Botnr 0ltyThe Village Born Unluclq)

VbyJonathan

Above: This artist's misconceptionof the townsite at Bow City Plan

was prepared about 1 91 0 for BowCity Collieries with the hope ofpromoting residential and

commercial development. The plan

was created by the architectural firmor A.vv. bould and E.l-. champney.

ow City ismetropolis.

Koch

an unlikely spot for a

Situated about 20 miles southwest of the cityof Brooks, this curiously named communityis comprised of a well-maintained park and ascattering of acreages perched atop the northbank of the Bow River. Once a bustling coalmine camp during the '40s and '50s, today'shamlet no longer even merits a dot on theprovincial road map.

Bow Cif y owes its continued existence to thebridge that traverses the Bow River at this

location. It owes its origins, however, to a

rich deposit of coal, situated west of thehamlet, embedded deep within the toweringsouth bank of the Bow.

The discovery and promotion of this abundantreserve fuelled a sub-bituminous bonanza inthe decade prior to World War I. In just a fewshort years, a village mateialized on thebarren, treeless prairie south of the Bow; theoffspring oframpant speculation and frenziedboosterism. At its peak, many predicted BowCity would become a "Pittsburg" on theprairie.' Isolated and exposed, the villageborn unlucky was cursed by drought, worldconflict, bad timing, and just plain bad luck.

The suitability of much of southeasternAlberta for European settlement was

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This map shows present day Bow

City and its proximity to Brooks and

Vauxhall. lt is located on the

opposite side of the Bow River from

the original townsite.

store: the Bow City Trading Company."Withall of the elements in place to affect a

profitable sale, the Lethbridge-group flippedtheir investment in July 1909 to a consortium

calling itself the Bow Centre Collieries,Ltd.t3

The Bow Centre Collieries group, whichconsisted mostly of lumber merchants fromcentral Canada,tu envisioned a majordevelopment at Eyremore. A survey was

commissioned, plotting out a 320-acre

townsite overlooking the south bank of the

Bow River. They elected not to adopt

Eyremore as the name of their development,

instead selecting a new brand they felt more

befitting a future metropolis: "Bow City."

Soon a campaign to sell residential and

commercial lots for Bow City was underway.

Promoters took advantage of the ignorance

of potential investors, shamelessly

exaggerating or completely fabricatingdetails regarding the landscape, the climate,

the region's agricultural prospects, the status

of proposed railways and the actual scale ofdevelopment at Bow City. A conceptual

drawing was commissioned of the townsite,

depicting a bustling city surrounded bystands of pine trees and mountains,'t neither

of which were to be found within 100 miles

of the place.

Advertisements proclaimed Bow City the

"Metropolis of Southern Alberta" and a

"town of the future," home to a mine

employing anywhere from 250 to 1,500

men.'6 An early pamphlet touted Bow Cityas a "city with many advantages," including

a secured railway charter, productivefarmland, and "natural drainage" with access

to "pure glacial water."r'

The inconvenient truth was that Bow Citywas an exceptionally dry piece ofreal estate.

Consecutive years of dry and inclement

weather had left the "centre of the great

granary of southern Alberta"'8 without a

bumper harvest to speak of. Undeterred,

promoters portrayed the semi-arid climate as

an advantage, extolling the benefits of lots

that were "high, dry and level"'e without "the

moisture of Westem Alberta."'zo Printer's inktransformed the countryside into a mythical

Eden, one advertisement proclaiming: "The

farmers in the vicinity of Bow City have no

fear of drought, since the great C.P.R.

irrigation system completely envelops the

whole district." 2' The truth was that work on

the Bassano Dam, part of the massive two

million acre C.P.R. irrigation project north ofthe Bow (now the Eastern Irrigation District)was not yet complete. Even when it was

complete, it was situated to the north of Bow

City, on the opposite side of the river, and

would have absolutely no impact on the

settled farmlands to the south and west ofBow City.

Champlon

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ln this pamphlet from Bow CityBoard of Trade, c. 1913-14, all thetownsite had to offer investors was

good climate, fresh water, and coal

It was not enough to make a city.

Perrie again failed to be swayed and denied

the board's request.ll

Despite living under the illusion that biggerthings were yet to come, events were

transpiring that left Bow City unable to

sustain its sudden growth. By the end of1913, it was leamed that the C.P.R. had again

by-passed the community, opting instead torun a new branch line 25 miles to the south

from Suffield through the Southern AlbertaLand Company's irrigation project. The new

Suffield subdivision spawned the growth ofnew communities, the closest of which,Retlaw, immediately began to atlractcommerce and residents from Bow City and

area. The development of irrigation projects

to the north and south also drew settlers away

from the area, which had suffered yet another

sub-par crop in 1913.

Doubts also surrounded the status of the BowRiver Collieries Railway. As 1913 drew to aclose, financing had yet to be secured for the

railway, which at year's end consisted of an

excavated grade through Bow City, and

nothing else. Disillusioned with emptypromises of a rail link, local residents held ameeting prior to Christmas to discusspetitioning the government for a bridgeacross the Bow.a2

Just as Bow City's days seemed numbered,

the luck of the community appeared tochange. The catalyst was a May 1914 visitfrom municipal inspector, A.D. Fidlel' thatcoincided with unseasonably warm weather

and preparations for the grand opening oftheBow City Hotel.

The village rolled out the red carpet forFidler, leaving a favourable impression withthe inspector. In his report to the DeputyMinister, Fidler remarked that Bow Citywould undoubtedly be a "prosperous littleplace if they can ever get a railroad to it."*Buoyed by the inspector's visit, the Board ofTrade delivered another petition to the

Minister, this time bearing 19 signatures

requesting incorporation.as

In late June, the Bow City Hotel held itslong-awaited grand opening. Three stories

high with forty steam-heated rooms,'6 the

hotel was the pride of Bow City, and

embodied the grand aspirations of the

business community. Owners, Miller and

Doran, hosted the greatest celebration in the

community's short history. Around twothousand people gathered to partake in a

banquet, bowery dance and fireworks display,as well as foot races and a baseball game.q

The gusher of good news continued. Reports

surfaced that oil had been discovered at BowCity, and several companies had been formedto exploit what was "likely the centre of avery rich field."o* Hope for a rail iink was

renewed after the Brooks Bulletin reported

the proposed Hudson Bay and High RiverRailway Co. was surveying its right-of-waythrough Bow City on the way to Saskatoon.ae

Then on July 13, a proclamation was issued

by Wilfred Gariepy, Minister of MunicipalAffairs, organizing a portion of the PrairieCoal Company townsite and the Pierce

subdivision into the Village of Bow City.s0

Just nine days following the village'sincorporation, postmaster WT.P. Eyres, the

baker Frank Vickers, and hardware merchantDave Campbell, were named Bow City'sfirst Council. "Bow City is a full-fledgedmunicipality now," proclaimed the BrooksBulletin, "and the new council will at [once]undertake the work of bringing the place intomore the semblance of a well-orderedmunicipality district."5'

Bow City's halcyon days were short-lived.Within weeks of incorporation, events aworld away would mark the beginning of the

end for the tiny village. In July 1914, politicalinstability in Europe erupted into globalconflict, and as a result the purse strings ofBritish investors snapped tight. The capitalrequired to finance irrigation and industryimmediately dried up like the surroundingcountryside. Although the onset of war had

driven the price of grain to over a dollar a

bushel," another crop failure in 1914 leftfarmers and merchants cursing their luck.Then all hope for irrigation south of BowCity was lost after a consortium called the

Alberta Land Company, who had proposed

to irrigate three townsites immediately south

of Bow City, went into receivership in July1914 along with the parent, Southern AlbertaLand Company.s'

At the close of I9I4, census figures reported

that I25 people called Bow City home.'o

Council also reported a healthy assessment

of over $750,000.55 Accepting the

appea"rance of prosperity on paper, the

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One of the real assets of Bow Citywas its coal. Here a train of wagonsis seen leaving the mine.

1916,6' residents were afforded a stay ofdissolution after they voted to remainincorporated for another year.68 A.D. Fidlerreported to the Deputy Minister:

They no doubt are still living in hopes oJa railroad coming through which woulddevelop their coal mines and build uptheir village, I suppose that no great harmtuill be done by allowing them to continueas a Village for this year....6e

Despite the reprieve, Bow City's luck hadwell and truly run out. As the Great Warground on, Mother Nature turned against thesettlers, unleashing plagues of gophers and

cutworms. Hail and dust storms furtherexacerbated the situation. Wheat yields per

acre across the southeast dropped on averageby half in I9l1 . This trend would beduplicated over the next two years withdrought conditions lasting long into thefuture.To

At the close of the year, Bow City boasted a

deceptively large assessment base of over$158,000. The village also levied almost$7000 in municipal taxes, the third highesttotal among all villages in Alberta. However,with only six residents remaining in thevillage proper,?l the province moved to windup Bow City's affairs in late DecemberI9I"l;' The province appointed A.D. Fidlerto serve as Reeve of the village until BowCity was officially disorganized on April 17,1918.,3

Following dissolution, the community ofBow City reverted to a coal camp, existing toserve the miners and the farmers of theEyremore district. The number of residentsin the surrounding countryside dwindled, as

drought and the arrival of irrigation north ofthe Bow prompted many to abandon theirhomesteads for the promise of greenerpastures. The opening of irrigated lands alsospelled the end of the Bar U's presence along

the Bow. With their massive grazing leasebeing switched over to irrigation, the BigBow's final roundup was held in 1918.George Lane's sons, Ernest and Roy,remained at Bow City, continuing withsmaller operations over the next fourdecades.to

Virtually all of the land included within thevillage reverted back to the original settlersor to the province for outstanding taxes. Atthe end of 1918, all that remained of BowCity was a reorganized townsite alongsidethe mine,?s situated north of present-dayHighway 539. The mine also changed handsin late 1918, with mine manager and BowCity resident, Charles Westgate, acquiringthe assets of the Prairie Coal Company underthe name Kleenbirn Collieries, Ltd.'6 Thelong-awaited lifeline across the Bow arrivedin 192I, with the construction of a bridgetwo miles east of the Bow City townsite.TT In1932, Westgate expanded the mine'soperations, and initiated strip-mining alongthe north bank of the river. In 1943, Kleenbirnshifted its entire operation across the Bow as

part of a wartime expansion,Ts closing itsshaft along the south bank in the process. Allbuildings ancillary to the mine were movedto a reconstituted camp, located adjacent tothe bridge along the north bank of the Bow.

With the migration of the townsite across theriver, the only remaining business in BowCity; the store and post office, soonfollowed.'e Bow School closed its doors twoyears later. Within a decade, mine operationshad been scaled back to local sales alone. In1958, Canada Post finally relented, approvingthe name change of the Eyremore post officeto "Bow City." It was a long-fought victoryfor the community, but decades too late to be

anything but symbolic. By 1910, the store,post office and mine had ceased to function.

The village of Bow City is now long gone,but the mineral wealth lying deep within the

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A booklet advertising Bow City was

printed in Regina by speculators

who hoped to sell lots. No claim

was too wild for the promoters.

31 "Will place Bow City on the map," Lethbridge Herald. 18 January1913.

32 "Going to build new railway to develop [sic] fertile coa fields,"Lethbridge Herald, 20 February 1 91 3.

33 "Lethbridge a comer," Lethbridge Herald, 9 September 1913.

34 Settlers along the BoW 17.

35 tbid.,6a.

36 Correspondence, Henry Baron, Sec. Pro Tem to the Hon C.Stewart, Minister of Municipalities,'13 September 1913,ACC.74.174'1258, File No. 10977, Provincial Archives of Alberta(hereinafter PAA).

37 "Bow City Forms Board of Trade," Erooks Bul/eth, 27 September1913.

38 Bow City, Alberta Board of fnde, Bow City. Alberta. Canada: thecity of natural reeurces. Regina: University Press, 1 91 3).

39 Gloria Margarel Strathern, AlberTa newspapers, lBB0-1982,Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 1988, 246.

40 Correspondence, Henry Baron Secretary Pro Tem to the Hon C.Stewart, l\,4inister of Municipalities, 13 September 1913,ACC.74.174'1258, File No. 10977, PM.

41 Correspondence, lno. Perrle to H. Baron, Secretary of the BowCity Board oI frcde,22 Dec. 1913, ACC.74.174 1258, File No.

10911, PAl'.

42 "Bow City wants bridge over river," Lethbridge Herald.9 December. 1913.

43 Cotrespondence, Henry Baron sec. Pro. Tem to the Hon C.Stewari, Minster of Municipallties, 13 sept. 1913, ACC.14.1741 258, File No. 10977 , PAA.

44 Correspondence, A.D. Fidler to John Perrie, Deputy Minister, 2N,4ay'1 9 1 4, ACC.7 4.1 7 4 1 258, F)le 1 091 1, PA.A,.

45 Correspondence, Wm. Campbell to Jno. Perrie, 18 N.4ay 1914,ACC.74.1741258, File 10977, PAA.

Settlers along the Bow,23.

Brooks Bulletin.21 June 1914.

"Oil at Bow City," Brooks Bulletin,2T June 1914.

" Bow City Railroad, " Brooks Bul leti n, 27 )une 191 4.

"Notice," A/berta Gazette 1914, paft 1,692.

"Bow City has now firstclass [sic] council," Brooks Bulletin, 1

August 1914.

David C. Jones, Empire of Dust. Calgaty. Universlty of CalgaryPress,2OO2,268.

john F. Gilp n, Prairie promises: history of the Bow River lrrigationD/sfrrct. Vauxhall: Bow River lrrigation D strict, 1996, 68.

Alberta, Department of N,4unicipal Affairs, "Populatlon Data1 914," http://\/\/]ru.municipalaffairs.alberta.caldocuments/ms/populat on 1 91 4.pdf

Cotrespondence, S.E. Armstrong to N/inister of Municlpal Affairs,1 1 February 1915. ACC.74.174 1258, File 10977, PAl'.

Correspondence. Arthur Wooley to Secretary, Suruey Board lorSouthern Alberta, 15 Febtuary 1922,fable XXl, 69.289 f43b, PAA.

"Bow City Has A Bad Fjre", Erooks Bulletin,3 July 1915.

Alberta, Department of Municipal Affairs, "Population Data1 9'1 5", http://ww.municipalaffairs.alberta.caldocuments/ms/popLlat'onl91 5.pdf.

59 Canada Census and Statistics Office, Census of the PrairieProvinces. 1916 - Population and Agriculture: Manitoba.Saskatchewan. A/berta. ottawa: Dept. of Trade and Commerce,1918.

Correspondence, A.D. Fidler to John Petrie, December 20,1915,ACC.14.114 1258, File 10977, PAA.

Correspondence, A.D. Fidler to John Petrie, September 3,19'16,ACC.74.1741258, File 10944, PAA.

[,4.c. Urquhart and K.A. Buckley, Historical Statistics of Canada(Toronto: [,4acmillan, 1965) 345, 359.

"Bow City," Lomond Press,'10 November 1 91 6.

Saskatchewan Conseryative Party, How Libetal members of theSaskatchewan Legislature were bought. Saskatchewan:Conseruative Parry, 1917, 1-16.

65 "Legislator sentenced to a term in prison," Totonto Woild.,3 November'1916.

66 "Mr Purcell, Weghed in the Balance and Found Wanting,"Brooks Bulletin,3l N/ay 1917.

67 Correspondence, John Petrle to A.D. Fidler, B September '1916,

ACC.74.1141258, File 10944, PAA.

68 Correspondence, Village of Bow City to A.D. Fidler, 2 Jan. 1911,ACC.14.174 1258, F le 10944, PAA.

69 Correspondence, A.D. Fidler to John Perrie. 8 January 1917,ACC.14.1741258, File 10944, PAA.

70 Cotrespondence, Arthur Woolev to Secretary, Suruey Board forSouthern Alberta, 1 5 February 1 922, Table XXl, 69.289 f 43b, PM.

71 Alberta. Dept. of Municipal AIIats, Report of the Depaftment olMunicipal Affairs of the Province of Albefta Edmonton: AlbeftaDepartment of N/lunicipal Affairs, 1917, 16.

72 Correspondence, Jno. Perrie to Hugh L. Robinson, 21 December1917, ACC.14.1741258, File 10944, PM.

73 Department of Municipal Affairs, Village of Bow City, File No.10944, A.CC.74.174 1258 PAA.

74 Seftlers along the Bow, 13.

75 Cotrespondence, C.R. Westgate to J. Lamb, Actjng DeputyMinistet Dept. of l\,4un cipal Affairs, Edmonton, 1 3 Nov. 1 9 1 8, File

10911 , ACC.74.114 1258 PAA.

76 Minutes of a Special General Meeting, Prairie Coal Co. Ltd, 24April 1919, Regna, GlenbowArchives N,41602, PA2346.

77 Settlers along the Bow,79.

7B tbid., 56.

79 tbid..72.

57

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Spectacular Holdup

Two masked men held up a gambling house on Ninth avenue in Calgary early yesterday morning, and after lining seven

men up against the wall at the point of revolvers, obtained between $1,500 and $2,000. After cutting the telephone wiresthe bandits made their escape. Up to late last night, the police had not been notified of the hold-up. Fearing prosecutionthe gamblers refrained from putting any information in the hands of the police.

The robbery occurred within a stone's throw of the Canadian Pacific depot. It was a few minutes after one o'clock thismorning when the robbers, masked with handkerchiefs, walked boldly into the room and commanded the seven players

to hold up their hands. There was no hesitancy about obeying the command. "Red George," Josh Henthorn, and MorrisDaly, three of the visitors to the place, and their four companions were promptly lined up with their faces to the wall.George was relieved of $685, Henthorn of $375, and the other players lesser amounts. No shots were fired. One man

attempted to slide his bank roll down the back of his neck, and was rapped on the head with a gun by one of the

highwaymen.

The general belief is that the gamblers, who knew of the high play of the place, had something to do with the hold-up.

------ Edmonton Capital, November 26,1912