Historic Murals of Lacombe: A Walking Tour
Historic Murals of Lacombe: A Walking Tour
Lacombe's Historic Murals, painted by local artist Tim Giles, were commissioned in 2003 by the Communities in Bloom organization. These murals depict daily life in Lacombe from the years 1890 to 1940.
Painted in the heart of the Historic Downtown district with its many Edwardian-style buildings, the murals are a true testament to our heritage.
To start off our tour, let's go first to the site of the first mural that Tim painted. You'll find this mural of the Lacombe Train Station on the north wall of the Downtown Plaza building, located on 52st just north of 50 ave, across from the Lacombe Memorial Centre. Pause now until you've arrived.
In 1891, Lacombe was the site for a new railway link between Calgary and Edmonton. At this time the railway was only known as Siding No. 12, but soon came to be officially named "Lacombe" after the Catholic missionary Father Albert Lacombe.
Before the train station was built, growth in the area was slow and the residents of central Alberta were mostly limited to fur traders, missionaries and First Nations.
With the train however, Lacombe bloomed to a bustling population of 25 and a downtown district emerged. The train was a lifeline for the early citizens, and smoke on the horizon guaranteed the arrival of fresh supplies and new neighbours.
Moving on to our next mural: the 1940 Hardware Store Fire, you can cut east through the alley and parking lots to reach 51st. After crossing the street, we'll head to mural behind the Royal Bank (51st and north of 50 ave). Please pause until you've reached the mural.
The Leading Store was built in 1896 and started out as a wood frame building of generous proportions. In 1902 the building was renovated and expanded and all of the old wood was completely covered in brick. The fire of 1940 partially destroyed the building, but many features remain such as the original mezzanine, lighting fixtures and the pressed tin ceiling. Head east
around the corner and you'll see the bulk of the Historic Murals. We'll start the one immediately to the east of the Hardware Store Fire on the north wall and move around in a counter-clockwise fashion. Please pause the audio after each mural description for as long as you'd like before moving to the next mural.
The first mural depicts the John Fortune residence, situated next to the present site of the Bank of Montreal.
The next mural shows plows and brands, complimentary to the third mural of Hugo Gottschlich, who opened his blacksmith shop in 1900. Here, he's pictured with his children.
The Victoria Hotel mural, facing east, shows the hotel in 1900. Lloyd Puffer meets an Indian at the intersection of Barnett and Nanton.
Crossing the alley into another cluster of murals, we start with another depiction of the Lacombe Train Station, on the north wall.
Continuing counter-clockwise, we'll see two adjacent mural of the B.S. Cameron Studio, circa 1910. Ben Cameron's photography studio documented the people, places and events of Lacombe for 55 years. His work is now considered of high historical significance today.
Our next mural shows a mare with twin colts at the Lacombe Research Station.
Following that is a young Lacombe couple photographed by Ben Cameron.
Moving on to the next wall is Mary and Ben Frizzell: two homesteaders in 1906 in the Iowalta district.
The final mural in this nook is of a 1908 field day at the Lacombe Research Station.
Rounding the corner, you'll see the likeness of H.A. Day facing west. Mr. Day was a general merchant and this was the year 1902.
Travelling north we'll see the Post Office mural, also facing west, in early 1908.
Next is a 1900 interior of the McLear Pool Hall. The pool hall existed until 1914 when the outbreak of the war pool was blamed for shoddy morals amongst young men.
Following the pool hall is the mural of City Hall in 1908.
Our next mural shows the Lacombe Ladder Team practicing for competitions, circa 1908.
The next three murals are as follows: Doris Ballintine in Dog Wagon. 1910, W.L. Elliott's shop. Mr. Elliott was the town Harness and Saddle merchant, and a panorama of Lacombe
Our last mural in this alleyway is simply titled "Leaving Lacombe".
The final mural in our tour is over on the next block, on 50th street, on the north wall on the LA Mint. Please pause.
This final mural is entitled "The Early Years on Nanton Street in Lacombe, Alberta".
You'll notice that many of Lacombe's original commercial buildings on Nanton Street look much as they do today. The Hotson block was built in 1903 by George Hotson in order to house two separate businesses: a jeweler's shop on the north side and a cafe on the south. Businesses like these were sure signs that civilization had arrived. Hop Chung, one of Lacombe's first Chinese residents, opened the Hop Chung Cafe, as well as a laundry service on Nanton Street. William Puffer's butcher shop shared the building with Hop Chung's Cafe which led to the building being called the Puffer Chung Block.
This concludes our tour of the historic downtown murals of Lacombe.
