Key Number:	HS 18736
Site Name:	Edworthy House & Sandstone Quarry (Edworthy Park)
Other Names:
Site Type:	0501 - Farming and Ranching: Farm or Ranch House

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			24	2	5

Address:	5050 Spruce Drive SW
Number:	50
Street:	N/A
Avenue:	N/A
Other:
Town:	Calgary
Near Town:

Media

Type	Number	Date	View	Source

Architectural

Style:
Plan Shape:
Storeys:
Foundation:
Superstructure:	Horizontal Log
Superstructure Cover:
Roof Structure:
Roof Cover:
Exterior Codes:
Exterior:	N/A
Interior:	N/A
Environment:	Located in what is now a city Edworthy Park. Pt of W 1/2 - 134.096 Acres
Condition:	N/A
Alterations:	1896 - two storey section. 1960 - one storey section.

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
Acquired legal title to the land Settled on the ranch site Construction Started Added a two storey section	1891/01/01 1893/01/01 1893/01/01 1896/01/01
Usage:	Usage Date:
Ranch Residence	1883/01/01 1977/04/01
Owner:	Owner Date:
Thomas Edworthy City of Calgary	1883/01/01 1960/01/01

Architect:	N/A
Builder:	N/A
Craftsman:	N/A
History:	- Thomas Edworthy operated the Edworthy sandstone quarry at this location just after the turn of the century. His quarry supplied stone for many buildings in the Calgary area. - There have been a series of additions to the original cabin to the point that it is now a 4-bedroom residence. - Due to the need for security and maintenance in Edworthy Park and for services such as visitor enquiries and first aid treatment, it has been established that a senior employee of the city's parks and recreation department occupy the premises. * * * In 1883, Thomas Edworthy first settled the land on which the Shaganappi Ranch House now stands. Until 1891, he held only squatter's rights to the land as it was part of the Cochrane Ranche Company's lease. Shortly after his arrival, Edworthy followed the example of an enterprising neighbour, and started a market garden to supply the growing population of Calgary with fresh produce. He was aided in this undertaking by a freshwater spring that supplied water for the vegetables. There still exists on the land a cut stone reservoir that Edworthy constructed to hold and warm the water. With the rise of the sandstone industry in Calgary, Edworthy once again took advantage of his land's natural features and started quarrying stone out of his coulees. Eventually, there were three quarries on the land from which stone was used to build, amongst others, the Clarence Block, the Grain Exchange Building, the Bank of Montreal Building and Alexander Corner. Although Edworthy provided the impetus for the above projects, he hired others to run them so he could devote himself to ranching. He was so successful in his ranching ventures that in 1904 he acquired more land twelve miles west of his first homestead. Unfortunately, he died of typhoid in 1904 and in 1906 his wife sold out and centred her activities on the Shaganappi Ranch site. The land was continously occupied by the Edworthy family until 1960 when it was acquired by the City of Calgary from Thomas Edworthy's son George, one-time western manager of the United Grain Growers, and ex-president of the Calgary Stampede Association. * * * DRAFT PRESS RELEASE The Honourable Dennis Anderson, Minister of Culture announced today that Edworthy Residence has been designated a Registered Historic Resource. The Edworthy Residence, the oldest portions of which date from 1883, was closely associated with many aspects of Calgary's development. Its builder, Thomas Edworth, left his farm house in North Devon, England for Ontario in 1872 at the age of sixteen. He moved west to Calgary in the spring of 1883, before the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway and settled on land which was originally part of the Cochrane Ranche (British American Company) lease. He selected this property because of its suitability for market gardening. Amongst its advantages was a spring which provided a supply of water for irrigation. The Edworthy property held another valuable commodity for the development of Calgary: sandstone. Demand for the stone as a construction material rapidly expanded after 1886, when an ordinance was passed stipulating that all downtown buildings had to be made of this material to prevent fire. The sandstone located on the Edworthy property was one of the first sources of supply, used to build such substantial edifices as the Bank of Montreal, the Alexander Block, the Clarence Block and addition to the Hull block. Thomas Edworthy himself was primarily a rancher and employed others to operate the market garden and quarry. Between 1883 and his death in 1904 he expanded his operation to take in additional land in the Jumping Pound district. The Edworthy residence recalls two major and related aspectes of Calgary's heritage: ranching in the surrounding region and the emergence of Calgary as a major urban centre before World War I.

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:
Municipal A List

Register:	09-101

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places: