My fondest memories of growing up in Medicine Hat was the time our family lived on Riverside. These were my formative years (1950-1962) and I have vivid memories of spending the summers at the Heald pool and the winter months on the high board outdoor hockey rink with the “ancient” shack, where we would put on our skates and warm up after being out on the rink during the frigid winter temperatures. READ ON
The Mad Hatter Historian
“History and genealogy often intersect with amazing results”(William J Anhorn).
Here is an interesting story…. which provides ample evidence or undeniable proof of the foregoing statement. The story is entitled, Pocahontas and the Campbell Clan from Scotland and the Amazing Familial Relationship to the Scheibner Family from Gem, Alberta
(Or Why I Treat My Wife Like Royalty)
By William J Anhorn K.C. ICD.D
Here is an article which is a slight departure from my usual offering relating to Medicine Hat history but it may be of interest to some as it explores my other passion-genealogy.
–How the hopes, dreams and aspirations of some of these young men from Medicine Hat were impacted by the Second World War
The storied history of the iconic building known simply as the “Arena” came to a sudden and dramatic end on March 18th,1969 when the revered facility, which had hosted many a hockey game and community event, was completely destroyed by fire. For many, it signaled the end of an era.
-The Story of an Italian Gentleman and his Heartwarming Connection to a Fallen Canadian Soldier and the Beginning of an Italian Christmas Tradition
As we approach another Remembrance Day, we should again pause and reflect on those who paid the ultimate price in defense of our freedom- a “freedom” which is not without its own logical boundaries which has been predicated soundly for centuries on the “rule” of law. A “freedom” which far too many of us today have silently taken for granted.
Here is a story of a Fallen Soldier who has no special connection but whose sacrifice in a far away land should be honored and remembered.
The history of Medicine Hat is full of interesting characters and events but no one individual has received more “publicity” and has been the subject of more newspaper accounts than Charles Mallory Hatfield. His brief but historic visit to Medicine Hat in the 1920’s has resulted in numerous stories or accounts of his efforts to bring rain to the “parched” land of Southern Alberta following several years of drought conditions in the area.
The history of Medicine Hat is replete with many interesting characters and events and although the City is well known in the present, few are aware that it was a town that once nearly lost its name.
This is that story.
There is probably no singular circumstance or event which has attracted more world wide attention or brought Medicine Hat more notoriety than the discovery of natural gas beneath its surface. This resulted in the declaration made at the turn of the century, by a world renowned author and poet of the time, that Medicine Hat was “the town that was born lucky” and that it had “all hell for a basement”.
This is that story!
