Raymond Chamber of Commerce

We'll be at the Tradeshow this Saturday. Come talk Raymond History with us. Also, if you have any photographs or documents related to any of the 17 sites that have been identified as part Raymond's Historic sites inventory (or really any old photographs or stories), bring them down we'll have a scanner and other tools to help you capture them. http://raymondhistory.ca/historic-sites-inventory/

Lethbridge Historical Society

Can you spot Raymond's baby picture in here?

Photos from Raymond Pioneer Museum & Historical Society's post

This building is the 5th of 17 we are featuring that make up the beginning of Raymond Historic Site Inventory. We're asking people who have pictures, stories or memories from these sites to share them with us. For more info about the project: http://raymondhistory.ca/historic-sites-inventory/ The owners of the Mercantile started planning for this building in 1924. According to Raymond Roundup, they had noticed a tendency for businesses to move north on main street and were concerned about becoming isolated. One of the first tenants of the new building when it opened in 1926 was the post office and for years many referred to it as the post office building. The other main floor tenants on opening day were the Maple Leaf Bakery and the Sugar City Meat Co. Over the years it has housed doctors, dentists, accountants, a law office, and a Member of Parliament’s office. Over the years it has also been known as the Steed Office Building. It is currently the home of Price & Comin LLP. Do you remember visiting the doctor here? Or getting your mail here? Do you have photos of this building? Or remember other business that have been in this building? Please share them with us.

Photos from Raymond Pioneer Museum & Historical Society's post

This site is the 4th of 17 sites that have been identified for Raymond’s Historic Sites Inventory. We are featuring 2 a week. If you have any photos, stories or other material (old or new) related to these structures, please share it with the Historical Society by following the link below: http://raymondhistory.ca/historic-sites-inventory/ In 1928 Dr. G. W. Leech relocated from Lethbridge to Raymond. He had spent the previous two years planning/building a new home/office at the very centre of town on land formerly occupied by the diagonal road, Sugar Avenue. An interesting aspect of this home is that it has two front doors. In 1926 the Raymond Recorder ran an article anticipating it’s construction. According to the article, the new home included “a surgery and office for the doctor, waiting room, living room, 3 bedrooms, dining room, kitchen and bathroom …” One front door was used for the residence and the other for the clinic. Dr. Leech was involved in the community as well. He led the organization of the Royal Canadian Legion in 1928 and served as its president for 10 years. He also served for a time as the president of the Board of Trade. After Dr. Leech retired in 1938 he returned to Lethbridge and sold his office/residence to Dr. Madill. Dr. Jack Madill continued to operate a clinic out his home but recognized the need for a hospital in the growing community. He spent several years publicly and privately advocating for its construction. in 1944 his vision was realized with the construction of Raymond’s first public hospital. Dr. Madill was also a founding member of Raymond’s Rotary. After Dr. Madill retired and left Raymond, Rulon and Phoebe Dahl owned the home. While living there, Rulon held the position of Secretary Treasurer of the Raymond Irrigation District. In those days, the RID didn’t have offices and his home effectively served as the RID offices from 1945 until his retirement in 1970. Rulon and Pheobe were active in church and community. Rulon served as the first President of Raymond’s Lions Club. He also served as a Bishop and Councillor in the Stake Presidency in the LDS Church. Eventually, Rulon and Phoebe both taught grade 5 in Raymond. The home stands at the corner of Park Avenue and Broadway and continues to be a residence.

Photos from Raymond Pioneer Museum & Historical Society's post

This site is the 3rd site we are featuring of the 17 sites that have been identified for Raymond’s Historic Sites Inventory. It is by far the most threatened. As we post about these sites we are asking the community to share photos, memories, or any material you might have related to the site. For more information about how to submit information, scroll to the bottom of this post. If you are interested in efforts in the community to save this historic building you should attend the open house being hosted at the Museum tomorrow (March 15th) from 6:30-8:00 pm. This building was originally built in 1920 to house the Raymond School of Agriculture. It was one of six agricultural colleges built by the province in the 1910s and 20s. It was designed by Richard Blakey, the same architect who designed the Provincial Legislature. Of those six schools, this is the only original building still standing. After roughly a decade of operating on and off the school closed. The building then sat vacant for approximately a decade before it was repurposed as a mental health facility. Over the years the use of the building has changed and there have been additions and renovations. In around 2009, Alberta Health Services closed the facility and it has sat vacant since. On February 7, 2017, Raymond’s town council voted unanimously to accept Minister of Health Sarah Hoffman’s recommendation to demolish the building. For now, of the five original structures built for the Agriculture School, three still remain. The main building, the blacksmith building, and the principal's residence (we’ll feature this in another post) are all from the original college. A group from the historical society was allowed to enter the building on March 8th, 2017 to photograph and document it before it is demolished. We’ll be sharing what we saw and discussing efforts to save the building in a public open house at the museum on March 15th from 6:30-8:00 pm. If you have any material (old or new) related to these structures, please share it with the Historical Society by following the link below: http://raymondhistory.ca/historic-sites-inventory/ If you are interested in efforts to save this building, follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/521024511380966/

Photos from Raymond Pioneer Museum & Historical Society's post

The history of the homes of Raymond is connected to the families who built and lived in them. Heber S. Allen first settled in Cardston in 1888. Without the money to buy a house or hire a contractor, he went to the mountains and cut logs and built a home with his own hands. A few years later he started a mercantile business in Cardston. In 1903 he was called by the LDS Church to lead the new Stake in Raymond. He bought the Raymond Mercantile from Charles McCarthy and had this beautiful brick home built. When he was released as the LDS Stake President in Raymond he had served longer than any other Stake President in the history of the LDS Church, 34 years between his time in Cardston and Raymond (we don’t know if this record still stands). He was involved in politics, once standing as the federal candidate for the Conservative Party. After the close of the original Knight Sugar Factory, he recognized the need for new industry in the town. He successfully worked to attract the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company to open a factory here in 1925 and eventually served as a director of newly formed Canadian Sugar Factories Ltd. The home that he built is still owned by his family and stands at the corner of 100N and 200W. The Heber S. Allen home is one of 17 sites selected to form the foundation of Raymond’s historic site inventory. We have included some photographs as part of this post. Have you lived in or near this home? Do you have photographs or memories related to this home or the Allens? We encourage you to share them here or at the link provided below. Please also share this post so that others can participate in this project of collecting Raymond's history on these important sites. http://raymondhistory.ca/historic-sites-inventory/

Photos from Raymond Pioneer Museum & Historical Society's post

The story of The Raymond Mercantile is intertwined with the beginnings of Raymond. In 1896, Charles McCarthy left American Fork, Utah to start a ranch in Canada. He had purchased 17,000 acres of land near Cardston which he called the Spring Coulee Ranch. When Jesse Knight sent his two sons to Canada in 1901 to explore the idea of purchasing land, it had come at the urging of Charles McCarthy and Apostle John W. Taylor. As a result of that trip, Jesse Knight bought 30,000 acres next to the McCarthy’s ranch. Within a few months, on a trip to examine his Canadian land, Jesse Knight made the decision to buy 300,000 more acres and build a Sugar Factory and town between the fledgling communities of Stirling and Magrath. When the site for Raymond was dedicated on August 11, 1901, McCarthy was one of the 150 or so present. Within months of the creation of the community of Raymond, McCarthy saw a business opportunity. He contracted Charles W. Lamb to build the Mercantile and the McCarthy Hotel. The Merc stocked everything the growing town needed. The Merc served as a central gathering place for those early settlers. The first dance was held upstairs. It became the community’s first post office and McCarthy’s its first postmaster. In November 1901, the first LDS Church services in Raymond were held in the second story of the building. In 1903, when Raymond was incorporated as a town, McCarthy was selected as its first mayor. In 1903 Heber S. Allen, a merchant from Cardston, was called as the first LDS Stake President for the newly organized Taylor Stake (headquartered in Raymond). When he relocated to the community he bought a controlling interest in the store. The Raymond Mercantile Co. Ltd. was incorporated on November 3, 1903. Sadly, the original Mercantile building, along with much of downtown, was destroyed by fire in 1926. Construction on the current building began almost immediately on the same site as the original. In 1965, the building was expanded to the south to include the area that now occupies the dairy and meat sections. -- The Raymond Mercantile is one of 17 sites selected to form the foundation of Raymond’s historic site inventory. We have included some photographs as part of this post. Many of you will have memories of the Merc from your time in Raymond. You may even have pictures or personal histories that relate to the business. We encourage you to share them here or at the link provided below. Please also share this post so that others can participate in this project of collecting Raymond's history on these important sites. http://raymondhistory.ca/historic-sites-inventory/

Share your photos and memories related to Raymond’s historic sites

The Raymond & District Historical Society is operated by volunteers. We have an urgent need of additional volunteers to help us in the important work of preserving and sharing the history of Raymond. You don't have to be a historian or history nerd to help (though it doesn't hurt). Do you have a knack for decorating? Maybe you could help plan a display. Do you enjoy working with old photographs and documents? Maybe you could help with digitization efforts. Are you a natural at event planning and fundraising? Perhaps you could help with the handful of events we run each year. There are many ways in which your talents could be used. Here are some ways in which you can volunteer for the Museum: - Operation of the museum (Wednesdays 2-5) - Creation of displays (interior and/or streetside) - Historical research & writing - Preservation & digitization - Cataloging artifacts and archival material - Fundraising or event planning You can make a huge difference with just a few hours a month! If this sounds even mildly interesting to you, please send a message and we can see if we can find a volunteer opportunity that fits you.

Raymond's Richard Bohne relishing return to Regina

Raymond has a long history of playing in the Luther Invitational Tournament.

Raymond Pioneer Museum & Historical Society

Timeline Photos

Some of you may not feel the same way about the Chinook as the editor of the Raymond Recorder who wrote this in February 1916. So how do you feel about today's wind? Do you "Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow" or curse this blankety blank wind?