To celebrate May and the return of spring, the Highlands Historical Society has declared this Plaque Month! As you stroll around the Highlands neighbourhood you will have noticed that Decorative Historic Plaques adorn many homes and businesses. These plaques reflect the interest and support our community has for its history by identifying the year the…
“We had a great turnout at our speaker event on June 5th” enthused Melanie Moore, board member and co-organizer of the Speaker Series, a popular speaking event where the Highlands Historical Society invites experts to speak on various topics. Dr. Rod MacLeod regaled the group with interesting anecdotes and little known facts about aviation…
Join the Edmonton and District Historical Society on July 2 from 2 to 4 pm for the official launch of the 2018 Historic Edmonton Week. This event will take place at the Highlands Golf Course clubhouse located on 66 Street and Ada Boulevard. (Park in the parking lot then follow the stairs down to the…
A lot of time and effort goes into the naming of an area. Sometimes it’s best to ask for help in the form of a contest! This excerpt is from “My Heart’s in the Highlands” by Ken Tingley.
“Magrath and Holgate needed a name “that will suitably designate this property and be consistent with the high class of residence that will be erected as it has been decided to place a building restriction of $2,500 upon the sites.” No lots were to be sold until the name had been selected. It was reported that already this large property, bounded on the south by the North Saskatchewan River and on the north by Alberta Avenue, was “rapidly being cleared by the new owners….”
One of the most interesting things about William Magrath, one of the two developers of the Highlands community, is that he challenged a prevalent theory of the day (early 1900’s), in which classy neighbourhoods were supposedly built in the west end of cities. He cited many other cities that had built prestige neighbourhoods to the…
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