Southern Alberta Pioneers and Their Descendants

The pioneers of Alberta, through their foresight and perseverance, were instrumental in building the foundation of this great province. They were instrumental in establishing towns, cities, the government, the university, the Calgary & Edmonton Railway, boards of trade, The Historical Society of Alberta and many other institutions. On this infrastructure future generations were to build the Alberta we know today.

To commemorate the pioneers of Southern Alberta and Alberta's Golden Jubilee, the SAPD built The Southern Alberta Memorial Building in 1955.

In 1955, the City erected a field stone cairn with an attached flag pole in front of the building. Today, Canadian and Albertan flags fly above the cairn. The City affixed to the cairn a brass plaque which says "Presented to the Southern Alberta's Old Timers by the City of Calgary in the Province's Golden Anniversary Year 1955." This monument was dedicated on the opening of the Memorial Buildling on June 8,1955.

The building is located at 3625 - 4th Street S.W., Calgary, Alberta on lands leased from the City of Calgary. The building is a true memorial to the pioneers of Southern Alberta. Situated on a high promontory, the Memorial Building overlooks the Elbow River, gives a general view of the city and commands a splendid view of the Rocky Mountains to the west. In the late 1800's bull trains and Red River carts from Fort Benton, Montana, and stagecoaches from Fort Macleod, with their dusty, travel-stained passengers and picturesque stage drivers passed by this site on their way to Calgary. The building and grounds offer an excellent setting for special occasions and events.

In 1967, to celebrate Canada's 100th birthday, SAPD erected the Centennial Gate at the site. SAPD attached to the Gate, brass plaques bearing the names of pioneers of Southern Alberta. In 1988, further names were added to the gate bringing the total number to approximately 2000.

Over the years it was brought to our attention that the Memorial Building was hard to find. The Building was often referred to mistakenly as a club house. This was very unfortunate as it is far from this. It was and is a Memorial Building.

Over the years our members have voluntarily spent enormous amounts of time and money maintaining the building and grounds and researching and preserving the history of the pioneers. To make this special historic resource known and appreciated, SAPD constructed a new entrance sign at street level in front of the Centennial Gate, in 1998. SAPD hopes that initiative and this website will make SAPD better known and that descendants of pioneers and other researchers will be able to communicate with us more easily.

You can help the SAPD by volunteering your time and money to help maintain the Memorial Building and the grounds. Please contact the President. You may wish to do research and help to rescue from oblivion the history of the pioneers. Or, you may wish to augment our Archives by donating pioneer histories, pictures and other artifacts relating to them. In which case please contact the Historian.

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e-mail: Building Agent
Memorial Building: 403-243-3580
Fax: 403-287-2485


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