A Man With A Crush
Factoid
Although the park was established in 1974 as a living history museum, Fort Edmonton Park's conception can be traced back to 1915. The park is open to the public from May to September.
Fort Edmonton Park illustrates four distinct time period following the city's development from a fur trade post in the Northwest to the beginnings of a booming metropolitan centre after World War I.
The four time periods represented are:
1846 Fort to Fur Trade Era (1795 – 1859)
1885 Street to the Settlement Era (1871 – 1891)
1905 Street to the Municipal Era (1892 – 1914)
1920 Street to the Metropolitan Era (1914 – 1929)
In 2006, the park added a re-creation of a 1920-like midway carnival to its exhibits. Guests can test themselves playing various games of skills and traditional midway rides.
Did you know in the fall of 2005, the movie The Assassination of Jesse James, starring Brad Pitt was filmed in Fort Edmonton Park? Several locations, such as the park's working steam train, can be seen in the movie.
I could draw you a map of the world right now. (I'm going to be a social studies teacher.) I'm sick. I love history. I love politics. I love culture. I love all the stuff you're really not supposed to talk about at work, so I figure I should work in a place where I can talk about it all the time.
In the interim, while I'm not actually teaching, I figured historical interpretation would be good because I have a huge crush on Edmonton’s history. We are, in fact, the most amazing place in the world. Egypt may have its pyramids, China may have its walls, but we have 6000 years of aboriginal history and some of the coolest people, ever.
One of my favourite Edmontonians is a fellow by the name of Donald Ross. He owned a hotel in the 1800s in what is now Rossdale (which is named after him). Competition among hotel owners was fierce. Donald Ross let people sleep on his pool tables. Luke Kelly, a rival owner, served illegal alcohol in the 1880s to get people to come to his hotel.
A friend of mine at Fort Edmonton Park wrote this song about Ross because she found herself almost infatuated with his history.
Here's the song:
[Singing]
In days of yore,
On River Lot 4,
Ross the dauntless hero came
And constructed there, a grand hotel
On Edmonton's vast floodplain
With billiard tables and a fireplace
Come join around together
The pioneer that won our hearts
Donald Ross forever!
So yeah, we're geeks.
Where Next?
Barry DeFord
With 2 years' experience as an interpreter at Fort Edmonton Park, Barry DeFord is in line for a promotion to the World War I Veteran character, a coveted role. Barry currently plays the Mountie, another important position.
