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| Post Offices: | Rural Routes: | |
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| A little information about the Post Office in Canada ... | |
| Postal services
have existed in Canada since 1755, but until 1851, such services were
controlled by the British government. It was not until 1867, when Canada
became a country, that the Post Office came into existence as a federal
Canadian government department. This lasted until 1981 when Canada Post
became a Crown corporation. (visit
the National Archives site for more information). The information below has been collected from various local history books, post office records available through the library/archives system and from the searchable Post Office Database provided by the National Archives web site. Check back as not all local history books have been reviewed for this information, so this page is likely to grow. If you have any information about mail carriers, or other postal history information for the County of Ponoka, please consider contributing the information to this site. Thanks! |
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Ralph
Mowbray carrying mail
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| SPRINGDALE DISTRICT POSTAL HISTORY |
| Mail carrier in Springdale sometime between 1905 and 1911 was Mr. SISTY. |
| Mr. B. F. CRAIG - Mailman Extraordinare! |
| For 16 years Mr. B.F.
CRAIG hauled the mail from Ponoka to Bluff Centre, between the years 1901
and 1917. He was the most regular mailman you could imagine. He arrived
so regularly that people used to set their time by his arrival. In all those 16 years, Mr. Craig missed only two (2) trips. And mind you those trips were made over trails, through swamp, river, wood and plain. And the two trips that he missed were because bridges were washed out over the rivers. On each occasion that he didn't make the trip he drowned his team trying. Surely this is a record to be proud of. In this year of 1954, the people in that district went for tree weeks without mail because the mailman couldn't get through. How times have changed.... |
| Excerpt from The Ponoka Book - 50th Anniversary: 1904 - 1954 |
| Town of Ponoka Post Office History |
|
The first post office between Red
Deer and Edmonton was at Holbrook on the James AYLWIN Farm, located west
of Menaik. |
| Excerpt from The Ponoka Book - 50th Anniversary: 1904 - 1954 |
| LACOMBE R.R. #3 POSTAL H ISTORY | ||
| Contractors: |
Contract Start
Date:
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| D.W. GARNET |
1 April 1919
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| W.E. STEWART |
16 April 1919
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| STEERS Brothers |
26 May 1920
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| C.K. KENT |
1 January 1925
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| D.J. PERKINS |
1 May 1930
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| Wm. R. BOYS |
1 January 1937
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| Thomas C. WOODS |
1 January 1945
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| Wm. R. BOYS |
1 February 1945
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| J.A. WRIGHT |
1 January 1947
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| Jerry LEACH |
1 February 1947
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| C.L. RICK |
1 November 1950
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| Alvin J. ANDERSON |
1 February 1967
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| BLUFFTON R.R. #2 POSTAL HISTORY | |
| Contractors: |
Contract
Start Date:
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| Roy BARBARREE |
May 26, 1951
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| William SCHMIDT |
January 1, 1954
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| Estate of W. SCHMIDT |
February 8, 1963
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| Joseph REIS |
May 1, 1963
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Location: Section
24-43-1-W5
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Post Office OPENED:
1 February 1908
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Post Office CLOSED:
31 October 1929
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| PostMaster: |
Start Date:
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End Date/Reason:
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Abraham DAVIDSON
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1 February 1908
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5 January 1923 (Resigned)
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Mrs. Mary DAVIDSON
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18 May 1923
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7 July 1928 (Resigned)
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| Cecil SHARPE | ? | 13 April 1929 (Unknown) |
| OTHER INFORMATION: | ||
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Mail Route:
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Ponoka-Springdale
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Distributing point:
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Ponoka
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| Federal Electoral District: | Wetaskiwin Strathcona (Alberta ) | |
| Other addresses noted: | NE1/4, Sec 23, Twp 43, R 1, W5 | |
| USONA DISTRICT POSTAL HISTORY | ||
|
Location: NE.
1/4, 3-45-26-W4
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Post Office OPENED:
1903
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Post Office CLOSED:
1945
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| PostMaster: |
Start Date:
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End Date:
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| Alfred OSTERLAND |
1903
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1925
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| Elof Nelson |
1925
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1937
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| McClinton |
1937
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?
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| William Carlson |
?
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1945
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| Alfred Osterland left the
U.S.A. to settle in Alberta in 1902 on N.E. 1/4, 3-45-26-W4. By the next
year he was established well enough to bring out his family. Within a short
time he had started a store, and named it USONA - "United States of
North America". In the early years, the business was a part of the Osterland home but when the Anthony Hill School was replaced with a new building in 1914, the old shcool was moved into their yard and it became the store and the Post Office. In 1925 Mr. Osterland turned the Post Office over to Elof Nelson and closed up the store. The Model T had changed the trading habits and people's needs. Mr. Nelson continued to provide the mail service from his home from 1925 to 1937 when it was moved to the new Usona store operated by Mr. McClinton on two acres of land bought from Mr. Joe Sejdl. Mr. McClinton continued to operate the store and Post Office until he sold it to William Carson, the son of another pioneer family. He added a trucking service. When the store burned down the Post Office was continued under difficulty until a new building was erected across the road. The Post Office Department of the Federal government, closed this Post Office in 1945. |
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| Based on a excerpt from "Crestomere Sylvan Heights Heritage" | ||
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Looking
for more information ? Check out these sites....
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