History is Where You Stand

Part 16: The Alberta Peace

The written history of the Peace begins in what is now Alberta. To be more specific, it begins at Fort Chipewyan at the west end of Lake Athabasca where the Northwest Company's Peter Pond first began a search for an overland route to the Pacific Ocean. Alexander Mackenzie began his trek to the Pacific from here, over-wintering near the present town of Peace River from the fall of 1792 until early May of 1793. As he moved west, up the Peace River, he identified many sites which were later to become fur trading posts -- Fort Vermilion and Dunvegan among them. Following closely behind the traders were the churchmen, establishing missions such as the Catholic St. Charle's Mission at Dunvegan, shown in this photo of the restored buildings. The Alberta Peace produced World Championship wheat in 1885 and rapidly developed, after 1910, into a thriving agricultural region. Now oil, gas, forestry and agriculture all contribute to the area's prosperity.

16-01: The Edmonton, Dunvegan and B.C. Railway

16-02: Grande Prairie -- its History

16-03: Historical Data for Grande Prairie

16-04: Facts Worth Knowing about Grande Prairie, ca 1928

16-05: Improved Rail Transportation North of Edmonton

16-07: The Northern Alberta Railways

16-08: Beaverlodge

16-09: Mr. Harry K. Reynolds

16-10: Joe Mearon Remembers

16-11: Lesser Slave Lake

16-12: A Peace River Ghost Town

16-13: Dunvegan

16-14: A Brief History of Fort Dunvegan

16-15: Mercy Trip from Dunvegan, 1934 Style

16-16: The Town of Fairview

16-17: Peace River Town

16-18: Edmonton to Pouce Coupe in 1925

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