Bowness Historical Society

Bowness History

The geology and topography of the land defined the first use of the locality now known as Bowness. The valley's first visitors found rich resources and sheltered wintering grounds for cattle. Because of this, the area was inhabited as a ranch in the mid 1890's. Only the railroad track and twin bridges intruded upon the pastoral landscape until the real estate boom of 1911.

Bowness Valley

John Hextall

It was the entrepreneurial, visionary, John Hextall's subdivision plans, registered in 1911, which became the framework for the village and town. Bowness Park and the street car are also closely associated with his legacy.
Hextall's grandiose plans crumbled with the beginning of World War One. The land sat primarily vacant until after the Second World War when a settlement of veterans, as well as Dutch and German immigrants grew.

The leisure areas of Bowness Park and Bowness Golf and Country Club, the business Alberta Ice Company and the Baker Memorial Sanatorium, as well as many other ventures helped to shape the identification of Bowness.
While the accomplishments of business are influential in a community, these are no more important than the people who have inhabited the area. The achievements of the families, who have existed and now exist, in the valley are rich and diverse. The stories associated with these lives make up the interesting micro-histories of civilizations.

Baker Sanatorium

Family Histories

Below are some short, personal anecdotes from the lives of some residents of Bowness

Bowness Store and Taxi

Bill Harrison

[In 1948] we bought out Mike Kasher and named the spot Harrison's Bowness Store and Taxi. The store itself was a busy [place] ... when Bowness Park was open. Soft drinks, wieners and picnic supplies sold like hot cakes. Ice cream sales kept our help busy. They would spell each other on the ice cream scoops. Our help mostly consisted of local married ladies ... . Our coffee counter usually had a selection of home made pie, made by my mother. One costumer, a Red Detmer from Silver Springs would come in and eat a whole flapper pie or a whole brick of ice cream. Our main line of business was local Bowness people in need of groceries and other merchandise.

When Bears Paw Dam was built we had a number of [dam] employees living in trailers in our back yard. ... One of the truck operators named Reg Cransten had a heart attack; we placed him in a taxi and rushed him to Calgary General Hospital. Unfortunately Reg died prior to our reaching the hospital. The hospital refused to take him, we proceeded to the Leyden Funeral Home and they also refused to take him, as we had no death certificate, so back to the General Hospital where we eventually got a death certificate and returned to Leydens Funeral Home.

Uma (Green) and Howard Allen

In 1951 Uma Allen bought 1172 Bow Crescent, Bowness from Earl and Kay Hatfield ..... The Allen's had farmed at Hillmond, Sask. During the war, Uma was the matron for the Edmonton City Police. She became a registered practical nurse and worked as a nurse companion for some well-known people as well as matron at the Bonnyville Youth Home and Ogden Men's Hospital. Uma and Howard had 8 sons, 5 of whom served in the armed forces in WW2. All returned safely. Uma and youngest son Dave were both home the night the Bow River flooded their home just before New Years Eve 1951. All her pictures etc. were covered with water. She worked for years trying to salvage what she could.
Howard worked on the building of the Alaska Highway during the war, then for the Diamond Match Company in Idaho. He retired in 1961. In early 1964 they sold their property and moved to 5831 Bow Crescent where they lived until 1969 when they built a home at their son's farm near Strathmore. In 1977, at ages 83 and 84 they moved to Peace River, AB to be near son David and family. They resided there until they each passed away at age 93.

New Years Flood, 1951

If you have found these brief essays interesting, our book contains much more information and is reasonably priced.

The Society would like to thank Mr. Len Watt for the photograph of his grandfather John Hextall, Bill Harrison for the image of the Bowness Store and Taxi, Steve Ryckman and Linda Conlin for the image Bowness Valley, Dave and Debbie Allen for the image of the New Years Day Flood. The Calgary Herald for the image of Baker Sanatorium taken by Ian Christie

This web page has been designed by Fast Frame Photography

Bowness History

Family Histories