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Date: 1900's

David Gilliland Latta was born in Co. Wexford, Ireland, in 1869. He came to Canada at the age of eighteen years. The first few years were spent in eastern Canada and in Manitoba, where his brother William had settled a few years earlier.

After a year with his brother at Whitemouth, Manitoba, he joined the Northwest Mounted Police, and was stationed at Battleford, Saskatchewan. It was here that he met his first wife, Jessie Wuttannee. By this time, he had left the NWMP and bought a sheep ranch. After three successive years of prairie fires, he left for Alberta. He had the thought that he might make his fortune in Goldfields of the Yukon, but he saw opportunity in Edmonton, and decided to stay.

At first he worked for someone in the Smithy trade. After a couple of years, he went in to the blacksmith business himself. He took Mr. Lyon's in as a partner about 1906. They disagreed what direction the company should take, and Mr. Lyons left to start Lyon's Motors, on the corner of 108th Street and Jasper Avenue.

David soon found that there was continuing difficulty in getting supplies in Edmonton, which was considered remote by any standards. He decided to try the supply end of blacksmithing. He kept his hand at the manufacturing trade by making ornamental fences, together with the necessary goods for preparing farm equipment, such as tongues, axles, whiffletrees, spokes, hubs, etc. It is the families understanding that he made the ornamental gates for the Jewish Cemetery on 101 Avenue and 76 Street. He also made the first fire escape for the McKay Avenue School, and the miniature fire escape, which adorned the building of Edmonton Iron and Wire for many years. This miniature was donated to the Edmonton Archives, which in turn, gave it to the Edmonton Public School Board Archives, which is housed at McKay Avenue School. It is now affixed to the fire escape on the south side of the building.

By 1928, the company was well established in the distribution of heavy hardware, iron, and steel, and Brandram-Henderson Paint. Blacksmithing supplies have come into less and less demand. For several years, the company rented a booth in the Manufacturers Building during the annual Edmonton Exhibition.

In 1948, the company moved to their new building at 9510 - 105 Avenue, and sold the old buildings on 102 Avenue to the Army and Navy Department Stores.

This business enjoyed great success until the death of David Latta in 1948. Through mismanagement, the company went defunct in 1956.