The Lendrum Sisters

Alongside the Heritage Mile, east of Edmonton in Sherwood Park, Alta., stands a statue of the three Lendrum sisters. Although their homestead lined a mile that contributed to the city’s growth, it was not their home’s location that earned these pioneering women such an honour. The eldest, Annie, was born in 1873. Mary and Myra, …

Bill Greathouse: Roving Cowboy

His name was William Browning Greathouse, and in the Neutral Hills of Alberta he is still a legend. Born in Arkansas on March 31, 1866, Bill grew up in San Saba, Texas, a cattle shipping center known for violence during the post Civil War era. Comanche raids, vigilante actions and outbreaks of typhoid were more …

Al Cherny, Canada’s Favourite Fiddler

He was born Alexander Peter Chernywech November 1, 1932, but before he left his prairie home of Medicine Hat, Alta., he was already on the trail that would take him across Canada and around the world as Canada’s favourite fiddler, the legendary Al Cherny. As a child, Chernywech received a violin from his father and …

Henry Kelsey: First in the West

        Henry Kelsey’s contribution to our nation’s history is manifold: he is regarded as the first European to see the Canadian Prairies, musk oxen, grizzly bears and the buffalo. He is credited with the first peace treaties with First Nations tribes west of York Factory. He is documented as being one of …