Building the Town

Building the Town. . , You can imagine the flurry of activity that occurred upon the arrival of the Barr Colonists. The few pioneers that were here finally had lots of neighbors, green though they were to this life on the prairies., The Mission Hall (1903) was moved in from the Post Office District of Wirral; when the railway finally chose this location for a water/coal stop for the steam engines en route to Edmonton in 1905. One lady recalls stories of her grandmother feeding the rail workers. The same year the three-storey Imperial Hotel was built, along with a livery stable and several houses. 1905 was the year the North West Territories became the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta, with the remains of the Territories to the north of the 60th parallel. It must have been a merchants dream at the speed businesses opened up! By 1906, business exploded, three general stores, a lumber yard, two banks, a harness shop, a doctor's office, a newspaper and two grain elevators appeared on December 8, 1906. The Village of Lashburn was officially formed.