History

 

The Edgerton & District Historical Society is planning their second history book, “Winds of Change II”. Your participation is important to the success of this endeavour. Remember, this book will be read by your grandchildren and great grandchildren. This is your opportunity to tell them who you are and what you did!

We want to bring our history book from 1974 up to the present, but if there are any stories or pictures that were not included in the first book, please submit these also. This book is a continuation of the first edition. For those who have histories in the original book, please continue where you left off.

The History Book will cover the businesses, agriculture, industries, churches, school activities, organizations, sporting events, and family histories up to the present.

To help you tell your story, we are including history story guidelines:

If you have information or photos of friends or neighbours you may have had in Edgerton or district who you know have no descendants to pass on their story, please include that as well.
Please indicate who has written the story. The length of the story may vary, but we reserve the right to edit, but not change the stories.

 

Pictures (2-4 per history) will add greatly to the History Book. All your valuable family photos, clippings, and documents will be treated with the utmost care and will be carefully identified and returned to you in their original condition after the book is printed. We ask that you supply original photos, as photocopies will not print well.
Please identify everyone (top to bottom, left to right) and date the photos. Please attach this information on a separate sheet of paper. Be sure to include your full mailing address, phone number and any other pertinent information.

 

It takes a great deal of time-consuming work to assemble the History Book once we receive your stories, so please have all stories, material, and photos submitted by May 30, 2020.
The final cost can only by determined after we know the final number of pages in the book, and the number of books will order. Anticipated cost is $60.00

Please mail your stories, photos and book orders to:
Edgerton & District Historical Society
Box 174
Edgerton, AB
T0B 1K0

Or

E-mail: admin@edgerton.ca

If you have any questions, need help writing your story, or you are interested in volunteering to make this a success, please contact: Louise Bergerud – 780-755-2189 or Mary Ann Sparks – 780-806-3179.

Sponsor a page in the book for $5.00 per page and your family name or company name will be printed at the bottom of the page of your choice. Please inform us as to which page or pages you wish to sponsor. 
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

YES! I would like to pre-order ___ copies of the “Winds of Change II” History Book. Pre-orders require a $30.00 deposit per book.
I enclose $___ cheque/money order in partial payment for my book(s) made payable to: Edgerton & District Historical Society. Shipping and handling extra, if book(s) are to be mailed.

Name________________________________________

Address______________________________________

______________________________________

Town_______________________________________ Prov. ________________ Postal Code____________________

Telephone___________________________________ E-mail address______________________________________________

Like many prairie towns, Edgerton owes its birth to the coming of the railways and the opening of the West. The railroad reached the site of modern day Edgerton in 1908 and a year later the town site was surveyed north of the tracks and “soon new buildings seemed to spring up over night like mushrooms.” The town was named Edgerton, so called after one of the railway workers. He insisted that a 'D' be included, in the hopes that unlike his name the new town would be properly pronounced. The first Edgerton School was built in 1910 as a single room building capable of holding fifty to sixty individuals, followed by the Edgerton Station in 1911. The village was officially founded and incorporated on September 11, 1917, with the new Council holding its first meeting on December 17, 1917. 

As the nation crawled through the Great Depression 1930s Councils struggled to maintain services and meetings were irregular and erratic. Edgerton, like many other communities, was often forced to borrow funds. Despite this Council took the unusual step of using village funds to help pay numerous citizens' medical bills, allowing these loans to be slowly paid back or to be simply worked off helping with maintenance and public works.

Church life in Edgerton began early. The Church of England began its services in the area in 1909, working out of halls or homes until a proper church was built under the auspices of the Anglican, Presbyterian and Methodist faiths. The local history, Winds of Change, charges that “This arrangement was not at all satisfactory” and so the St. Mary's Anglican Church was built in the spring of 1927. The bulk of the work was completed over thirty six days by a volunteer force operating on a one thousand dollar budget. The Church was officially dedicated on June 12, 1927 and still proudly opens its doors to this day.

The United Church was also a founding member of the Edgerton community, with the Methodist order (later forming part of the United Church of Canada) constructing the first religious buildings in the village in 1911. These were successively expanded and renovated until the current Faith United Church building was erected in 1966.

Despite a large Irish population in the area the Roman Catholic Church was relatively late to establish itself in the village, with their church only having been built in 1927. It was served by priests from Wainwright until the Chauvin parish assumed these responsibilities in the late 1940s. Soon after, services in Edgerton were abandoned, the church dismantled, and the property purchased by the United Church.

Many individuals have contributed to Edgerton's success over the past century and each has played their own part in creating a strong and prosperous community, but several merit particular attention. These can be found in our Hall of Fame section.

Significant Dates in Edgerton's history, thus far: