Strathcona's recorded history began in the 1870s. Its first residents were an offshoot of the hangers-on and self-employed contractors who resided near the old Fort Edmonton on the north side of the river. This mixed community of British (especially Orkney), Québécois, Cree and Metis fur trade employees, pioneer farmers, hunters, and their families, was mostly replaced by eastern Canadian pioneer farmers (and land speculators) in the 1880s.[6] This notably included the Papaschase First Nation, who were initially granted approximately 40 square miles (100 km2) of reserve lands in the area through Treaty 6, but were allegedly dispersed in 1888 due to pressure from settlers who wanted to develop the land.[7][8]
The Calgary and Edmonton Railway arrived in 1891, establishing South Edmonton[9] centred on what is now Whyte Avenue. The townsite "Plan I" was registered September 25, 1891.[1] Businesses, at first in quickly-built primitive shacks, some made of logs, provided goods and services to a flood of immigrants from eastern Canada, Britain and continental Europe, U.S. and other parts of the world that came by train to the area. It was thought that "South Edmonton" would overwhelm "Old Edmonton" on the north side but Strathcona's geographic difficulties prevented this. However, South Edmonton was in good enough position for businesses near the railway station to prosper. Over the following 20 years the community's primitive buildings were replaced by more substantial two-storey wood or even brick buildings, many of which exist to this day.[6]
Storefronts along Main Street (later named Whyte Avenue)
On May 29, 1899, South Edmonton was incorporated as the Town of Strathcona, named after Lord Strathcona, Donald A. Smith.[10] Smith was a prominent official in the Hudson's Bay Company and the Canadian Pacific Railway, that operated the Calgary and Edmonton Railway, the community's lifeline.[11] The first mayor of Strathcona was Thomas Bennett. The town's original boundaries included all the numbered river lots between No. 9 and No. 17 south of the river, corresponding to the area from present-day 109 Street in the west to 97 Street in the east and south to University Avenue, an area of 1,000 acres (400 ha).[12][13]
In 1902, alarmed by fires that swept through many prairie communities at the time, Strathcona's town council passed an ordinance requiring that all buildings be constructed of fire-resistant materials, such as brick. This, along with the limited municipal redevelopment occurring south of the river after amalgamation, means that Whyte Avenue and the surrounding area has one of the largest stocks of vintage buildings in western Canada.[14]
After becoming a city on March 15, 1907,[2] Premier A.C. Rutherford, Strathcona's MLA, established the University of Alberta in the City of Strathcona in 1908, with the purchase of lands for the campus on city's the west edge. Until the first campus buildings were completed, the university found a home in the Queen Alexandra Public School, still standing on 106 Street, then in the building that is now Old Scona Academic High School.[15]
In the 1911 census, Strathcona had a population of 5,579, while Edmonton had a population of 24,900.[5][16] In anticipation of lower taxes and other benefits of being a larger city, an amalgamation of the two cities was proposed in which Strathcona and Edmonton residents voted 667-96 and 518–178 in favour of the merger respectively.[17] The amalgamation of the two cities went into effect on February 1, 1912, resulting in increased policing and more affordable transit for Strathcona.[17] At the time of the merger, Strathcona's boundaries were the North Saskatchewan River to the west and north, 91 Street to the east, and a combination of 62 Avenue and 68 Avenue to the south, with 111 Street comprising the brief jog between the two avenues.[2] Whitemud Creek comprised the brief portion of the city's west boundary between 68 Avenue and the river.[2] This included land annexed by Strathcona that was not developed until after the Second World War, well after the merger.[6]
Today's neighbourhood of Strathcona covers the portion of the former City of Strathcona lying east of 107 Street, north of Whyte Avenue, west of the Mill Creek ravine and south of the North Saskatchewan River valley.[18] Also, the historic commercial core of the former City of Strathcona has been designated as the Old Strathcona Provincial Historic Area.[19]
Thomas Bennett (left) was the first mayor of Strathcona from 1899–1900, and John J. Duggan (right), served from 1901–03 and 1908–10.
Strathcona had seven mayors over nine stints in its over 12-year history as an incorporated municipality prior to amalgamating with the City of Edmonton in early 1912.
^"Table IX: Population of cities, towns and incorporated villages in 1906 and 1901 as classed in 1906". Census of the Northwest Provinces, 1906. Vol. Sessional Paper No. 17a. Ottawa: Government of Canada. 1907. p. 100.
^ ab"Table I: Area and Population of Canada by Provinces, Districts and Subdistricts in 1911 and Population in 1901". Census of Canada, 1911. Vol. I. Ottawa: Government of Canada. 1912. pp. 2–39.
^ abcMonto, Tom (2011). Old Strathcona, Edmonton's Southside Roots. Edmonton: Crang Publishing.
