Pioneers of the 1950s: The Reid family moves to Edmonton

The Reid family moves across the country to begin a new life in Edmonton.

In the spring of 1953 Dad (Robert Reid) came home with the news that he had been promoted again - and we would be moving... again. Dad was with CNR, in freight sales and he had to make sure there was an abundance of goods to keep those rolling freight cars filled. Up to now we had moved around S.W. Ontario - Toronto, Hamilton (twice), London and now we were living in Windsor. All of these cities were with a reasonable distance to visit family and friends who were in the centre of our world in South-West Ontario.


But this was a move with a difference. This time we would be going half way around the world, it felt, to Edmonton. Edmonton was so far away, we didn't know a soul there or how, or if, we would get back to visit in our familiar world.


We decided to treat this move as an adventure. Dad came out ahead of us to start his new job and to search for a place to live. We would follow when school was out.


Dad's job was going well but finding a house was a different story. This was boom time in Edmonton, oil had recently been discovered, commerce was flourishing, people were flocking to town. He finally found a recently built house on 43 rd (143rd) street which was for rent. This was almost out of town - 49 th (149 th ) street was the western boundary of Edmonton. The owner, Oscar Herman Nielsen from Norway was a bachelor who worked out of town all week and came home to his little suite in the basement on the weekends. But more about that later.


Our trip out was truly an adventure. As the family of a railroader we had traveling passes and would make the trip by train. We had ridden lots of trains in Ontario but this time we would be on board for days with an elegant dining car for meals and berths for sleeping. On the first night I had a lower berth which had a window. I don't think I slept a wink as I looked out the window all night long, afraid I might miss something. The next night I was relegated to the upper berth which didn't have a window so I had no choice but to sleep. It was a wonderful trip - dining in elegance, amazing scenes, wonderful people in both crew and passengers. There was even another family on board who were also moving to Edmonton. We didn't feel so alone now. They remained friends for many years.


It was not only the family that traveled by train, but all of our furniture and other worldly goods including our car were also traveling west by train. When we arrived in Edmonton another adventure awaited us. Our furniture would be delayed, where did we begin life in Edmonton? Why, in that grand old C.N. railway hotel, the MacDonald. In 1953 there only one tall building on the horizon and that was the Hotel MacDonald, and we were going to live there for 3 days. It was almost a disappointment when the freight train with our goods aboard did arrive.


So goodbye Hotel MacDonald, hello 43 rd street. That was another revelation. Being a new area of town we were welcomed by gravel streets and board sidewalks, and we had the landlord living in the basement. Back in Ontario we had never experienced boardwalks, or gravel roads in the city and nobody lived in basement suites. What was the world coming to?


Our entire backyard was a garden. Our landlord was a farmer at heart and there was an abundance of vegetables and fruits which we were welcome to use as his needs were few. He also had built a double, heated garage, which, come winter, we would be most grateful for.


It was late July, now, and once we were sort of settled, Dad decided it was time to lock the door and discover Alberta. We drove to Jasper where we stayed in a tent cabin at Miette Hot Springs. Imagine our surprise the next morning when the bucket of water sitting outside of the tent was totally frozen.


It appeared that Hollywood had also discovered Alberta as the next day we met up with Robert Mitchum who was there making the film River of No Return with Marilyn Monroe. Then it was down to Banff where we caught up with Alan Ladd and Shelley Winters who were filming Saskatchewan . On to Calgary and back home to Edmonton. Most of the roads through the mountains were gravel and many stretches were under construction. A much greater challenge than the paved roads of today.


Back in Edmonton we found activities were very curtailed. A polio epidemic had broken out and most group activities - swimming pools, movie theatres, etc. were closed. Even school opening was postponed. We didn't have much opportunity to make new friends.


Eventually, though, schools did open and other activities began. Westglen was the closest high school. We were amazed to see the casual attire of students, most of whom wore jeans, and many sat around the washroom walls smoking. Did the staff notice or care? We had been used to wearing skirts and blazers and subject to fairly strong discipline. Although I had completed grade 12 in Ontario (Junior Matric) I was required to repeat it in Alberta as it was considered Senior Matric here. The courses were essentially the same so it made for a reasonably effortless academic year and gave me more time to make friends and just have a good time.


We also found good fellowship at Robertson United Church. It had the greatest Young People's group and an opportunity to make many friends. Rev. Douglas Smith and his family had moved out from Hamilton the previous year and we had a common bond there.


Thanks to school and Robertson Church our circle of friends was expanding. I went to UofA for teacher training and it was in Edmonton I learned to drive. One of the early adventures was with Dad - he let me drive the car to UofA where I would get out and he would go to work. One cold, icy winter day while driving over the High Level Bridge I ran into one of the pillars at the South end of the bridge. No damage to be bridge and little to the car - Dad said nothing but to insist I keep on learning to drive.


My first day of teaching was also memorable. I was hired by Alex Stockwell to teach grade 5 at Glenora School - the part of town where I grew up - many of the students were familiar from Church. While sitting proudly at my desk waiting for my students one young boy came in and said "hiya Margie"! That brought me back to earth.


I spent 4 happy years here before going on to further adventures which included teaching on a Cree Reserve in Northern Manitoba and raising a family in London, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec.


In 1978 another adventure in my life brought me back to Edmonton. I returned to become the wife and partner of Denny May. It has been a great partnership as we have given leadership in Scouting, the community and Church, and we have had many opportunities to promote Edmonton and Alberta History, especially as it involved Wop May and Aviation with invitations to classrooms and other groups.


Edmonton, in any era, has been and continues to be a great city.