A Little Bit Ritchie Episode 2 Transcript: Neighbourhoods Find Their Voice

Hello, and welcome to A Little Bit Ritchie, the local history podcast curious about all things Edmonton. I’m your host, Lydia Neufeld. To celebrate the one-hundredth anniversary of the Ritchie Community League, every month this year, we’ll dive into a new sector of local history to discover what makes Ritchie—Ritchie! 

The Ritchie Community League respectfully acknowledges that the land where we gather is Treaty 6 territory and Metis Nation of Alberta Region 4. This land has been a traditional meeting ground for many Indigenous peoples. The territory on which Ritchie stands has provided a travelling route and home to the Cree, Blackfoot, Saulteaux, Métis and other Indigenous peoples.

This podcast looks at the history of the land, and we begin with the understanding that the community, currently known as Ritchie, exists on stolen land. Throughout this year of centennial celebrations, the Ritchie Community League is working to explore what the land means to the community and how we can create a future on this land that assists in undoing the processes of colonization. This episode’s focus on Edmonton’s Community Leagues sheds light on our historical relationships and social reform movements with complex relationships to imperialism and social inclusivity. 

A Little Bit Ritchie is more than entertainment and celebration. It is also a mutual learning method. To foster this learning, the league has developed a Reconciliation Committee, which aims to work with the community to understand the history of the lands we call home. We hope to learn more about the rich indigenous history of the area and build stronger relationships with communities and residents present today. The committee meets bi-weekly with an aim to explore what these lands mean to us and develop a deeper appreciation of our shared history, with educational opportunities for the community through readings, discussions, and guest speakers. If you’d like to get involved, share stories or educational resources, or learn more, please visit our show notes for more information. 

The Ritchie Community League was established in 1922. To understand the social climate of the time and the motivations of the League, our discussion needs to start in the early 1900s. This episode will look at many of the civic movements that held significance in Edmonton to understand why Community Leagues are necessary for our city. We will explore the founders of the Community League movement, some of the first leagues in the city and conclude with a brief history of the early activities of the Ritchie Community League. Our discussion also focuses on defining what makes a community. 

Perhaps one of the most important values of a well-functioning community is neighbourly support. Undoubtedly, our Community Collaborator this month, The Paint Spot, embodies this value. The Paint Spot is an award-winning art materials store, proudly serving and supporting Edmonton artists since 1985. The Paint Spot is committed to helping you achieve your artistic vision with an extensive array of supplies, classes, and presentations from local artists. Over the past 27 years, The Paint Spot has been the driving force behind Edmonton's most successful artist-run market: The Art Walk. The Paint Spot proudly supports the creation and promotion of murals in Edmonton. Members of the Ritchie Crew Subscription Service receive 10% off all products in store! For more information about the shop’s endeavours, check out our show notes for this episode, and pop by The Paint Spot today! 

Though the Edmonton we know today is a relatively well-oiled machine, this was not always the case. The city of Edmonton was established on October 8, 1904, and quickly became an attractive place for settlers to call home. Partially due to the Canadian Pacific Railway connecting Edmonton to many other cities, the population grew by 30 percent in 1907 and 1908. In 1909, Edmonton was home to 15,000 people. Five years later, the population exploded to 72,500. Unfortunately, the city could not provide housing for all of the people that flocked to Edmonton, and nearly 13,000 settlers set up camps alongside the river. 

Edmonton's expansive riverbanks also housed many businesses, neighbourhoods, and critical infrastructure. In June of 1915, torrential downpours and water runoff from the mountains flooded Edmonton's river flats. The North Saskatchewan River rose roughly fourteen meters, washing away 50 structures and damaging over 700 homes. The water washed the wreckage down the river, where the debris collided with the Low-Level Bridge. The blockage threatened the bridge and brought the risk of additional flooding. While no loss of life was recorded, the flood displaced about 2000 Edmontonians and rendered the Rossdale Power Plant and The Waterworks plant out of commission. The city was without power and clean drinking water for a short period. 

Though the river level dropped within a few days, the damage left in the water's wake was devastating. The Edmonton Journal estimates the flood caused over $500,000 in damages, roughly equivalent to 12 million dollars today. The Great Flood, in combination with WWI in 1914 and the Spanish Flu in 1916, rendered the early years of the city quite devastating. However, these unfortunate events heightened citizens' awareness of civic issues. Edmontonians felt there was little they could do to change municipal, provincial, and even federal policies as singular individuals. As problems began to arise in neighbourhoods, residents began to feel the need for a unified community voice. 

As WWI called Canadian men across the pacific ocean and away from local industries, women adopted new roles outside their households. Between 1911 and 1921, women's participation in the workforce increased by nearly 40%. Though opportunities available to women varied based on their socio-economic class, marital status, and age, somewhere between 11,000 and 35,000 women in Canada worked in munitions production alone, which was considerable for the period. The significant surge of women in the workforce triggered a shift in the way people thought about industry, civic issues, and community.

In 1916, the Alberta government awarded white women the right to hold public office and to vote in provincial elections. However, the government didn’t grant the same freedoms to Indigenous women and many other women of colour. Prairie Suffragettes were supported by organizations like the United Farmers of Alberta, the United Farm Women of Alberta, the Women's Christian Temperance Union, and the Social Gospel Movement. 

The Social Gospel Movement made waves between 1880 to the late 1930s and influenced the development of Community Leagues. The Movement was concerned with correcting many perceived social ills of modern society. In Alberta, its primary goal was "[to foster] an ethic of cooperation" that "might be applied to social problems and political reform" through the lens of evangelicalism and Darwinism. The Women's Christian Temperance Union was a branch of the Movement which had roots across the country, and Edmonton was no exception.

In February of 1914, the Women's Christan Temperance Union hosted a talk in Ritchie focused on prohibition. Neighbourhood residents squeezed into every corner of the Richmond Park Methodist church to listen to the women. An excerpt from the Edmonton Bulletin reads:

"Mrs. Howard, [a spokesperson for the Movement], gave a short talk on temperance work, calling attention to the fact that [prohibition] spelled sacrifice any way you look at it. You must either sacrifice your time or your talents or your money to rid the land of the liquor traffic, or sacrifice the boys and girls to feed it. Statistics show that at the present time from every five homes one boy was taken to fill the ranks of the drunkards who were passing away, and you had no say in the matter as to whose boy or girl it should be.”

While the Women's Christian Temperance Union capitalized on contemporary perceptions of the 'ills of society' and hyperbolized liquor problems in Edmonton, the public and widespread broadcasting of these ideas indicates the values of this organization and its motivations were not on the fringe of society. Middle-class, politically motivated white women, paired with the concerns of the Social Gospel Movement, created an atmosphere that looked to community organizations for advocacy and public service in a new way. Concern about social reform and the application of Social Gospel ideas influenced the creation of other organizations that held white, settler society at the centre. 

In our research, we found that the inspiration for the format of Edmonton's Community Leagues is derived from a model founded in Rochester, New York, called the Social Center Movement. This movement, established in 1907, gained tremendous popularity across the United States, and Social Centre organizations developed in New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, St. Louis, and Milwaukee throughout the 1910s. 

The goal of the Social Centre Movement was to establish Neighbourhood Civic Clubs in municipal regions where citizens could have a platform to engage with local politics, express new ideas, engage in debate, and inspire local change. Members of the movement advocated for the use of public buildings, like schools, as venues for neighbourhood meetings. Under the Rochester Neighbourhood Civic Clubs, citizens voiced a desire to be informed on public matters and pushed to better public schools. The Clubs "awakened civic spirit," and "men, and women, whatever their differences of race, class, creed, or income… [enjoyed] getting together on the shared human ground of citizenship.” 

Edward Joshua Ward was a crucial figure in the Rochester Neighbourhood Civic Clubs. Ward was a social engineer, born in 1880 in Buffalo, New York. He began his career as a minister at First Presbyterian Church of Silvercreek, New York. He often offered his church as a facility for recreational activities and Civic Club meetings. Eventually, Ward became the driving force behind the Neighbourhood Civics Club. 

The University of Wisconsin Division of Extension hired Ward in 1910 to bring the movement to Wisconsin. However, Ward only worked at the university for four years, and the movement collapsed shortly after his departure. Overall, Ward was not well-liked, and some critics cite his unruly nature as the reason for the movement's collapse. 

Though Ward's time at the University of Wisconsin was short-lived, it is perhaps why we have Community Leagues in our city, as Edmontonian Jessie Flemming Montgomery learned about the movement during her time at the university.

Jessie Montgomery moved from Ontario to Strathcona in the late 1890s. In 1913 Montgomery became the first librarian of the University of Alberta's Library of Extension, where she remained until her retirement in 1945. At the Library, she worked alongside Albert Edward Ottewell, the director of the Department, and the pair were committed to bringing the university to the people. Albertans from all around the province could request books through the Library, and after a few short weeks, the literature would appear in their mailbox. X Described as an "indomitable librarian," "Montgomery's spirit, and her belief in her work were such that no difficulties could daunt her" and "[she] built up a library that [was] an oasis in a rather large desert.” To further her education, Montgomery attended additional library schooling at the University of Wisconsin from 1914 to 1915. While she was at the university, the Social Centre Movement was in its prime and was likely quite popular in her professional circles.

Montgomery is not solely responsible for bringing the Social Center Movement to Edmonton; credit must also be given to former Industrial Commissioner George M. Hall. Hall immigrated from the United States to Winnipeg in 1906 and to Edmonton in 1912. He had a strong interest in civic issues and caught wind of the Social Center Movement. Eager to learn more, Hall travelled to New York in 1917 to gather information on the movement. When he returned to Edmonton in February of the same year, Hall and Montgomery came together to create a similar organization. 

Later that month, Montgomery told the citizens of the Westgrove, Capital Hill, Jasper Place, and Glenora neighbourhoods about the Social Center Movement and the potential benefits of forming a similar organization. In her speech, Montgomery "traced the history of the community idea from early Saxon times until the present, [and set] forth the tremendous strides the movement had made in the States.” After she spoke, the neighbourhoods unanimously agreed that a community league should be established, and Montgomery and Hall founded the 142nd Street District Community League. In 1958, the League was renamed the Crestwood Community League, and we will refer to it as such. This League was "Canada's first community-based organization.” 

The early work of the Crestwood Community League focussed on beautification, transportation, and community-building. In October 1917, the League discussed the struggles of blue-collar workers. This discussion addressed the lack of common ground between Capital and Labour, leaving little room for meetings of differing opinions. Here we see an early example of community leagues providing platforms for political engagement that may not have been accessible or even possible through other societies and organizations. 

Later that month, the League threw their first recreational event: a Hallowe’en party at Jasper Place School. It was undoubtedly a success, with over one hundred people attending. Later that year, the League installed a sidewalk that ran west down Stony Plain Road to 142nd Street. They also had a massive notice board created by a local sign painter, Mr. Frederick Kitchener, adorned with the following message: “142nd Street District Community League, Organized to Promote a Community of Happy Homes, by means of Co-Operative Effort in Work and Play.” The Crestwood League requested responsibility for Laurier Park, likely the first discussion of land or community green space delegated to the leagues. 

The Vacant Lots Garden Association was one of the first movements the Crestwood Community League promoted. The Association began in Ontario in 1912, with the intention to grow food for those in need. In Alberta, the movement first appeared in Calgary in 1914 and was carried to Edmonton in 1916 by Dr. Robert G. Brett, the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. Brett pitched the campaign to Edmontonians, the mayor, and educational interest groups, including the Edmonton Horticultural Society. Quickly, the movement grew roots in our city.

George Harcourt—the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and a Professor of Horticulture at the University of Alberta—was the first president of the Edmonton branch of the Vacant Lots Garden Association. In March of 1917, the Crestwood Community League hosted a public meeting, and Harcourt promoted the association. He stated that “the raising of vegetable produce would help the Empire to win the war. Then there was the question of health, first by maens [sic] of the exercise from gardening, and also by the consumption of more vegetables and less meat.” Harcourt's statements connect to the new ideas of health and wellness developing since the late 1800s. Stemming from the Social Gospel Movement and the Social Center Movement’s focus on reform, Darwinism and the Empire were motivations for community organizations.

The Vacant Lots Garden Association began to spread across the city, like Creeping Bellflower. In July 1917, the Crestwood League solidified its relationship with the Association and started planting. In September, residents scheduled a harvest date and delighted in the fruits of their labours. Those who had cellar space pitched in to help store the produce, and those who did not have space assisted with the harvest. 

The Association grew in over 800 lots around Edmonton in the first year. A year later, it amalgamated with the Edmonton Horticultural Society and became the Edmonton Horticultural and Vacant Lots Garden Association, of which Harcourt remained chair. In 1918, the association planted gardens in nearly 8,000 lots. According to the Edmonton Horticultural Associations website, this program ran until the early 1990s’. 

To learn more about the Edmonton Vacant Lots Garden Association, check out Kathryn Chase Merritts’ book, titled “Why Grow Here: Essays on Edmonton’s Gardening History.” 

After the formation of the Crestwood League, the Community League Movement took Edmonton by storm. Quickly, five leagues popped up around the city, including Bonnie Doon, Calgary Trail, Forest Heights, Bennett School, and South Side Community Leagues. In the first few years, the leagues were constantly competing for the attention of City Council, and rivalries were beginning to form. Mayor Milwyn Duggan noticed the contempt and suggested the leagues form a united front. 

After plenty of deliberation, on January 25, 1921, at the University of Alberta, the leagues formed the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues or EFCL. At the time of establishment, the objectives of the EFCL were to “assist in the distribution of information, act as a clearinghouse for various speakers and promote programs generally; in matters which affect the city as a whole, to take united action, and to support individual leagues if considered advisable.”

The Department of Extension became quite interested in the federation after noticing the educational work the leagues were taking on. Upon Ottewell’s suggestion, the University began to work together with the leagues to provide speakers and any other assistance they could. The Edmonton Journal notes that the Department of Extensions “was particularly anxious to make the leagues even more powerful in the various communities.” As of 2017, the EFCL represents 157 leagues and remains a symbol of the unification of communities across Edmonton.

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The formation of the EFCL and the many leagues surrounding the neighbourhood likely inspired Ritchie community members to explore options for action. Ritchie no doubt had its share of civic issues, and the waves made by other leagues around the city influenced the establishment of the Ritchie Community League. One of these inspiring events was the Garneau Community Leagues effort for school sanitation. 

In early 1922, the Edmonton Public School Board met to discuss sanitation and health affecting children in schools. The Garneau League addressed the Board, requesting that additional sanitation be used in schools to protect the children. Specifically, they pushed for the use of “antitoxin as a preventative for diphtheria.” The league requested a health inspection at the school, the inspection report, and the statistics of infectious cases at the school compared to three other schools in the area. The Garneau League’s push for vigorous sanitation in schools showcases the power leagues held to create change in the community.

From this context of community leagues, their history, and local advocacy, the Ritchie Community League was born in 1922. James B. Allan was the first President. Allan was an Architect and Scottish immigrant who came to Canada in 1906. He lived across the street from the modern Ritchie Community Hall at 9760 78th Avenue and was an avid lawn bowler. And coincidentally, Allan's former house is depicted in our logo! X Allan served only a short term as league President, as he and his family moved away from the city in 1923. The office of league president was transferred to D. Connell in early 1923 in preparation for Allan’s departure.

The Ritchie Community League did not have a community hall in its early days, so meetings took place in various spaces around the community. Richmond Park Methodist Church was a popular venue for the League’s early meetings. Built in 1913, the church stood on 7th Street East. The church quickly became a hub for social events, and as time went on, it remained a key site for public addresses of all types, including electoral candidates. The church hosted one of the first Ritchie Community League meetings in November 1922, where the board began planning a winter program. 

Shortly after, the League was approved to begin construction on the neighbourhood's first hockey rink at 77th Avenue and 98th street. A Whist Drive and Dance were organized on December 6, 1922, to raise awareness of the League's presence in the community. The following evening, the league hosted a municipal campaign meeting at Richmond Park church, where many mayoral and alderman candidates addressed Ritchie community members. The Ritchie Community League's early actions aligned with the multifaceted role of community leagues in Edmonton society.

In addition to Richmond Park Methodist Church, Orange Hall in Old Strathcona was an occasional haunt of the League. Orange Hall stands distinctly on the edge of MacIntyre Park; its peaked roof stretches towards the sky, its name boldly displayed in bright tangerine letters over its white exterior. Inside, the hall is wide open and boasts a raised stage on the end of the assembly hall. Historian David Leonard states: “Orange Hall is one of few wood heritage buildings still standing in Strathcona, surrounded by commercial brick.” The small wood-framed structure was the primary meeting place of the Orange Men, a Protestant fraternal society aligned with the British Empire. Due to their allegiance, the Orange Men have been at the centre of political and religious tension in Canada. 

Apart from Orange activities, the hall served as a gathering place for organizations and Community Leagues, which some assert is why it still stands today. To our knowledge, only a handful of Ritchie meetings ever took place at Orange Hall, which could be attributed to numerous factors such as location, scheduling, or politics. However, the popularity of the Hall may speak to Edmonton’s political atmosphere at the time. Other popular venues were local schools, including Ritchie School and Mill Creek School. 

Much of Ritchie Community Leagues' early work focused on recreational activities and community building. The League hosted physical education classes for adults and children in the early years. With over 180 members, the classes were quite successful. After constructing the skating rink, the League began to discuss sports teams for the community, including basketball, soccer, and hockey. Later, tennis and boxing were introduced into the Leagues repertoire of sports teams. Sports leagues provided an opportunity for inter-league interaction, with teams from all around the city playing against one another.

Winter Carnivals were popular pastimes in Edmonton. In the darkest, coldest months of winter, the carnivals brought wonder and excitement to life in our city. Winter Carnivals included events like group skating on the new RCL Ice Rink, speed skating races (5 laps), barrel jumping, fancy dress contests, and a coronation ceremony of the Carnival Queen. Some accounts of Winter Carnivals state that the Queens were crowned by popular vote, while others assert the Queen was determined by the girl who sold the most tickets to the event. 

The earliest recorded Ritchie Carnival Queen was Dorthy Skett, appointed in 1937. An excerpt from the Edmonton Journal reads: “Amid a splashing array of red, blue and green winter sport costumes, Dorothy Skett, 15-year-old Strathcona high school student, was crowned queen of the Ritchie community league skating carnival Thursday night.”

Winter Carnivals were not small events. In 1946, the Edmonton Journal reported 500 people at the Ritchie Community Leagues Ice Carnival. After the coronation ceremony, Joan Steele, RCL Carnival Queen of 1946, was accompanied in a victory lap by her competitors, Joyce Carruthers and Elinor Stephens. 

There were many prizes to be won at the Winter Carnivals. In 1959, The Edmonton Journal noted, “The [Ritchie Carnival] queen was presented with a set of luggage, the ladies in waiting each received jewelry, and the other seven contestants with travelling alarm clocks.” Prizes were also awarded for the speed-skating and barrel jumping contests. 

The festivities concluded with a swirling, iridescent fancy-dress parade. Led by that year's Carnival Queen adorned in her royal attire, a blur of sparkle-clad community members skated around the rink, cheered on by youngsters and adults alike. 

Take a look at the show notes for this episode to see photos of these iconic queens. 

On a Saturday afternoon in September 1946, a parade of children rushed down the tree-lined streets of Ritchie. Children of all ages carted decorated wagons, pushed doll strollers, and rode bicycles adorned with streamers. These children were part of the Ritchie Teen Club. Their cause? A lack of neighbourhood interest in the Community League which threatened the disposal of the Hall and the closure of the skating rink. The children wielded signs reading: “Have a heart, give us a start,” “Parents, we need your support, please attend your community meeting;” “We are the future men and women of Ritchie, support your community and give us the right environment to grow in.” 

Though the Ritchie Community League did very well at engaging citizens in the first few years, residents were not always chomping at the bit to participate. In 1946, the Community League was on the verge of collapse. Attendance at the Leagues meetings was lower than ever before, and the nearly empty hall felt more spacious and quiet than it had in years past. Though board members attempted many campaigns to generate interest from the community, none of their efforts were successful, and the risk of disbanding the league was imminent.

The president of the Teen’s Club stated in an interview with the Edmonton Bulletin that “the youth of this community [could not] continue to carry out worthwhile activities if the parents and adults [wouldn’t] help [them]. It is not money [they wanted], just someone to help [them] get [their] rink going, someone to coach [their] sports team and give [them] a little guidance.” The unnamed President stated that he met with the city’s recreational supervisor to advocate for additional playground assistance. He was confident the Teen Club would raise enough support to keep the league and its programming afloat in the following weeks. 

The following Thursday, attendance at the Ritchie Community Leagues meeting was at an all-time high. The Edmonton Bulletin notes that “there was not sufficient room in the community hall to accommodate all those who turned out.” While it is difficult to speculate, it’s possible that these teens saved the Ritchie Community League. Without their valiant action, there's a possibility the league may not exist today. 

Throughout the years, the goal of the Ritchie Community League has been to foster connection, civic advocacy, and support among neighbours. In 1948, the Edmonton Journal noted that Ritchie Community League’s slogan was: “The most neighbourly community.” Our research shows that the League carried out a range of recreational activities to encourage congenial attitudes in Ritchie. One of these critical community-building events was the game of Whist, a card game played by many community leagues across Alberta in the early to mid-1900s. A dance accompanied by live music, notably mandolin, banjo, and piano, often followed the card games. 

While Whist tournaments were a way for community members to meet and connect with their neighbours, there were also cash prizes to be won, and in a unique case, even a Havanese puppy. 

The Ritchie Community League hosted their first Whist Drive and Dance in Orange Hall in the early 1920s, and Ritchie residents arrived, dressed in their finest, to win big. In 1938, the Edmonton Journal noted that a game of Telephone Whist took place at a Ritchie residence, which showcases the evolution of the game. In Ritchie, Whist maintained its popularity until 1970.

Bingo is perhaps a modern example of a game with similar popularity and opportunity for community connection. The first record of Bingo in Ritchie comes from an article courtesy of the Edmonton Journal. This 1948 piece states that every Friday evening, there would be entertainment of some sort for the children, followed by a rousing game of Bingo for the adults. Ritchies Bingo continued into the 2000s, but at a lesser capacity. In 2006, Edward Retzer, a former Ritchie League president, told the Edmonton Journal that in the 1970s, the hall would be bursting at the seams, full of eager bingo players twice a week. When there was no more room in the Hall, excited Bingo players would pack into the hallways to play. 

Though attendance had taken a hit, Bingo remained a favourite activity for many Ritchie dwellers. After Bonnie Hastey stumbled across a newsletter request for Bingo participants in 2004, she and Joanne Niederhaus became regulars at Ritchie’s Wednesday evening matches. At the time, roughly thirty women regularly attended the events. Many of them came as part of a routine excursion from the local senior’s residence half a block from the Hall. For Joanne, Bingo was a way to get to know her neighbours.

Though regarded as outsiders at first, as the months passed, Joanne and Bonnie became part of the core group of players, and if either of them were late, the other women would save them a seat. The game was not exclusive to Ritchie residents. Bonnie and Joanne played alongside a downtown resident named Jo, who frequented games at different halls around the city. When Joanne and Bonnie began playing Bingo, Don Seguin was the Caller and Chairman of the Ritchie Bingo Committee. However, Don had to step back from his responsibilities due to an illness, and Bingo was cancelled. Determined to keep the game alive, Bonnie stepped into the role of Caller for a few years, with Joanne and her husband also adopting the position for eight years. In May 2018, Ritchie held its last Bingo night. 

Even though the game that once attracted many residents has dwindled over time, it is clear that Bingo remains an integral part of many Ritchie dwellers' lives. Bingo unified community members and created a close-knit group that played together for decades. Though many of Bonnie and Joanne’s original group members have died, the pair still maintain a connection with the Bingo community. If Joanne crosses paths with one of the other players, they reminisce about their fond memories of Wednesday nights at the community hall.

At the core, Edmonton’s Community Leagues allow neighbourhood residents to participate in civic affairs. Leagues unite neighbours and empower them to evoke real change in their communities. Residents formed a community-motivated hive-mind, better equipped to handle issues than if they’d operated alone. Communities can be influential in municipal decision-making, advocating for their respective interests while also providing an opportunity for neighbours to get to know each other. Community programming, past and present, allows individuals to be constantly interconnected.  Things may look a little different now, especially during the pandemic. Now, we primarily connect with our neighbours in online communities. Whether through a Virtual book Club or online discussion forums, the intentions of Community Leagues remains essentially the same: to engage and include people in the city, advocate for the rights of the people, and empower everyone to be involved in civic issues. 

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of A Little Bit Ritchie. If you enjoyed this episode, please give us a rating and a review! A Little Bit Ritchie is brought to you by the Ritchie Community League Centennial Celebration Committee. Erin Fraser and Seghan MacDonald chair the committee. Our primary researcher is Linnea Bell. Elyse Colville wrote this episode. A Little Bit Ritchie is produced by Castria Communications and Media Solutions. This project is supported by the Edmonton Heritage Council and the City of Edmonton. Thank you to Tierra Connor for creating our artwork, and a special thanks to Joanne for talking to us about Bingo.

To see photos of the locations and people mentioned in this episode, detailed show notes, a transcription, and references for this episode, visit the link in our description.

If you have a story you would like to share in a future episode of A Little Bit Ritchie, send us an email at community-planning@ritchie-league.com. 

And don’t forget to check out the Paint Spot for all your creative needs. 

On the next episode of A Little Bit Ritchie, we’ll look at the history and importance of Transportation in Edmonton. We’ll learn about the impact of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and the Edmonton Yukon Railway. 

Thanks again for tuning in to this episode of A Little Bit Ritchie.  I’m Lydia Neufeld. 

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