Key Number:	HS 81387
Site Name:	Obadiah Place
Other Names:
Site Type:	0101 - Residential: Single Dwelling 0501 - Farming and Ranching: Farm or Ranch House

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			66	20	4

Address:	N/A
Number:	N/A
Street:	N/A
Avenue:	N/A
Other:
Town:
Near Town:	Amber Valley

Media

Type	Number	Date	View	Source

Architectural

Style:
Plan Shape:
Storeys:	Storeys: 1 1/2
Foundation:
Superstructure:
Superstructure Cover:
Roof Structure:	High Hip
Roof Cover:
Exterior Codes:
Exterior:	N/A
Interior:	N/A
Environment:	N/A
Condition:	N/A
Alterations:	N/A

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
Construction Started	1938/01/01
Usage:	Usage Date:
N/A
Owner:	Owner Date:
Norma Jean Bowen

Architect:	N/A
Builder:	N/A
Craftsman:	N/A
History:	RESOURCE                  Obadiah Place ADDRESS                      Amber Valley BUILT                             1938 STATUS                         Provincial Historic Resource HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE In 1911, a party of black Americans made their way from Oklahoma to seek a new life in lands north of Edmonton. Recent statehood for Oklahoma had brought with it several ‘Jim Crow’ laws, and many blacks decided to seek their destiny elsewhere. Amid concerns expressed by the Edmonton Bulletin and the Edmonton Board of Trade about a mass influx of Negroes to western Canada, these families filed for homestead on lands east of Athabasca Landing, near a locality soon to be known as Pine Creek, renamed Amber Valley in 1931. Here, they farmed and, over the years, developed a strong sense of community. They became active in the social life of the district, particularly in sports, with the Amber Valley baseball team gaining province wide recognition. One of the early settlers to the district was Willis Reese Bowen. He was born in Butler County, Alabama in 1875, and was married to Jeanie Thigpen, the daughter of a Cherokee chief, in 1893. The couple soon moved to Texas, where Willis worked as a cowboy, and from there to the Oklahoma Territory. Shortly after the institution of statehood in 1907, Willis determined to seek a new life in Canada. He first visited Saskatoon, and then moved with Jeanie, their seven children, and several other families to Vancouver in 1910. Three years later, he filed for homestead on SW23 TP66 R20 W4. This was at the center of what would be the Amber Valley community, with the post office and later, a telephone located there. Here, the Bowens began to farm and raise 14 children. Willis would remain on the farm until 1970 when at age 95, he retired to a nursing home in Athabasca. He would live to see his 100 th birthday before passing away in 1975. The Bowen’s seventh child was named Obadiah. He was born in Lincoln County, Oklahoma in 1907 and moved with his parents to Amber Valley. In 1936, Obadiah married Eva May Mapp, also of Amber Valley, in the Anglican Church in Athabasca. The couple went on to farm on the original Bowen homestead as well as their own land, and raise six children. Obadiah became a recognized community leader, and served as a pastor in the community’s interdenominational church. Built in 1953 on land donated by Obadiah, this church still stands one half mile from the Bowen house. To accommodate his family, Obadiah had replaced his father’s log cabin in 1938 with a larger house, built under the direction of the community carpenter, Howard Hamilton. Though he would retire with the death of Eva in 1972, Obadiah would remain in this dwelling until moving to the Athabasca Parkland Lodge in 1996. The historical significance of this structure lies in its association with the Amber Valley settlement and two of its leading citizens. Though not an original homestead dwelling, this house is the oldest structure in the community. Due to its size, it was frequently used for social gatherings.

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:

Register:	N/A

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places: