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An Edmonton Album: Glimpses of the Way We Were
An Edmonton Album Glimpses of the Way We Were Author:Jo-Anne Christensen, Dennis Shappka Photographs capture the nuances and seemingly inconsequential details of the past that history books seldom record, and can tell personal stories as well as they can document seminal events. They evoke a nostalgia that bare facts cannot, and they show people as they really were. In An Edmonton Album, Glimpses of the Way We Were, by Jo-Anne Chr... more »istensen and Dennis Shappka, the historically significant and the everyday are brought together in a collection of photographs that give a true depiction of the vibrancy of Edmonton's early years, from the city's incorporation in 1892, to the discovery of oil in the 1940s. These images, rich with the details that characterize the era, remember the people and places that contributed to the city's tremendous growth and the creation of its unique identity. Through the camera lens, we witness the laying of the cornerstone for the Legislature, the construction of the high level bridge, and the opening of the first school in 1882. And we see what life was like for early Edmontonians: ice-skating and enjoying sleigh rides, working in the coal mine, and despite the hardships of the depression, dressing up for Halloween. We can see from one photo that at the Dreamland theatre admission to a movie cost only a dime, and we can see from another that the curling team wore tam-o-shanters with pom-poms and used regular corn brooms to sweep the ice. The authors have been careful to include photographs of Edmonton's many famous locals: business man John Walter, who owned and operated "Walter's Ferry;" Annie Jackson, the first policewoman in Canada; Alex Decoteau, the first native police officer in Canada, and the only Albertan chosen for the 1912 Olympic team; Emily Ferguson Murphy, the first female magistrate in the British Empire; and Wilfrid "Wop" May, who wrote his history in the air. And, there are stunning photos of the events that gave Edmonton its character: the tragedy at Walter's Mine, the 1915 flood, the Great Depression, and the black gold rush in the 40s. Beautifully written, and with more than 150 black-and-white images, An Edmonton Album is a sentimental journey into Edmonton's rich past.« less