Wetaskiwin in County Of Wetaskiwin, Alberta — Canada’s Prairie Region (North America)

Wetaskiwin Post Office

Historic Downtown Wetaskiwin

cmh2315fl via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0), May 23, 2015

1. Wetaskiwin Post Office Marker

Inscription. The red brick building that most people know as the Old Post Office was built by the Federal Government in 1911, but it wasn't Wetaskiwin first Post Office. Until the completion of the Calgary & Edmonton Railway line in 1891, mail was delivered by stage coach to the Bear Hills Post Office, four and a half miles from Wetaskiwin. Bad weather and bad roads often delayed mail delivery, so when J.Z.C. Miquelon's General Store became the home of Wetaskiwin's first Post Office in the Spring of 1892, it was deemed a great improvement.

Wetaskiwin's first Post Office occupied a tiny corner in the northwest part of the store, which faced the tracks on the west side of town. General Delivery mail was placed in alphabetical pigeon holes, and private, glass-fronted boxes could be rented for fifty cents a year. J.Z.C. Miquelon and his son were the first postmasters.

The Post Office was moved several times. In 1898, it was relocated to the site of the first lumber yard (where the Prince of Wales Hotel was later built) and in 1903, a new Post Office building was constructed further south of town. By 1911, the town had grown so much that more space was needed, so the Federal Government granted a large sum of money for this two-story building, constructed of Wetaskiwin red brick. The Veterans Affairs office, Customs office, and living quarters for the caretaker occupied the second floor.

The Post Office remained at this location until 1971 when postal operations were transferred to a new building. Nite Owl News and Ken's Furniture occupied the main floor of the Old Post Office, as it came to be known, and the second floor was occupied by CJOI Radio and Block Brothers Realty. In 1975, the Goodwill Store moved in, and Ken's Furniture used a portion of the building for storage. Sisters, a small boutique, briefly occupied the

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lowest level. By 1985, the Old Post Office was empty, and it remained that way until the Post House Restaurant and various other shops opened here in 1988.

Erected by Downtown in Motion • City of Wetaskiwin • Alberta Historical Resources Foundation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Communications • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1911.

Location. 52° 58.187′ N, 113° 22.499′ W. Marker is in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, in County Of Wetaskiwin. It is on 50th Avenue just west of 50th Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5010 50th Ave, Wetaskiwin AB T9A 1J8, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Alberta.

It is also in the Prairies.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony

and also Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 6 other markers are within 18 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Imperial Bank of Canada (1909)

cmh2315fl via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0), May 23, 2015

2. Wetaskiwin Post Office Marker

(within shouting distance of this marker); Railway Station (about 120 meters away, measured in a direct line); Wetaskiwin Court House/La Palais de Justice de Wetaskiwin (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Wetaskiwin Water Tower (approx. one kilometer away); Calgary and Edmonton Railway (approx. 15.3 kilometers away); Maskipeton (approx. 16.4 kilometers away).

Credits. This page was last revised on May 1, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 1, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 528 times since then and 55 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 1, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.