“Fort Edmonton” print by T. G. A. (1935)

This crisp map by whoever “T. G. A.” is appeared in the December 1935 issue of the Beaver, and it shows a passing-of-the-torch between old and new Edmonton. Its two main features are Edmonton’s namesake fort (demolished in 1913, shown where it originally stood underneath what was a lawn bowling green in 1935) and the Alberta Legislative Building, which was built in 1905 and is labelled as the “Parliament Building”.

Besides each taking a turn as Alberta’s centre of power, these two structures shared a complex relationship; in preparation for the Legislature’s construction, the old fort’s “Big House” (point seven on the map and identified as “H. B. Factor’s House”) was carefully disassembled and every board was numbered so the house could be reassembled at a later date.

Those boards were stored in the Legislature’s basement until the 2nd of June, 1939, when they fuelled a giant bonfire celebrating a brief visit by King George the VI and Queen Elizabeth. Interested in reading a better historian's take on the event? Read Edmonton architect Shafraaz Kaba's introduction to the excellent Capital Modern.

A reproduction available at 12x12" or 24x24" on Epson Enhanced Matte 192 gsm paper printed with Epson UltraChrome XD2 archival ink. Sold in an open edition, unframed.