190

Broadway, Peace River Crossing.
circa 1914
Peace River Crossing, Alberta
TEXT ATTACHMENT


Credits:
PRMA/MC AR89.36.41

191

This photograph shows Peace River Crossing in 1916 as seen from the west. One can see a steamship docked on the east bank of the river.

192

Peace River Crossing (as seen from the west).
11 September 1916
Peace River Crossing, Alberta
TEXT ATTACHMENT


Credits:
PRMA/MC 72.453u

193

A photograph of Peace River Crossing as seen from the south. One can see the concentration of buildings in the area to the north of the Heart River with lesser development immediately to the south of the river. To the north of the central commercial district is uncut forest. Today (2008) this area is a large residential region.

194

Peace River Crossing (from the south).
circa 1916
Peace River Crossing, Alberta
TEXT ATTACHMENT


Credits:
PRMA/MC 80.1123.46

195

In this photograph one is seeing the area to the north of Peace River Crossing. Development of this region was slow with most commercial and residential activity happening in the central and southern parts of the community.

196

The region immediately to the north of Peace River Crossing.
crica 1918
Peace River Crossing, Alberta
TEXT ATTACHMENT


Credits:
PRMA/MC 72.484.a1

197

By the time of this photograph (1918-1919) there had been considerable development of Peace River Crossing. Despite the development one can see a large area of forest and several vacant lots.

In 1919 the railway bridge, shown in the background here, opened and Peace River was to become incorporated as a town.

198

The central area of Peace River Crossing.
circa 1918
Peace River Crossing, Alberta
TEXT ATTACHMENT


Credits:
PRMA/MC 72.484.a2

199

This photograph illustrates the southern end of Peace River Crossing in 1918-9. Despite having to cope with the boundary of the Heart River which separated it from the central commercial area and was only crossed on a small bridge there was a fair degree of development which included a number of businesses (chiefly near the south bank of the Heart River) and residences. The businesses included a hotel and a number of shops.

200

A view to the south of Peace River Crossing.
circa 1918
Peace River Crossing, Alberta
TEXT ATTACHMENT


Credits:
PRMA/MC 72.484.a4

201

One of the major factors in the develoment of Peace River Crossing was the coming of the railway. There was, in the early 20th century, endless speculation about a railway to the Peace Country and the route it would take. Communities bypassed by the railway, such as Grouard, were destined to be bypassed by the major flow of settlers to come to northern Alberta. In the case of Peace River Crossing it was to become a major railway centre with the arrival of the Edmonton, Dunvegan & British Columbia Railway in 1916.

One of the engineering challenges of the railway was the Peace River valley which had a depth of roughly 800 feet. The railway approached Peace River Crossing from the south and a trestle (shown here) had to be built across the Heart River so that the railway could actually reach the community. In 1919 a railway bridge was completed to allow a crossing of the Peace River.

202

The Heart River railway bridge.
circa 1918
Heart River
TEXT ATTACHMENT


Credits:
PRMA/MC 72.484.a5

203

European involvement with the area that was to become Peace River Crossing began in the late 18th century with the arrival of the fur trade in the form of the North West Company. The area was to become part of the fur rich region known as "Athabasca" and to be a focal point in the battle between the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company in the period 1815-1821. Permanent European presence did not arrive until the 1870s and the re-establishment of the Hudson's Bay Company at what was called Peace River Landing on the east side of the Peace River within the present site of the Town of Peace River. This was at the same time as limited settlement was beginning on the other side of the river in what was called the Shaftesbury Settlement. The latter was to be the site of an Anglican mission in the 1880s and a Roman Catholic mission in the 1890s. Another significant early event was the decision of the North West Mounted Police to establish a detachment at Peace River Crossing in 1898.

Peace River Crossing and the Shaftesbury Settlement were to function as significant centres for the Peace River area but large scale development was not to occur until after 1910. The Canada Census for 1911 shows only 60 residents in Shaftesbury and 70 in Peace River Crossing. Maps and photographs for that time show few buildings and narrow dirt roads serving as streets in Peace River Crossing.

By 1914 there had been tremendous change with a huge influx of settlers, investors, businesses, institutions, a newspaper and technology such as the steamboat. Peace River Crossing had over 700 residents and a growing commercial area. Growth was such that Peace River Crossing became incorporated as a village. It had evolved from a trading centre for the Hudson's Bay Company and Revillon Freres into a commercial centre and "jumping off" point for a wave of settlers looking for land in what was called the "Last Great West".