Insert Report title (same title as on page 1)
Recommendation:- That the name ‘Webber Greens Neighbourhood’ be approved.
- That the name ‘Secord Neighbourhood’ be approved.
- That the name ‘Stewart Greens Neighbourhood’ be approved.
- That the name ‘Morris’ be added to the Names Reserve List.
Report Summary
- The actions recommended above are in keeping with the guidelines of the Names Advisory Committee.
Justification of Recommendation
- The name “Webber Greens Neighbourhood” complies with the Names Advisory Committee Guidelines.
- The name “Secord Neighbourhood” complies with the Names Advisory Committee Guidelines.
- The name “Stewart Greens Neighbourhood” complies with the Names Advisory Committee Guidelines.
- The family name “Morris” complies with the Names Advisory Committee Guidelines.
Background Information Attached
- Request to name Neighbourhood #4 in the Lewis Farms ASP “Webber Greens Neighbourhood” after George Alfred Webber; location map included.
- Request to name Neighbourhood #8 in the Lewis Farms ASP “Secord Neighbourhood” after Richard Secord; location map included.
- Request to name a new Neighbourhood in the Lewis Farms ASP “Stewart Greens Neighbourhood” after John Stewart; location map included.
- Request to add the “Morris” family name to the Names Reserve List.
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Attachment 1
Request to name Neighbourhood #4 in the Lewis Farms ASP “Webber Greens Neighbourhood”after George Alfred Webber
The Names Advisory Committee recommends support in the naming of Neighbourhood #4 in the Lewis Farms Area Structure Plan as “Webber Greens Neighbourhood”.
History
Lewis Farms Area Structure Plan (ASP) was named after Ernie Lewis, a well-known farmer in the area.
October 27, 1982
Names Advisory Committee recommends approval for the name “Lewis Farms ASP”
November 23, 1982
City Council approves the Lewis Farms ASP
November 15, 1999
An application was received from Mr. John Soprovich - Village Land Corporation requesting that Neighbourhood 4 in the Lewis Farms ASP be named ‘Webber Greens Neighbourhood’.
December 8, 1999
Names Advisory Committee Meeting # 08/99
Motion:Melnychuk/ Baird
“That the Names Advisory Committee recommend support the naming of Neighbourhood #4 in the Lewis Farms Area Structure Plan as ‘Webber Greens Neighbourhood’.”
For the Motion:Zapisocki, Galan, de Boer, Baird, Melnychuk
Carried Unanimously
Administration
- The applicant has additional applications currently under review by the Planning and Development Department to amend/create the individual Neighbourhood Structure Plans (NSP) for Neighbourhood #4, Neighbourhood #8, and the Lewis Farms Industrial Area. These plans are not anticipated to go before City Council until March 2000. Until the time that the NSPs are approved by City Council, the neighbourhood name is considered tentative.
- Currently within the Lewis Farms ASP there are two developing neighbourhoods:
- Neighbourhood 1-Potter Greens
- Neighbourhood 2-Breckenridge Greens
- An email from the area planner, Mr. Rod Heinricks, agrees with the requested naming convention.
Biography (as Submitted by the Applicant)
GEORGE ALFRED WEBBER (1886 - 1929)
George and his wife Cora May rented the Short Farm around 1912 and pastured a large herd of Hereford cattle on the reserve. Two of the older girls were born during this time. The family moved to North Edmonton in 1918 and 1922 they moved back to the Winterburn area. They bought the Young Farm located next to the Splan School and started farming. George had a small sawmill on the farm and used it to saw lumber for his farm buildings. And it also helped supplement his income. Shortly after George bought a big steam engine and a breaking plow. This made breaking land a lot easier. At harvest time the old steamer was kept busy threshing grain for all the neighbours. In those days it took about 20 men, each doing his part of the job, such as field pitching, loading and hauling grain sheaves to the machine, hauling threshed grain to the granary and operating the steamer and threshing machine. It was hard work but great camaraderie. The women of that day have to be commended for their hard work during the harvest season. Not only did they cook for all these hungry men they usually did all the chores at home and looked after the children.
The Webber’s had nine children, Janet, Ethel, Florence, Lola, George, Don, Edith, Carmen and Ronald. The children went to Splan School. Two of the boys served overseas in the Second World War. Don was in the Seaforth Highlanders, was wounded in action but came back safely. George was in the Navy and did his tour of duty on the Prince Robert, a converted cargo boat. Ethel married Albert Stewart and continue to live and farm in the district. They have four children, Sharon, Albert Leighton, Dale Carmen, and Blake. Sharon married Harvey Wild and they continue to farm in the district.
His favourite sport was coyote hunting with his foxhounds and wolfhounds. This sport led to his death in 1929.
In 1932, after her husband’s death, Mrs. Webber sold the farm to Ernie Lewis who continues to own and farm the land to date (November, 1999).
Achievements:
George Webber was a councillor in the district in 1912 and later years.
He served as trustee for the Splan School for many years together with Albert LaRue and Joseph Hadley.
(From the book “ Memory Trails of Winterburn” by W. I. Winterburn)
Our family lived in the district when the two oldest girls were babies. At that time, they rented the Short Farm and lived in the old log house.
Dad and mother had a large herd of Hereford cattle that we pastured on the Indian Reserve. This was about 1912. Mother, Dad and hired men all rode horseback to round up the cattle in the fall. Dad still rented this land when we moved to north Edmonton in 1918.
In 1922 we moved back to the district when we bought the Young Farm next to the SplanSchool, and another quarter directly behind from Mr. Munton.
It was the same as coming on to a homestead. Dad had to use his sawmill to saw logs from the bush to build our buildings.
He broke as much land as he could each year with the big steamer and breaking plough. During this time Dad trained many of the engineers for the railways.
There were six children in the family when we moved back, Janet, Ethel, Florence, Lola,George , and Don, the baby.
Three more children were born on the farm, Edith (Nona), Elwood (Allen) and CarmenRonald, eight months after his father’s death.
Dad threshed for many of the farmers of the district with the old steamer and separator. Crews numbered about 20, when all field pitchers and teamsters were assembled. The threshing usually lasted about a week with good weather, but much longer if it rained.
Women cooked for weeks preparing for the onslaught.
Most farmers depended on wild meat and it was plentiful. A partridge could be snared from a tree and also rabbits and deer were there for the hunting. A lot of the meat was canned for the year round use. Salt pork was staple food and it was potent.
Dad hunted coyotes all over the district with his fox hounds and wolf hounds. It was a lovely sound to hear their baying at night. This sport led to Dad’s death in 1929.
We lived on the farm until 1932 when it was sold to E. R. Lewis. We bought the Griffin place on 118th Avenue and mother lived there until 1938.
Janet received her schooling at Splan School as did the rest of the family. Janet taught school at Fort Saskatchewan and later moved to B.C. where she kept at her profession.
Two of the boys were overseas in the Second World War. Don was in the Seaforth Highlanders, was wounded but came back safely. George was in the Navy and did his tour of duty on the Prince Robert, a converted cargo boat.
All the family except George and myself have moved to Vancouver. George lives at Fairview.
Dad was councillor in the district in 1912 and in later years, also. He, Albert LaRue,Sr. and Joseph Hadley were trustees for the Splan School for many years.
Attachment 1 - Page 1 of 5
Attachment 1
Location Map of the proposed “Webber Greens Neighbourhood” in the Lewis Farms ASP
Map showing the Lewis Farms ASP and the location of the proposed
Webber Greens Neighbourhood
Attachment 1 - Page 5 of 5
Attachment 2
Request to name Neighbourhood #8 in the Lewis Farms ASP “Secord Neighbourhood” after the Richard Secord family
The Names Advisory Committee recommends support in the naming of Neighbourhood #8 in the Lewis Farms Area Structure Plan as “Secord Neighbourhood”.
History
Lewis Farms Area Structure Plan (ASP) was named after Ernie Lewis, a well known farmer in the area.
October 27, 1982
Names Advisory Committee recommends approval for the name “Lewis Farms ASP”
November 23, 1982
City Council approves the Lewis Farms ASP
November 15, 1999
An application was received from Mr. John Soprovich - Discovery Healing Arts Centre requesting that Neighbourhood 8 in the Lewis Farms ASP be named ‘Secord Neighbourhood’.
December 8, 1999
Names Advisory Committee Meeting # 08/99
Motion:Zapisocki/ Baird
“That the Names Advisory Committee recommend support the naming of Neighbourhood #8 in the Lewis Farms Area Structure Plan as ‘Secord Neighbourhood’ in recognition of the Richard Secord Family and not any one member of the family as several members of the family have made significant contributions to the City of Edmonton and its development over the years.”
For the Motion:Zapisocki, Galan, de Boer, Baird, Melnychuk
Carried Unanimously
Administration
- The applicant has additional applications currently under review by the Planning and Development Department to amend/create the individual Neighbourhood Structure Plans (NSP) for Neighbourhood #4, Neighbourhood #8, and the Lewis Farms Industrial Area. These plans are not anticipated to go before City Council until March 2000. Until the time that the NSPs are approved by City Council, the neighbourhood name is considered tentative.
- Currently within the Lewis Farms ASP there are two developing neighbourhoods:
- Neighbourhood 1-Potter Greens
- Neighbourhood 2-Breckenridge Greens
- An email from the area planner, Mr. Rod Heinricks, agrees with the requested naming convention.
Biography (as Submitted by the Applicant)
RICHARD SECORD
EDMONTON'S FIRST TEACHER-MILLIONAIRE
by Mike Kostek, Edmonton Public Schools Archives
Three teachers in a single year! That was the problem facing Edmonton Protestant School Board trustees in 1882.
Edmonton's first public school teacher, James Harris, died of a heart attack after only six weeks of service. The second teacher, Edward Langrell, left after five months of teaching to console a sulking wife who refused to live in a pioneer settlement with inadequate accommodation for a "civilized white woman." The third teacher, William Stiff, resigned to assist Frank Oliver in his quest for a seat in the Northwest Territories Council. The lack of teaching credentials, as well as rumours relating to Stiff's intemperance, may have also hastened his departure from the school scene in 1882.
The twenty-three-year-old bachelor was hired to improve the standards of literacy, morality, and deportment of school age children.
Events would improve in 1883 with the hiring of Richard Secord, the fourth teacher to grace the Edmonton public school. Secord would stay for almost four years, and provide some much needed continuity in teaching.
Producing documentation of an Honours diploma from Brantford Collegiate Institute and evidence of previous teaching experience in the Methodist Mission School at Pakan, the twenty-three-year-old bachelor was hired to improve the standards of literacy, morality, and the deportment of school age children in the Edmonton settlement.
Early Edmonton Bulletin reports indicate that Secord was a popular and effective teacher. Board Chairman McCauley reported that he and the other trustees had visited the school several times and found that the best of order prevailed. Reverend D.C. Sanderson was particularly pleased to discover that Secord informed children "concerning Canada in general and the Northwest in particular."
The most illustrious of the visitors to Richard Secord's classroom was Northwest Territories Lieutenant Governor Edgar Dewdney. So impressed was the Queen's representative that he presented the school with a gift of books to be used as rewards for student achievement. In 1886, young Alex McCauley was awarded one of the prizes, a book entitled Richard Blake and His Little Green Bible. This historic book is now a prized possession in the Edmonton Public Schools Archives.
Although high praise was heaped on Secord's teaching ability, very little of the adulation was evident in the salary he was to receive. In fact, his salary was in arrears according to archival records. Hand written minutes of April 1885, included an entry which read Due R. Secord on salary (sic) to 31st March - $685."
Official school board minutes dated February 3, 1886, revealed yet another problem for Richard Secord. It was common practice in the 1880s to require teachers to tender applications for their positions two or three times a year. At the February 3,1886, meeting of the board, Secord applied for his teaching job for the balance of the school term. The salary he asked for was $80 per month. Another candidate, William Carson, also applied for the same teaching position and asked for $75. Swift action by the three man trustee board accepted Carson's tender and Secord was released.
Discouraged and despondent, Secord tried unsuccessfully to obtain other teaching positions in the Edmonton area. He was consoled when appointed to an $85 per-month job as school district assessor. Compilation of his assessment listings appears in the 1886 tax roll book, one of the Edmonton Public Schools Archives most valuable records.
Shortly after his appointment as Assessor, Secord was approached by merchant John McDougall to accept a position as a clerk. Fortune smiled upon the new clerk and soon a partnership between McDougall and his young assistant materialized.
From 1890 to 1906 they pursued a lucrative outfitting business with northern traders. Secord became a shrewd fur-trader himself. He also made huge profits from the purchase and sale of Metis scrip certificates of provisional land ownership. The certificates were sold for huge profits and were probably the greatest single source of revenue for the partnership.
Always a strong booster of the Edmonton district, Secord invested heavily in real estate. He also became a private banker and at one time owned mortgages on twenty-one hotels in Edmonton.
Not only was Secord a shrewd businessman, he also possessed a keen political mind. Elected to the Northwest Territories Legislature in 1902, he represented Edmonton and as far north as Athabasca Landing. In 1903, he ran federally as a Conservative against his political nemesis, Frank Oliver. However, he was not successful in the contest.
A gentle and generous man, Secord returned some of his wealth to the Edmonton community. The Thistle Rink, once located on a site east of the present Hudson's Bay store in downtown Edmonton, was one of his gifts to the people of Edmonton. The official opening of Alberta's first Provincial Parliament took place in this curling rink on March 15,1906. He also supported many local charities and was a benefactor of Edmonton hospitals.
Today, two Edmonton public schools are associated with the teacher who refused to be thwarted by adversity: Richard Secord Elementary School boasts one of the largest elementary enrolments in the city. York School, just two miles south of the old Poplar Lake School honours Mrs. Richard Secord, (nee Annie Ada York), who taught in this school in the late 1880s.
From a monthly salary of $75 in 1883, to an estate estimated at $75,000,000 in 1914, Secord amassed a financial empire that few can envision today.
SECORD FUR STORE AND WAREHOUSE
For close to 90 years, the fur trade was the major concern of the people of the Edmonton area. It was only with the beginnings of settlement in the 1880s that agriculture and lumbering began to occupy more people in the district. The trade of furs from Canada's vast north country continued to centre around Edmonton. The Secord Fur Store and Warehouse represents the period of transition from the Hudson's Bay Company monopoly on fur trading to private traders becoming serious competitors in the business.
The front store was used to receive furs, and back warehouse served as an area for grading and packing furs, and for storage. The business did not function as a store in the strict sense, as nothing was sold there. It was a place where trappers came to have their furs evaluated, and received cash in return. No cash or records were kept; the fur buyer would simply pay cash from his pocket. The prospect of immediate cash was the firm's chief attribute. The store also became a gathering place for trappers from the area who came to have their furs evaluated and purchased, and to engage in social interaction.