Hardisty residence home to international figures, Richard and Esther
Brandon Lynch photo
Prominent Edmontonians Richard George Hardisty and his wife Esther Kelly Hardisty played a role in important events in Canada and abroad. Their Westmount home, built in 1913, has been declared a Municipal Historic Resource.
The Hardisty Residence is an early example of a Foursquare-designed house with wood clapboard siding, a low-pitched roof with projected eaves and a front-facing gable dormer. It is the 191st property to be designated as a Municipal Historic Resource in Edmonton since 1985.
Richard George Hardisty was born in 1871. His father, Richard Charles Hardisty, was the Chief Factor at Fort Edmonton and the first Métis person to be appointed to the Senate of Canada. His mother, Elizabeth McDougall, was the daughter of George McDougall, an early Methodist missionary in the region.
Richard George served as a scout and dispatch rider for government troops during the 1885 Northwest Resistance. He helped organize Edmonton’s first hockey club in 1896 and played on its Edmonton Thistle team. From 1897 to 1898, Richard George was part of the North West Mounted Police expedition to find an all-Canadian route to the Klondike gold fields. During the First World War, he served in France as a Major in the 49th Battalion (Edmonton Regiment) of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He died in Vancouver in 1943.
Esther was a unique woman for her time. She worked in New York as an advertising manager for Borden’s Milk and edited two medical journals before marrying Richard George. During the First World War, Esther served overseas in the nursing service.
During the Second World War, Esther was a publicity executive with the National Selective Service of Canada, which found workers for factories and other war-related efforts. The National Selective Service encouraged significant numbers of women into paid employment, which had lasting effects on female labour force participation in Canada. Esther died in 1947. https://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/edmonton_archives/historic-resources
Northeast river valley park closed Wednesday for controlled burn
Edmonton firefighters spent Wednesday morning lighting a fire, instead of putting one out. The Northeast River Valley Park was closed by Edmonton Fire Rescue for a prescribed burn, meant to clear grass and weeds in the park. The preventative fire is a recent addition to the city’s fire protection plan.
“We’re seeing more and more fires around so we just want to use different techniques to prepare different areas and mitigate the risk and hazards that are out there on the landscapes we have,” said Darren Grove, the acting general manager for the city’s open space operations.
“We have seen a couple fires over the years in the valley,” said Chris Szydlowski, who owns River Valley Adventure Co. In April 2023, one of those fires even damaged a downtown hotel, not far from Szydlowski’s business. He believes that a fire prevention plan is essential to protect the green space where he makes his living. https://globalnews.ca/news/11100063/edmonton-fire-prevention-prescribed-burn/
How do you enjoy Edmonton’s river valley parks during the winter?
The City of Edmonton invites residents’ input into projects, policies and initiatives that grow communities, establish government services and prepare the city for the future. Below is a current opportunity for Edmontonians to shape decisions about the river valley.
The Winter Park survey was created because Edmonton is proud to be a WinterCity and values resident input as they continue to enhance winter offerings. They are inviting folks to share their experiences and insights about how they enjoy Edmonton's River Valley Parks during the winter months.
Your feedback will help them to understand how visitors utilize these spaces, what activities they enjoy during winter and more opportunities to be explored in the future. This survey will take 8-10 minutes to complete and will close on April 7 at 11:59 PM.
Complete the survey here https://cityofedmonton.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e36YPzg87UVs08m
March 20 Issue
Victoria shares “I think that we should no longer name parts of the city for individuals - it's too controversial. E.g. - we used to have a park named after "May" and it was changed, e.g. change Gretzky Drive? Surely we can honour individuals by photos, etc. in the City Hall where it becomes a permanent part of our history.”
Gerry Wright a key player in bringing LRT to Edmonton
Louise says “I'm curious why you didn't mention that Gerry was also a City Councilor?”
Answer provided by Editor, “It was difficult formatting Gerry's story as there was just so much that could have been added. However, we want to make sure that the newsletters remain concise and easy to digest. We always make sure to include links to the original source though, so that folks can learn more and catch some of the interesting facts that we didn't get to include.”
Platanos (Plantains) by Michelle Campos Castillo, Belvedere LRT Station https://www.edmontonarts.ca/public-art/platanos-plantains
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