In January of 1923, Lethbridge resident E. G. Sterndale Bennett published a letter in the Herald. The column, a thoughtfully penned request to connect with theatre lovers like himself, received only one written response. This year, Sterndale Bennett’s theatre group celebrated their centennial. Clearly, an opening isn’t everything!
Read MoreLethbridge’s Oliver Block, located across the street from Draffin’s Pharmacy on 5 Street downtown, has borne an interesting story since the day it was built. Constructed at the turn of the twentieth century, the building was named for its owner William Oliver during his term as Lethbridge’s seventh mayor. The building opened in two separate segments at Oliver’s behest, as he was eager to open his blacksmithing business as soon as possible! In the 120-odd years since, the building has housed a wide variety of tenants. Perhaps what the building is best known for now, however, is how close it came to destruction.
Read MoreAs Lethbridge lost the 104-year-old Bow On Tong building to a fire in early February, many feared that the last remnants of Chinatown were gone with it. Some staples of the historic community still stand along 2 Avenue; most of us are familiar with the bold architecture of the Chinese Freemason building, or the Traditional Chinese lettering atop the Wing Wah Chong Co. building. As more historic buildings are lost to time, however, it is worth examining exactly what purpose they served in the first place—and why they still matter today.
Read MoreWhen Dorothy Clark, a 24-year-old graduate of the Minneapolis Academy of Beauty, moved here in 1924, it was to a much different Lethbridge than we know today. While a swath of local spas, salons, and beauty shops can be found now with a simple search engine inquiry, Mrs. Clark was entering a much smaller market; her arrival to Lethbridge marked her as one of only two working hairdressers in the 14,000-person mining community.
Read MoreFor as long as humans have flown, Lethbridge has had the space for it! As aviation took off in the early twentieth century, the need for dedicated airports became clear around the world, from major cities to small rural communities. It wasn’t long before this demand manifested locally into the Lethbridge Airport.
Read MoreThere’s no need to explain how important hockey is to Albertans. No matter the age or the league, the sport has an impact on all of us—especially if it inspires pride in our local athletes!
Read MoreWhile a relatively young city, Lethbridge’s history is unique in the way it surrounds us even today. It is easy for any historical organization to speak about buildings that used to be, or practices that were once in place; it’s another thing entirely to walk up to these buildings or continue these lines of work. While industries like coal mining are seen far less today, other fields—particularly the agricultural kind—define our region today as thoroughly as they used to. The past runs through any city’s veins; in Lethbridge’s case, it doubles as its face.
Read MoreWhen we hear of internet, TV or radio channels being censored, it can be easy to think only of governments in distant lands like Russia, China or North Korea. However, there have been times in history that the Canadian government has controlled what sounds can be heard—or not heard—within our own borders.
Read MoreVenture through archived issues of the Lethbridge Herald for glimpses of what this tradition may have looked like a hundred years ago
Read MoreFrequent travellers may be familiar with phrase books—dictionaries used during a trip to communicate in basic sentences, even if you don’t understand the local language. You may not know, however, just how far back these tools date!
Read MoreWith so many online platforms popping up around family history and DNA research, it’s clear that interest in the field of genealogy is increasing. And in part due to the pandemic, the online accessibility of other genealogical materials has increased dramatically as well. Despite all of these great online resources, to get a full picture of your family history you will eventually need to step foot into an archive to view important documents and photos in person. This can be a daunting idea if you have never visited an archive or don’t know how to access one. But it’s actually quite easy!
Read MorePeople and historic events are not frozen in time; they can be researched and explored through new ways of thinking—Fort Whoop-Up and its legacy are no exception.
Read MoreGalt Gardens is one of the oldest green spaces in Lethbridge, established when the plans for the downtown were laid out over one hundred years ago. This area in the city core—between 1 and 3 Avenues and 5 and 7 Streets—was set aside by the Galt family in 1885 as a central square for the new urban centre.
Read MoreThe Inn Purple was a coffee house for young adults that was open from 1967 to 1968 in Lethbridge. It was a place where teens and young adults could go to hang out, listen to music and dance without drugs, alcohol or their parents.
Read MoreThe MacDonald Block is one of few buildings that have held a vintage advertisement and withstood the test of time. One hundred and twenty-five years’ worth of local business have held a place in this building at 302 5 Street South.
Read MoreThe life of an arborist is never dull, but what exactly does an arborist do? Learn some of the specifics from Lethbridge’s only female certified arborist Maureen Sexsmith-West and how she’s fostering the next generation of women in urban forestry to care for our local trees.
Read MorePublic transit is an ever-evolving part of life within the local community, and free or inexpensive access to local culture is crucial. Much like the streetcar initiative over a century ago, an innovative transit project called cultureLINK is launching in Lethbridge this summer.
Read MoreOki. A relatively small Blackfoot word—however it is packed with meaning and cultural significance. The word can mean many things in English including: ‘hello’, ‘greetings’ and ‘welcome’.
Read MoreThe Board and staff critically reflected on the services the museum and fort provide to the community and examined new opportunities.
Read MoreAnna M. Tilley was described as "the best friend the city ever had."
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