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Posted in News | on June 29th, 2012 | by Pioneer Staff

Like Ann Baldock likes this.

Pop the champagne, Edgewater’s turning100!

By Dorothy Isted

Special to The Pioneer

The village of Edgewater is turning 100 this month and with anniversary celebrations beckoning

on July 7th and 8th, The Pioneer decided to look back on the humble beginnings of this

indomitable community.

More people making an effort to buylocally.

Lower prices for products andservices they offer.

More support from the local andprovincial government.

More ads in The Pioneer and theEcho!

TURNING BACK THE CLOCK — One of Edgewater!s first buildings was the home of W. Herbert

Gaddes, who was an integral part of the growth of the small ranching and farming community. The

building doubled as offices for Gaddes! company, Columbia Valley Ranches. Photos courtesy of the

Windermere Valley Museum

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Cheers & Jeers

Cheersto Selkirk TV and Appliance. Your store

looks wonderful. We are local and shop

local.November 30th, 2012

Cheersto TC, her family and coaches for creating

and providing such a fantastic gymnastic

and dance facility. The kids and adults are loving it!November 30th, 2012

JeersJeers to those who went south for Black

Friday shopping. That is no way to

support local business.November 30th, 2012

Cheersto my neighbour for showing your true

colours. Disheartening to learn what you

repeatedly tell others!November 30th, 2012

Cheersto the gals at the Windermere landfill.

Your sleigh and reindeers are very, very

beautiful. Forever Young.November 30th, 2012

[ Submit a Cheers or Jeers ]

The seeds of inspiration for the tranquil village, which sits 10 kilometres north of Radium Hot

Springs, germinated in the mind of James Lorenzo McKay, a young Scottish immigrant to the area.

After returning from service in the Army in 1885, James travelled to the valley and went back to

his family at their homestead in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, to report it a good place to settle down.

In 1886, brothers James, Jock and Cham, along with their father, John McKay, made their way to

the sloughs below Edgewater. James, just 18 at the time, saw the potential and purchased about

15,000 acres, from Sinclair (Radium) to Luxor (Spur Valley), naming it Elk Park Ranch.

A tiny ranching and farming community sprang up. But it was a man by the name of Dr. W.

Herbert Gaddes, who did for Edgewater what Robert Randolph Bruce did for Invermere, causing it

to flourish.

Gaddes, a veterinarian turned land developer, visited the McKays several times between 1908 and

1910 and stayed with the family at their Upper Ranch, site of the well-known Eaton farmhouse, just

north of Radium.

Gaddes was there as an advisor to James McKay, who had plans to develop his property. McKay

was financed by the Dominion Trust Company, which had dealings with the company Gaddes

worked for in Kelowna.

Dr. Gaddes began working for Columbia Valley Orchard Ltd. in Edgewater in 1911. It was that

same year that the small community was formally surveyed and planned.

By 1923, only two buildings had been constructed in the hamlet, one belonging to Columbia

Valley Orchard Ltd., on the corner of Selkirk and Vermillion Street, and the other an early

investor’s summer house, the Planta cottage.

In the early 1900s, 30 to 40 men were employed for two years to construct an irrigation flume

with a main line nine kilometres long, and several kilometres of branch lines. Around 87 properties

still use the historic flume today.

With the construction of the Edgewater Sawmill in 1912, people began to trickle slowly into the

area. In 1918 there were 30 people in the hamlet. In 1927: 60. But a year later the count shot up to

200.

Some British settlers had left during the First World War (1914-1918) and never returned, so the

Dominion Trust Company — the financial backer for both the McKays and Columbia Valley

Orchard — offered their properties up for sale to recoup some of their losses.

Dr. Gaddes believed he could restore the plan to build up the village, draw in immigrants, and

later sell it to a land settlement company, so he attracted some business partners and formed the

Columbia Valley Ranches company.

They brought in settlers from Germany, Denmark and Switzerland. These continental influences

can still be seen with a flick through the phone book, which includes Wengers, Rasmussens,

Lautrups and Stollers.

Columbia Valley Ranches also donated land for a community hall and church, further aiding

Edgewater’s expansion. A Danish émigré, master carpenter Elof Madsen, drew the plans for

Edgewater’s All Saints Anglican Church, the community hall, and the Whitehouse Pub in

Windermere — all of which still stand to this day.

Between 1922 and 1925, the flumes, which had fallen into disrepair, were restored, and upgrades

were made to fences and farm buildings.

To finance this, Dr. Gaddes imported a trainload of beef cows and hogs to generate some

income.

He sold the company in 1925 to his younger brother Mel, a real estate agent who, with a business

partner, sold 20 acre parcels for $50 an acre with a deposit of $100.

Close to 60 families were drawn in by the reasonably-priced lands. Most ran mixed farming

operations, which made them a living during the summer and fall. In the winter, residents could

supplement their incomes in the lumber mill.

But, following the stock market crash of 1929, the forestry industry across Canada tanked. In

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Edgewater, Canadian Pacific Railway ceased purchasing railway ties for their construction from the

lumber mill, cutting off a vital source of income to the town.

Because people were not able to make their mortgage payments, Mel and his business partner

were forced to give up their property, which reverted to Dr. Gaddes. By this time he was employed

by the government and living in Vancouver, so he sent his son Leonard to manage the Edgewater

property.

Leonard held the position for 12 years. He organized the farming and cutting of Christmas trees

around Edgewater, first with the Hofert Company and later with GR Kirk Company. This created a

regular winter business, with Edgewater workers supplying between 125,000 to 140,000 trees each

season.

Without this, the town would not have survived the Great Depression, which ran from 1930 to

the early 1940s. Leonard also secured a contract to provide fresh produce to the CPR hotels in Lake

Louise and Banff.

Barry Moore, a current resident, recalls the story:

“Leonard was having a bridge game at the Planta house. Von Danikan, said to him, ‘You

Canadians are so stupid! You’ve got all this fine produce! We’ve got movie stars and rich people

staying at the Banff Springs Hotel where I work and the vegetables are crap!’”

In fact, Edgewater produce was so good it was sent to the San Francisco World’s Fair. Mr.

Moore recalls Isabel Erkman, who was a longtime Edgewater resident, showing him the ornate

certificates received at this event.

As a result, Leonard — who ran a company composed of 15,000 acres, livestock, a sawmill and

planer — went into Calgary to purchase a truck to deliver produce. The dealership wouldn’t take his

company cheque and he had to use his personal funds to purchase the $400, four-ton vehicle.

An insulated receptacle was then built for the back of it and he made several trips per week

delivering food to the CPR hotels in Banff and Lake Louise. The contract lasted into the 1940s.

Barry Moore grew up in the Planta

house, which was built for Senator

Planta, one of the original company

investors, as a summer dwelling. It was

known locally as The Glass House

because it had so many windows.

Dr. Gaddes retired from his

government job in 1934 and spent part

of each year in Edgewater, working to

attract settlers from the Prairies. After

Leonard left in 1942 to build his own

business, Dr. Gaddes remained in

Edgewater until he sold most of the

property to the GR Kirk Company. The

remaining townsite lots and some

farming land were sold to Harry Moore, Barry Moore’s father.

In 1923, Harry took a sawmill job in Wasa, B.C. and he later married Berta Cameron. After

several years of running a “portable logging show” during the Depression, Barry’s mother was darn

tired of moving all the time, he said.

In 1942, Harry had a visit in Ta Ta Creek near Cranbrook from the manager of the Columbia

Valley Ranches and was asked to move his operation and employees up to Edgewater for a year. He

brought with him the Larochelles and Carlson families, who still reside in Edgewater to this day.

Berta was happy to settle in and decided there would be no more moving.

The first Edgewater school was built on the Smith property, two-and-a-half miles from town.

Dorothy Brown, 94, of Invermere, lived in Edgewater for 92 years. She recalls going to school with

twins Bill and Boyce Gaddes. Over the years the community hall was used sporadically as classroom

space. At one time Edgewater even had its own high school.

HISTORICAL LENS — Edgewater!s general stores, which

have come and gone over the years, have always served as

a hub of activity within the community. Pictured, top:

Hansen!s General Store in 1930.

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As the small community progressed, a number of key businesses were formed by residents.

Farms all around the valley trucked their milk to the Edgewater Creamery, which was run by Del

and Phyllis Bowers.

Jim Taylor owned the Edgewater Berry Farm and grew raspberries, strawberries and currents.

Students from the fine arts school in Banff used to come out as berry pickers in the summer.

There was also a time when Edgewater seed potatoes were being shipped to Idaho and New

Brunswick.

The Alpine Club of Canada employed residents for many years during the summers and there

were also a few guide/outfitting operations run by locals.

Forestry played a big part in the economy of the community throughout its history. In 1965, the

community suffered a setback when the Social Credit government awarded Edgewater’s quota for

timber production to a large American corporation. Within a few years many families had to leave

and look for work elsewhere.

Over the years, many small businesses have come and gone in Edgewater. The community

gained and lost a few small coffee shops, Conzelman’s Garage, for gas and car repairs, Hansen’s

General Store, and the Edgewater General Store run by Mr. Blair, who also had a store in Brisco.

His store was housed in a building intended for a cannery. But the First World War had

interrupted plans and the building instead served as a community recreation centre before Hansen

took it over.

For a short time around 1928 Heinz and Gertie Seel taught gymnastics in the building, and from

1933 until 1965 it served as the general store and a hub of the community. In 1971, it was converted

into four apartments.

From 1946 to about 1958 the community also gained the Edgewater Coffee Shop. It was begun

by Evelyn Nielsen and went through a change of hands before its sale again to Carrie and Adolph

Johnson.

The Johnsons added ice cream, which Adolph churned by hand after his workday at the sawmill

was done as there was no electricity. When Hans and Betty Nable took over, they added a second

story and rental room, plus groceries on the main floor.

Other local gathering places were Spike’s Coffee Shop, Fried Chicken Café, Hansen’s General

Store.

Nowadays the community of Edgewater is served by Pip’s Country Store, a general store filled

with rural charm, a community hall, Legion branch, gas station, golf course, elementary school and

the Edgewater Open Market, which offers crafts and produce every Saturday morning.

When asked about the strong sense of community that is evident in Edgewater, Barry Moore

explained:

“Edgewater was much bigger than Invermere for the longest time. Tourism rose, farming

dropped. You didn’t need locally grown

milk or produce anymore. A lot of

places run on an economy. When you

don’t have an economy, you have to

have something else.”

The 2011 Census recorded the town

population as 544 with 301 dwellings.

Businesses have come and gone, as

have people. But the one thing that has

remained constant has been the strong

sense of community.

You can get a taste of it yourself at the Edgewater 100th birthday celebrations on July 7th and

8th.

Included will be pancake breakfasts, the Steamboat Mountain Music Festival (see page 15 for

more event details), self-guided history walks, a duck race down the historical flume, a heritage tea

Edgewater!s first school by Larmour Creek on Eric Smith!s

property with young pupils Amy Nixon, Dorothy Lansburg

and Dorothy Smith.

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and the Edgewater 100th Celebration Parade down Main Street at 10 a.m. on Sunday, July 8th.

3 Responses to Pop the champagne, Edgewater!s turning 100!

Larry Jacobsen says:July 3, 2012 at 5:17 pm

I enjoyed your well-written article on Edgewater; a place I lived for eight years and left at

age eight in 1937.

It did not occur to me until well after reading your piece that no mention is made of the

Aboriginal people living in the area. Surely they must have been in the area during the early

settling by European immigrants. On trying to find some quick history on the local reserves

in the area I was baffled by the dearth of information regarding this matter.

Thanks again for an informative piece.

By the way, I was a classmate of Leonard Gaddes’ daughter Irene for my first two years of

school in Edgewater. Any idea of where she is now?

Larry Jacobsen

Ann Baldock {Taylor} says:July 7, 2012 at 5:57 pm

I really enjoyed your article on Edgewater. As i grew up there. Thank you for mentioning

my Dad. He would have been very proud to be written about. Ann Baldock {Taylor}

Elisabeth Hedges says:November 14, 2012 at 9:41 pm

I grew up in Edgewater from 1935 to 1945.

Elisabeth Madsen. My mother and father had the first ice cream in Edgewater which we

produced on our farm. I have alot of great photos from Edgewater from 1928 to 1945 if

anyone is interested. There was a large Danish community there at that time.

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