WHAT ’ S IN A NAME ?
These are the stories behind the names of some of Edmonton ’ s streets and neighbourhoods .
CANADA 150
BY TAMARA ASCHENBRENNER
PHOTOS COURTESY STOCK . ADOBE . COM
Those in the journalism industry may be familiar with Frank Oliver , for whom the city gets the name for the Oliver area and its neighbourhood park . Oliver was the founder and editor of the Edmonton Bulletin , the first newspaper in what is now Alberta .
Many “ firsts ” are attributed to Oliver . When he first arrived from Winnipeg , he bought one of the first lots outside of Fort Edmonton and opened a trading store , the first store beyond the walls of the Hudson ’ s Bay Company ’ s fort . He was also the first Albertan to be elected into the House of Commons . As Minister of the Interior , Oliver created the first national park in Canada ( Banff ) and secured Edmonton as the province ’ s capital . Outside of the Oliver area , a memorial park exists adjacent to the Hotel Macdonald ( 10065-100 St .), close to the original location of his newspaper . You can visit the original building at its new home in Fort Edmonton Park .
109 STREET 109 STREET
JASPER ( 101 ) AVENUE
WHYTE ( 82 ) AVENUE
The Garneau area , near the University of Alberta , is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Edmonton . When the Hudson ’ s Bay Company began relinquishing its land around Fort Edmonton , Métis Laurent Garneau was one of the first settlers to obtain property for farming .
Garneau is well known for his social activism . Before moving to the city , he fought with Louis Riel in the Red River resistance in 1869 , which established the province of Manitoba and reformed the government to be more inclusive of both French and English language groups .
A monument for Garneau currently exists in Adair Park ( 110 St . and 90 Ave .), and a commemorative plaque resides at the base of a maple tree he planted in 1874 ( 111 St . and 90 Ave .). The tree is now the oldest in the area , and possibly even in Edmonton !
This busy downtown street shares its name with the national park and mountain town , all of which were named after a famous Missouri Métis fur trader for the North West Company — Jasper Haws ( or Hawes ). Like its namesake , Jasper Avenue is bustling . Early on , it was one of Edmonton ’ s main streets , and on it you can find many of Edmonton ’ s oldest heritage buildings , such as the MacLean Block ( 1909 ) and the Canadian Bank of Commerce ( 1929 ). In 1933 , it was the first street in the city to acquire a traffic light , and it is still a major public transit route .
For some , the spelling of this popular south Edmonton street has caused some confusion . But rather than a colour , it is named after Sir William Whyte who was an executive for the Canadian Pacific Railway ( CPR ).
Whyte emigrated from Scotland in 1863 and soon began working for the Grand Trunk Railway . HE rose through the ranks , ultimately becoming the second vice-president in 1904 and then vicepresident in 1910 .
Part of Whyte ’ s legacy includes the planning , financing and execution of the construction of the High Level Bridge ( 109 St .), which amalgamated Edmonton and Strathcona and is currently the most direct route from downtown Edmonton to Whyte Avenue . w
MARCH / APRIL 2017 // where . ca 17