On September 1, 1905, the day Alberta officially became a province, Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier spoke of “the determination of a young and vigorous people” brimming with calm resolution, courage, enthusiasm and hope. Albertans, Laurier declared, could face all difficulties and settle all problems.
This issue would not have been possible without our advertisers, Enbridge and ATB Financial. Their support has enabled us to show that Prime Minister Laurier’s inauguration-day speech still resonates a century later. Alberta remains a land of courage, enthusiasm and hope.
Frontier of Frontiers
When Alberta Venture began planning a commemorative centennial issue, we decided to look at the province’s history through the lens of entrepreneurship. People who start their own businesses, naturally, are problem-solvers. We read books, consulted with historians, commissioned researchers, argued amongst ourselves, and ultimately assembled a list of 100 names, 10 per decade dating back to 1905. Each of the following sections links to a PDF file from the published magazine.
Editor’s Note
1905 – 1915: Boundless Opportunity
Alberta’s opening decade was both vibrant and volatile. The western movement of the agricultural frontier, the ongoing frenzy of railroad construction and the birth of countless towns and villages sent a flood of people and investment capital to the new province. Speculation ran rampant and property values spiraled as investors from eastern Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe snapped up everything from wheat lands and urban lots to timber and mineral leases. (more)
1915 – 1925: Reality Check
This war-punctured decade was a contradiction. Wheat, livestock and manufacturing flourished during the First World War. Increased farm mechanization combined with 1915’s bumper wheat crop stimulated agricultural incomes. Access to the American market energized the cattle industry like never before. Alberta’s coal production soared from a quarter to half of national production. Optimism associated with the 1914 discovery of wet gas at Turner Valley sparked continued drilling activity, an injection of outside capital and, in 1923, the province’s first refinery. (more)
1925 – 1935: Peaks and Valleys
This decade ran the gamut from fortune to despair. The late 1920s – especially 1929 – were a high point in the province’s history and foretold future possibilities. Mineral and oil production hit new records, Calgary and Edmonton boomed, and wages doubled in just four years. Albertans were wealthier than ever. (more)
1935 – 1945: The Modern Era
The miseries of the depression bled into another call to arms. In its massive response to both, the federal government inserted itself securely into the lives of its citizens. The modern era was born. (more)
1945 – 1955: Bonanza, Boom
Alberta’s defining decade. In the company’s last exploratory oil effort in the province, Standard Oil of New Jersey’s Canadian subsidiary, Imperial Oil, hit the jackpot at Leduc on February 13, 1947. This discovery of high-grade oil dramatically changed Alberta’s economic destiny. Intense exploration led to new finds at Redwater, Golden Spike, Wizard Lake, Bonnie Glen and Pembina. (more)
1955 – 1965: A Rising Tide
A decade of contrasts and consolidation. The raw enthusiasm of epochal oil discoveries was overlain by the need for sustaining infrastructure. Alberta’s rise as a national economic player underscored its distinct social profile. Paradoxically, one could argue, everything and nothing changed as the old and the new overlapped. (more)
1965 – 1975: Identity Crisis
Alberta moved more squarely onto the national stage, becoming both at one and at odds with national sentiment. Alberta was an enthusiastic participant in Canada’s centennial celebrations. Although in the long run, the hundreds of centennial projects probably reinforced regional more than national identity, Albertans felt a surge of Canadian nationalism in 1967.(more)
1975 – 1985: Diversity, Danger
Wildly swinging fortunes emphasized the danger of a single-industry economy. In this context, the 1976 establishment of the Heritage Trust Fund to save energy monies for a “rainy” day was a portent for the future. (more)
1985 – 1995: Collapse and Cutbacks
A sober decade. Characterized by slowing growth and restraint, it was probably the province’s worst economically since the 1930s. Though Alberta retained its prosperous image, the halcyon days were over. (more)
1995 – 2005: Vibrantly Ever After?
A somewhat chastened province is addressing the realities of diversification. It remains to be seen, however, whether unprecedented oil and gas prices and the strong global demand for raw materials will re-emphasize Alberta’s long affiliation with unbridled resource extraction. (more)
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