Most Edmontonians either rent or own their home. Whether they live in an apartment, townhouse or single detached home, a building permit was filed with the City and the structure was built to the legislated standards of the time.
However, this was not always the case. For over 100 years people in Edmonton have bucked the ordinary, and have lived in tents, shacks, old mines, and homes they built themselves on private or public land. There have been many such communities in Edmonton over the years. These are some of their stories.
Settling in Early Edmonton
When Edmonton first developed in the 1870s and early 1880s, there was no local government to ensure standards were met, and little oversight on where things were built.
It was not until 1882 that the system of land titles and homesteads was introduced in western Canada.
Before this time the North West Mounted Police kept order, though there were times when local citizens took it upon themselves.
Without properly surveyed lots people who had been living in Edmonton for several years had no legal rights to their land, and as new settlers arrived some squatted on land already claimed.
Edmonton in the 1880s
Protective Association
Afraid of losing their property, some of the older residents formed a "Protective Association", and elected Matthew McCauley as leader. When newcomers tried to settle on land already claimed, McCauley's group would warn them off. Offenders who failed to leave had their property removed for them, over the edge of the bank and into the North Saskatchewan River Valley!
The Protective Association was short-lived. When the local judge made his yearly visit to Edmonton McCauley and his men were charged with willful damage to property. They were found guilty and fined (though the judge left town and they never paid).
Matthew McCauley
When Edmonton was incorporated as a town in 1892, Matthew McCauley became the first Mayor.
Some of the first bylaws passed related to buildings, and were designed to protect public health and against fire. As time passed government regulations to promote health and safety had a major impact on how the City dealt with alternative living arrangements in Edmonton.
Bibliography
This bibliography is designed to situate the records used in the City of Edmonton Archives Hidden Communities Virtual Exhibit in their larger context. It shows where these disparate records come from by grouping them by creator rather than by subject.
Wherever possible, links to catalogue entries in our online catalogue have been included. We also have some further catalogue information in our reference room.
For an explanation of terms and acronyms, see our Virtual Exhibit Glossary.
| Fonds Number | Record Number | Title |
|---|---|---|
| MS-56 | Northern Alberta Pioneers and Descendants Association fonds | |
| EA-10-1565 | Matt McCauley c. 1880 | |
| EA-10-2790 | Tent House, 1906 | |
| EA-10-2794 | Tent House for Post Office Workers, 1906 | |
| MS-59 | Hubert A. Hollingworth fonds | |
| EA-160-325 | Home on Grierson Dump, 1938 | |
| EA-160-662 | Edmonton from Connors Hill Road, 1933 | |
| EA-160-1111 | Edmonton Skyline from Saskatchewan Drive 1938 |
| Fonds Number | Record Number | Title |
|---|---|---|
| RG-8 | City of Edmonton. City Clerk’s fonds | |
| Bylaw 121 | The Public Health Bylaw | |
| RG-11 | City of Edmonton Commissioners fonds | |
| 6.3 File 144 | Opinions of the Inspectors who made Inspection re. Shacks on Grierson Dump April 6, 1937 | |
| 6.3 File 144 | AG Shute Report | |
| 6.3 File 144 | WR Graham Report | |
| 6.3 File 144 | Letter from General Superintendent of Indian Agencies | |
| 6.3 File 145 | Eviction notice signed April 19, 1938 | |
| 6.3 File 145 | JK Cornwall Report | |
| 7.3 File 70 | Report on Ross Acreage and Spruce Centre by Dr. Whitelaw - March 15, 1929 | |
| 7.3 File 72 | Letter to Commissioner Mitchell from H.F. McKee Oct 18, 1933 | |
| 7.3 File 75 | Health Inspector’s Report September 25, 1935 | |
| 7.3 File 89 | 1929 Map of Area | |
| 7.3 File 89 | 1929 sketch of shack locations | |
| o/s 6.3 File 1 | Map - 1949 | |
| EA-88-201 | Grierson Hill Dump, 1931 |
| Records | Title |
|---|---|
| EA-47-01 | J.B. Little's Brickyard c. 1895 |
| EA-122-140 | Col. J.K. Cornwall c. 1925 |
| EA-267-428 | Tent House - Interior 1908 |
| EA-297-21 | Undated postcard of Riverdale. May be Dutch Settlement. |
| EA-400-1 | Panoramic view of Edmonton ca. 1909 (detail) |
| EA-453-1 | Alberta Motor Boat Company c. 1940 |
| EA-495-52 | Looking north east from low level bridge ca. 1935 |
| EA-600-5027a | New road to accommodate Bonnie Doon trolley bus is taking shape. Coming off south end of Low Level Bridge and graded east of EYP rail line, is reconstructed Connor's Road, 1950 |
| EA-760-1 | Photo of several homes at dump |
| EB-21-71 | Tent on Fourth Street, 1912 |
| Title |
|---|
| Cigar Box Picture Frame |
| New Patent Carbon Water Filter |
| Title |
|---|
| 1913 Edmonton Fire Insurance Plan by Charles E. Goad Co. |
| 1953 Edmonton Fire Insurance Plan by Canadian Underwriters’ Association |
| Title |
|---|
| 1950, Arctic Airlines. Line 11-21 |
| 1950, Arctic Airlines. Line 10-22 |
| 1969, Range Aerial Service Ltd. Line 13-104 |
| 1988, Western Remote Sensing Ltd. Line 23-125 |
| Title |
|---|
| Engineering Department Roadways Connors Hill Road |
| Health Department |
| Homeless |
| Housing – Tent City |
| Parks and Recreation – Facilities – Louise McKinney Park |
| Tent City |
| The Great Depression 1930 |
| Water and Sanitation Department – Landfill Sites – Grierson Dump |
| Title |
|---|
| Health Department, 1912 |
| Title |
|---|
| "Matthey McCauley" in Alberta Historical Review Vol. 20 No. 1 by Jim Blower. |
| Riverdale: From Fraser Flats to Edmonton Oasis by Allan Shute & Margaret Fortier. Tree Frog Press Limited, 1992. |
| Heart of the City: A history of Cloverdale from Gallagher Flats to Village in the Park by Ken Tingley with Paul Bunner. Cloverdale Community League, 2005. |
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