - May 13, Alberta Fire Commissioner A. E. Bridges officially opened Fire Hall.

1955 - Grande Prairie airport welcomed it’s first Corviars signalling expansion of

Commercial Air development.

1956 - Multi-Million dollar North Star Refinery went on stream.

1957 - Residential cement sidewalks were laid.

1958 - Town erected to city status; Town Mayor J. C. Mackie succeeded at first city

election by G. M. Repka.

1960 - First Door-to-door mail delivery.

1961 - First Auxiliary Hospital in Alberta proposed for Grande Prairie.

1962 - Grande Prairie received its first television station CBC in November of that year.

1963 - Grande Prairie first public kindergarten was set up on a $5.00 per pupil basis.

1964 - First tower apartment go ahead for clairment road, Montrose Apartments.

1965 - Giant Co-op Complex start April 6

1966 - The Victorian Order of Nurses was established. Junior College was established

in September.

1967 - Liberty Airways Limited was officially opened for chartered service & Ambulance

Service.

1968 - Mr. Elmer E. Borstad was elected Mayor of the City of Grande Prairie.

1969 - Alberta Resources Railway was officially opened in Grande Prairie with the last

spike driven in by the Honourable H. P. Strom.

1970 - Procter & Gamble Cellulose Limited announced the construction of a pulpmill $80

million dollars - 8 miles south of Grande Prairie on December 10.

Metropolitan Store opened in September

Television Station C.F.R.N. in June to September 7 Live

1971 - M.T.D. Control Tower completed in spring Grande Prairie

Grande Prairie Packers was completed with the new plant costing $1 million dollars.

1972 - Thunderbird Air started Air Service as a second major Air Service into Grande

Prairie.

Approval by County of the Paving of the County Road to the Proctor & Gamble

Pulp Mill

The G. P. Motor Inn was completed in February for business; completion of the

bridge over the Wapiti River