An Evening with Edmonton’s Historian Laureate
Event celebrates Black history in Jasper Place Edmonton’s Historian Laureate, Donna Coombs-Montrose, led an evening at the Jasper Place Edmonton Public Library for Black History
Learn about the History of Jasper Place
Welcome to the Jasper Place Community History Project!
Jasper Place is a community with a rich history, and many of its residents have been here for generations.
Find historical information about the Edmonton neighbourhood of Jasper Place by clicking on the map markers that take you to points of interest, using the search bar, or by browsing through the website. Here you will find a treasure trove of articles on the people and places of Jasper Place. The history is grounded in the stories gathered from the residents of Jasper Place throughout the years.
Jasper Place Float, n.d. (1957?).
Courtesy of the City of Edmonton Archives, EA-275-2012. Creator: Hook Signs Ltd.
Photo supplied by Steve Segal.
Store fronts located between 15507 and 15525 Stony Plain Road, 2006.
Courtesy of the City of Edmonton Archives, EA-596-902. Photographer: John M. Wetherill.
Photo supplied by Steve Segal.
Posts
Making a Home in the West: Chinese Families in Jasper Place
Making a Home in the West: Chinese Families in Jasper Place Chinese migration to Canada stretches back to the nineteenth century, but for decades it
Carl Wilson
Date: 2023Location: EdmontonProfile: Carl Wilson arrived in 1975 in Edmonton with his family after spending a few years in England where he became a pressure
156 Street and Stony Plain Road Across the Years
Colette Lebeuf 1943 The intersection of 156 Street and Stony Plain Road is seen in the centre of this aerial photo dating from 1943. At
Edith Chu
Born in France to Chinese parents who had migrated through Hong Kong and Europe before settling in Edmonton in 1979, Edith Chu grew up in
Misericordia Community Hospital
A history of health care and workers’ struggles. Paula E. Kirman The Misericordia Community Hospital is operated by Covenant Health and is known as Edmonton’s
Straightening 149th Street and Widening Stony Plain Road
Accommodating growth and safety. Paula E. Kirman Thanks to provincial government construction of a four-lane highway to Jasper beginning in 1949, 149 Street was straightened
Irma Belton (née Lipscombe)
Irma Belton (née Lipscombe) is a descendant of Alberta’s early Black communities. Born in Athabasca, she moved with her parents and siblings to Edmonton in
Jim Selby
Jim Selby is a lifelong labour activist and author of left-wing publications. He was research and communications director at the Alberta Federation of Labour for
Lilly Ann Selby
Lilly Ann Selby came from an agrarian socialist family in Saskatchewan. She began married life on a farm until financial conditions forced her parents to
George Murphy
George Murphy has deep connections to the Jasper Place area that go back to early childhood. He is still connected to the area. Here he
Erasing and Displacing Indigenous Peoples: Rethinking the Contributions of James Gibbons to Jasper Place and Edmonton History
Sarah Carter Irish-born settler James Gibbons (1837 – 1927) was an early and prominent landowner in the Town of Jasper Place (JP). He is
Early Settlement of “Jasper Place”
Connor J. Thompson The Canadian state began surveying the land in what would become Jasper Place in 1882. Lands formerly home to Indigenous peoples, and
Homesteading: Rules and Terms
Sarah Carter What did it mean to homestead? We think of the term today as synonymous with farming, or generally establishing a home in a
Neil Henry
Neil Henry was born in South Africa in 1942 of Scottish parents; he spent 7 years as an army kid in post-war Germany and immigrated
Stennie Noel
Stennie Noel arrived in Canada from Trinidad & Tobago in 1974. After receiving certification in welding/pipefitting, he moved to Edmonton. He worked on contracts for
Teuna (Toni) de Jong
Below are excerpts from letters Teuna de Jong wrote to her mother in the Netherlands throughout the 1960s. She and her husband, Jelle, bought a
Christopher Braiden
Christopher Braiden was born on May 13, 1939 in England to Irish parents. The family moved to Edmonton in 1959. Braiden became a police officer
Ruby Swartz
Ruby Swartz is originally from Yellowknife, but has had connections to the Jasper Place area since childhood. Here is her family’s story, and she also
Charles Zelensky
Charles Zelensky was born in 1957 at the Edmonton General Hospital, one of seven children of Peter and Ruth Zelensky. Peter was from Winnipeg, MB
Walter Touchings
Walter Touchings was interviewed by telephone for the Jasper Place Community History Project on January 24th, 2023. Barrie Touchings, his nephew, also interviewed by the
The Jasper Place Rustlers
Pioneering hockey champions. Paula E. Kirman Edmonton is a city known for its championship-winning NHL hockey team. However, long before the Edmonton Oilers came into
Food Security in Jasper Place: Part Three
Corner stores. Paula E. Kirman Jasper Place residents often chose to make many of their grocery and other purchases in corner stores. People chose where
Life in the ’50s and early ’60s in the Town of Jasper Place
Interviewee stories and reminiscences by former residents provide the backbone of the Jasper Place Community History Project. They evoke growing up and living in the
Food Security in Jasper Place: Part Two
Food and water delivery. Paula E. Kirman In a time period when food security was often precarious, many families who lived in Jasper Place, before
THE ORANGE HUB: A Site for Education Since 1935
The land upon which the building sits has been a site for learning and community gathering for almost 90 years. The Orange Hub has also
Jasper Place: Home to Black Communities Since the 1950s
Black families and individuals have been known to travel the river’s edge from downtown Edmonton, navigating their way to the communities of Jasper Place. Jasper
Jasper Place Community History: What the Project is About
We want this community to have access to its own stories and have pride in the neighbourhood. Dedication This project is dedicated to the many
PAGHABI SA BAGONG TAHANAN: Weaving Ourselves in Our New Home
The Filipino diaspora has been creating its history in Edmonton since the early 1960’s. Yesterday Jasper Place hosts one of the city’s largest ethnic groups,
Food Security in Jasper Place: Part One
Gardens and farms: growing, harvesting, and foraging. Paula E. Kirman Food security is an issue that people all over Edmonton deal with, both today and
Chrystia Chomiak
Myrna Kostash Chrystia Chomiak grew up in the 1950s and 1960s in a modest bungalow in Canora, a core neighbourhood of Jasper Place. Her parents,
Getting Around in Jasper Place: Part Three
Barrel Taxi. Paula E. Kirman Barrel Taxi got its start in 1947 or 1948 at 14901 Stony Plain Road when the area was still part
