12

Elaine Williams, younger sister, Eleanor (Devitt) Anderson also recalled her school days and the early years in Redwater.

"My parents, Howard and Isobel Devitt, came to Redwater in 1949 and built the Corner Grocery. Isabel and Howard Devitt, my parents, built the Corner Grocery Store on main street in 1949 and we lived behind the store until the new town site houses were ready in 1050. They sold groceries to the residents of Redwater, and would allow the people to buy their groceries for the month, with the hope that the people would pay for them on payday. The store was closed on Wednesday afternoon, when they would go to Edmonton, long before the road was paved, to buy supplies for the store. Nothing was delivered in those days. Of course the store was closed on Sundays as well. They owned the store until about 1955, and Isabel operated the store until she got a job with the Post Office, and then became a Telephone Switchboard operator for Alberta Government Telephones. This was when the operator used a switchboard using phone plugs, inserting them into the jacks to connect telephones manually. In 1970 Isabel started to work for The Redwater Fertilizer Plant being the main receptionist there.


Howard worked for Royalite, Imperial Oil, Kenyon's Oil Service, and finally in 1952 Redwater Salt Water Disposal. He was still employed with Salt Water Disposal until his death in 1974.

Isabel lived in Redwater until 1995. She curled (before the days of artificial ice), and bonspeiled in the early years, and golfed as well. She moved to Calgary in 1995, and passed away in 2002.

I started school in 1950 and was one of the few students that, came with the oil boom, to complete her Grade 12 in Redwater, as well. People were moving in and out of Redwater all the time. I can remember walking to school from our new Town site house to school in the wintertime with long brown stockings on. They would be wet from the snow and our teacher made us take them off and dry them on the heat registers with our boots.

In the early days, we would skate in the wintertime on the Redwater Creek, and swim there in summertime. I do remember skating almost every evening on the skating rink, which was built later and was very close to our house.

Also in the summertime I would bicycle around Redwater, and could name every family that lived in every house. I remember the recycled glass bottles with paper tops, that milk (with cream on top) was delivered in from the dairy. The roads were just dirt roads and every spring they would heave and create terrible conditions with huge ruts. I remember when they paved the road to Edmonton - we thought that was so wonderful.

I remember going to the movies at the Roxy Theatre owned by Sernicks. Admission was 15 cents and a big chocolate bar was 10 cents. Also we got "jaw breakers" (3 for a penny), from Horbals grocery store. There was a café right on main street as well, and all the people would go there for coffee and meals. And the kids would go there after school for cokes.

It was hard to get into trouble in Redwater, as all the people knew everybody else, so they knew whose kid was doing something wrong. I remember the "old out-houses" that kids used to tip on Halloween night.

Then there was Lukes Drug Store. I worked there when I was 16. The Pharmacist (Malcolm MacKay) was on holidays and Jim Luke (the owner from the early days) and then was there for holiday relief when I was working there. He gave me the key and gave me the authority to open up the store. Can you imagine!! Wonder if they would do that today?

I remember when we got to go to Edmonton and have a soft ice cream cone from Tastee-Freeze dipped in chocolate. Did I ever think that was a special treat!! We were always proud to be raised in Redwater. We had a good life and many close friends that still are friends today."

13

A group of Redwater Children enjoying a Birthday Party.
Circa 1955
Redwater, Alberta, Canada