From Calgary to Edmonton: Notes on a Wonderful Journey, 1887
Alberta History 2010, Wntr, 58, 1
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Publisher Description
In 1878 William Booth founded The Salvation Army, transforming his Christian Mission into a military-styled evangelistic agency which promptly became a religious sensation. By calling his converts 'soldiers,' putting them into uniforms and sending them into the streets to proclaim the Gospel, he brought into existence one of the most popular revival missions of his day - so popular that, within a few short years, it had attracted hundreds of thousands to its ranks and by 1882 had planted its flag in several foreign countries, including Canada. When it came to this country, it grew, as one historian puts it, "like a prairie fire." By 1887, it had 'invaded' the eastern provinces and as far as the colony of Newfoundland, and was ready to explore the 'far west' with an eye to opening stations in such places as Calgary and Edmonton. To 'reconnoitre" the territory, the Army sent out one of its enterprising young officers, Staff-Captain Arthur Young, who travelled from Winnipeg to Calgary to Edmonton to Battleford and back to Winnipeg, sending reports back to his superiors in Toronto. The following is his account of part of his adventure-filled journey, from Calgary to Edmonton, in early April 1887--along the famous Calgary-Edmonton Trail when it was, indeed, nothing more than a rough trail. With an eye for detail, and a tolerance of hard sleeping, Young provides us with a fascinating description of his tour-day journey: