We came to Canmore in 1946 – my husband was working in the mine and Doug and I came here in November to set up housekeeping. Our former home was in Calgary where Doug and I (1921) were born – my husband was born in Pembroke, Ontario in 1914 and moved to Calgary as a child.
George died in 1974.
We first lived in Prospect then moved to the “Horse Shoe”, now Rundle Crescent. Our background is British – both of our fathers were born in Ontario and our mother came from England. My mother was a war bride in 1919.
We moved to “townside” in 1959 and resided on Seventh Street opposite the now “Middle School”. George was named postmaster that year and we could no longer reside in a company house.
Canmore was a hamlet of about 1,100 residents in 1946 and, of course, we knew everybody. In 1965, Canmore became a town, was incorporated, and we elected our first mayor and council. We are a completely different community now. The Olympics and Mine closure has affected us greatly – put us on the map, to state the obvious. I think that a lot of we ‘oldies’ are not greatly enchanted by the growth – our small town is gone forever, and we miss it.
Our small hospital was adequate for our needs – I had major surgery, illnesses, twin boys all in our old hospital. The school was also sufficient for our needs. Many doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers and just plain working people have graduated from the old Canmore School.
Transportation consisted of our own cars, Greyhound buses and the C.P.R. which transported us and our mail daily.
We had no sidewalks until the 1960’s, but we had a great community awareness and supported every church, club, and fraternal organization. We were a very close and proud community. When money was needed for some person or service organization, we all got together and raised the money that was needed.
Our hockey rink was well used and we “raised the roof” when “our” teams were playing (especially against Banff). We had Little League Baseball. My husband was the first coach.
I was on the first library board and was appointed to the job of library custodian in 1971. Our first public library was in the Town Hall, which was on the site of the present library. We moved into the premises on the site of the Town Offices and Senior Drop-In Centre in 1976 and were there until the library was moved into the present library building. I retired in 1980.
In Canmore Seniors at the Summit, ed. Canmore Seniors Association, 2000, p.207-208.
