1

George Bentley Family
1901
Bentley, Alberta


Credits:
Bentley Museum Society

2

Children on the street in Bentley,
1908
Bentley, Alberta


Credits:
Bentley Museum Society
Glenbow Archives, Calgary, Alberta

3

Stagecoach
1905
Bentley, Alberta


Credits:
Bentley Museum Society

4

Putland and Thorp Trading Post
1904
Bentley, Alberta


Credits:
Bentley Museum Society

5

Bentley - Early Days- Special event
Early 1900's
Bentley, Alberta


Credits:
Bentley Museum Society

6

Bentley - Origin of the Name

The town of Bentley was named after George Bentley. He was an American, but no one seems to know exactly what part of the United States he came from. He, his wife and son came to this area in the early 1900's. He lived and farmed three and a half miles north of the town site. He worked for the Cumming's lumber mill.They had a steam boat, and hauled lumber anywhere around Gull Lake. It seems that George Bentley worked on the steam boat as well as at the lumber mill. He also operated the Bentley Post Office and store for three months before it was purchased by Major McPherson.

Some folks say that, in 1901, when they sent in the petition to have this area registered as a post office they sent the list of names in alphabetical order and George Bentley's name appeared at the top of the list.

Another story is that the name "Springdale" was suggested first, but couldn't be used as it had already been taken by another town. It was then decided to call it "Bentley" after one of the sawmill operators at the "Outlet". A group of settlers, who were operating a saw mill, north of the town site, had wanted the post office located at the "Outlet" so maybe choosing one of their names for the post office helped appease them.

Now, in 2010, the name "Bentley" remains, snd we wouldn't have it any other way.

7

Bentley
The Story Behind Alberta Names by Harry M. Sanders

Journalist Ken Liddell, who for a quarter century examined rural themes in his Calgary Herald column, once observed that "90 percent of the Bentley settlers died in the community." The most obvious exception was George Bentley (1862-1945), a sawyer from Michigan who settled along the Blindman River in the 1890’s. When Major William B. McPherson, a U.S. Civil War veteran, opened a post office in April 1900, Bentley’s name was the controversial choice. Settlers preferred McPherson’s name, but they were outnumbered by the sawmill employees, who wanted Bentley. George Bentley left Bentley around 1905 and is almost certainly the George Calvin Bentley who settled in Stettler that same year. There he operated the Staples Lumber Company and served as the first village reeve and as a school board trustee. In 1922, he left Alberta permanently and as a real estate promoter, became the "founding father" of Virginia City (now North Long Beach), California. Bentley, Alberta was incorporated as a village in 1915 and as a town in 2001.

8

BENTLEY

In 1899, Major Wm. B. McPherson, a veteran of the American Civil War, together with his sons filed on land in Township 40 on the present site of the village of Bentley. The junction of four of their homestead quarters is now the cross roads of the Village of Bentley at McPherson Avenue and Vig Street. (50th Avenue & 50th Street)
Prior to 1915 a petition was formed regarding the naming of the village. The original names of Oxford and Springdale were turned down as these two names had been frequently used across Canada. The government officials then decided to use the top name from the petition, being that of Bentley. George Bentley was one of the sawmill operators near the outlet of Gull Lake.
The original boulevard was built in 1930 with the idea of it being a buffer for any future fire. In 1916 all buildings on the south side of main street were destroyed by fire which started in the livery stable.