South Peace Regional Archives

08/31/2026

The Montrose School was the first multi-room school constructed in Grande Prairie. land donated by Rev. Alexander Forbes. At the time that it was built in 1917, the school was the largest brick-faced building north of Edmonton. At a time when many schoolhouses were single room buildings that taught mixed-grade classes, the Montrose School had multiple classes and teachers with specialized subjects. [1925] {SPRA 2008.090.14}

08/27/2026

Today’s takes a look at another photographer caught on camera. Frank Kozar moved to the Peace Country as Chairman of Liberal Studies at Grande Prairie Regional College in after obtaining his Ph. D. in Cytogenetics in 1969. He was an avid photographer of landscapes and nature. The snowshoes he’s wearing shows his dedication to his hobby no matter the season. [1975] (SPRA 192.01.01.03)

08/24/2026

Once Grande Prairie grew to be more established, the post office took on a second important job. Namely, the management and distribution of land grants for newcomers looking to settle in the region. This office was built in 1920 and stood at the corner of 100th Street, north of 100 Avenue. [1920] {SPRA 0032.08.08.1039}

08/20/2026

A photographer is not often the subject of a photo. Today's is of Orm Schultz out on a job in downtown Grande Prairie. Camera technology is constantly evolving but having to haul countless pieces of gear has not changed. Schultz owned Panda camera for 9 years before selling it to his staff member, Paul Pivert. Today, the business is owned and operated by Diane Laurin, under the name Snapshot Studio & Photo. [1970] (SPRA 190.02.01.1718.106)

08/19/2026

In this month's Women in Healthcare post, we meet Veronique Gladue Calliou, a Metis woman known for her valuable knowledge of midwifery.

Image above: George and Eunice Holmes, children of Robert and Jessie Holmes, at St. Peter’s Mission on Lesser Slave Lake in 1904. Eunice is in a traditional Indigenous moss bag. 1904. (SPRA 0157.13) Long before hospitals, clinics, and trained medical professionals became common in the South Peace,...

08/17/2026

Many settlers relied on the humble postal service to stay connected to their family members who could not accompany them. GP’s first postmaster, J.O. Patterson, ran the first post office out of his caboose. From there, letters would be collected and sent along the very same trails that settlers used to reach the area. [1975] {SPRA 0050.08.01.07}

08/13/2026

This week's looks back on old grocery prices in the late 1960s. An IGA Conference was held at the Elks Hall displaying products such as ketchup for 39 cents a pop! The photoshoot was likely commissioned by the local photo shop at the time, Panda Camera. An IGA store later opened in the downtown area around the 1970s with the same low prices for Grande Prairie residents. [1968] (SPRA 190.02.01.0238.04)

08/10/2026

The Queen Elizabeth II Regional Hospital was proposed as a way to address common complaints about the long-lasting municipal hospital. The Rooms were small, and the surgical wing was no longer compliant with Alberta regulations. Ground was broken on this three-hundred-room hospital by the Queen herself in 1980 and the entire hospital was complete and open to the public on June 15, 1984. [1984] {002.05.03.594}

08/06/2026

It's rollercoaster season once more! This week's comes from the 1969 Grande Prairie County Fair. Around the same time in August, the Grande Prairie County Agricultural Society organized this annual event with amusements, and a number of competitions. [1969] (SPRA 190.02.01.1791.09)

08/03/2026

By the 1930s, Grande Prairie was a very different community than it was during the first land rushes a few decades prior. The Grande Prairie Municipal Hospital was built in 1929 to service not just Grande Prairie but the many communities growing up around it. This hospital was quite modern for its time with 40 rooms for patients, six attending physicians, and ten full-time nurses. [1929] {SPRA 1969.42.01.4}