This year, Know History is the proud sponsor of Historic Calgary Week! Last week we attended the opening ceremony of the eleven-day celebration. Below is a short reflection by KH Associate, Emma Gammans.
On the morning of July 27th, a crowd of passionate individuals filtered into the Southern Alberta Pioneers Memorial Building in south Calgary. The event marked the opening of Historic Calgary Week, an eleven day “week” dedicated to exposing Calgary’s rich history. Speakers included Mayor Nenshi, who extolled his praises and thanked the Chinook Country Historical Society for its hard work in organizing the week’s events. When the opening ceremonies concluded, Neil Brown shared the story of his great grandfather, William Shaw, who settled on the banks of Fish Creek. Next, Dale Portman led the audience on an adventure through the Canadian Rockies, as he described his days as a park warden in Banff, AB. The memories and stories recounted by these speakers wove narratives that encouraged audience members to imagine life as one of Alberta’s earliest pioneers, climbers or wardens.
So, it comes as no surprise that this year’s theme is that of partnerships. We are asked to consider how partnerships contributed to the development of the city of Calgary. The Chinook Country Historical Society recognizes Calgary’s rapid evolution and Historic Calgary Week, a week of special events aimed at sharing stories and connecting Albertans, celebrates this evolution.
View the full list of event here!
Calgary team members Nicole Marion-Patola and Emma Gammans at the KH booth at the opening of Historic Calgary Week.
Photo credit: The City of Calgary, Corporate Records, Archives, CalA 94-004-3.