| Kansas
Ridge was the first name given to this community at the turn
of the century as many of the settlers came from Kansas.
Among them were the three Rimbey brothers, Sam, Ben and Jim,
for whom the town was officially named after in 1904. A
1909 brochure declared Rimbey to "have every prospect of
becoming a good town. It now has two stores, a large
hotel, grist mill, saw mill, ...creamery, school, Methodist
Church and Church of England."
Picture
of Downtown Rimbey
The
village of Rimbey grew along a dirt street faced with frame
buildings with boom town fronts to distinguish them from the
homes that were being built.
In
1919 the railway reached Rimbey and there was much enthusiasm
for the "new town" by the tracks (now Highway #20).
Two grain companies built elevators the following year and
Rimbey's population swelled to 319 by 1921.
Through
the 1920's the community grew, the lumber yards thrived, and
the scene of people moving to town became popular.
The
Village always managed to bounce back after frequent fires
destroyed businesses on Jasper Avenue, now 50th Avenue.
Village
merchants sold everything from modern farm implements to
photographic supplies and opened a number of service stations.
In
1930, the Village acquired a hospital, giving a welcome boost
to the size of Rimbey's workforce.
The
Second World War brought abrupt changes to Rimbey, as young
men and sometimes their families left the Village. When
war was over some returned and others did not. Many new
faces came to Rimbey and the population surged to 634 by 1946.
The
empty lots north of Jasper Avenue were soon filled with houses
and improvements were made to the streets and sidewalks.
However,
development was haphazard as Rimbey continued to mix business
and industrial sites with residential lots.
A
Planning Report in 1954 determined that zoning should be
brought in and some public open space be established to create
a more attractive town and improvements be made to the
commercial area to better service a population that had
reached 915.
Modernization
through the 1960's began to change the appearance of Rimbey's
50th Avenue, but if you look carefully you can see remnants of
the past.
|
|
Celebrating
100 Years |
| Over
one
hundred years ago, in 1902, the young community
recognized a need for a school so the Education Committee
built the Kansas Ridge School. It marked the community's
commitment to the future; 100 years later the school can now
be seen on the grounds of Pas-Ka-Poo Historical Park. |
Picture
of Kansas Ridge School in 1906
1899
Ben
Rimbey registered 3 quarter-sections for his family. Abner Raymond arrived in the area about the same time.
1900
Rimbey
brothers (Sam & Ben) returned to break land and build
house for their families to come join them.
1901
Settlement
named Kansas Ridge, Northwest Territories established here.
First small store opened by Charles Townsend in part of the
Jim Rimbey House.
1902
Dominion
Land Survey established new Townsite (later to become Rimbey).
1902
Jim
Cox opened first general store, stocked with 12 wagon loads of
merchandise from Lacombe. Cox's Store became a community
institution.
1902
First
official school built, named the Kansas Ridge School, with Mr.
James Vliet as the teacher.
1905
Alberta
officially became a province on Sept. 1st, 1905.
1907
Anglican
congregation built log church on land donated by Ben Rimbey.
1908
Methodist
(United) Church built on land donated by Jim Rimbey.
1908
First
blacksmith shop opened on Main Street.
1914
First
doctor, Dr. Samuel Byers, arrived from Nebraska.
1915
New
businesses prospered in Rimbey; Empress Theatre opened; first
Village Council inaugurated; Barber Shop opened by Fred
Newsom; first High School started by Mabel Fleming Mellis to
save having to send the older children to Lacombe after
elementary school.
1915
Railroad
arrived in Rimbey.
1920
Jack
Beatty opened hardware store.
1925
Rimbey
gets electricity from the Drader power plant.
1926
Jack
Beatty built his house at the crossroads on Main Street where
it still stands, now known as the Beatty House.
1932
St.
Paul's Hospital opened.
1949
Rimbey
officially became a town, with Jack Gunn as Mayor.
1951
Water
and sewage installation in Rimbey.
1953
First
Rimbey Library opened, started by volunteers and begun with a
$50 budget for books.
1960
Fred
Schutz's column in the Rimbey Record calls for the
establishment of a museum, and he helped bring the old
Anglican log church and other old buildings in to make a start
at Pas-Ka-Poo Park.
1967
Lt.
Governor Grant MacEwan offically opened Pas-Ka-Poo Park
Historical Park.
1984
Rimbey
Community Centre opened.
1991
Smithson
International Truck Museum opened.
1993
The
first Canada Day celebrated in the Park.
2002
Rimbey
holds their 100th Anniversary Celebrations from July 18th to
the 21st.
2005
Rimbey celebrates Alberta's 100th Anniversary from Sept. 1st
to the 4th.
For
more information on the history of Rimbey, check out the
following history books:
Pas-ka-poo:
An Early History of Rimbey and the Upper Blindman Valley
Compiled and written by Fred Schutz (with with editing
assistance from Jack Parry), The
Rimbey Record, Rimbey, Alberta. December, 1962, (from material
collected over several years, much of it from the old timers
and pioneers themselves)
Over
the Years: A History of the Rimbey Area.
Rimbey History Book Committee,
Rimbey Historical Committee, InterCollegiate Press, Rimbey,
Alberta,Canada.1983
History of Rimbey,
Fifty Years of Progress, 1902-1952
Rimbey History Book Committee,
1952/Microfiche |
