Chapter 1

1886

The First Calgary Exhibition

In 1886 the Calgary District and Agricultural Society held the first Exhibition. There was little more to Calgary than a CPR station, a North West Mounted Police post and about 1000 people. The Exhibition was an opportunity to share knowledge about practicing agriculture in the West, have fun and showcase the best of the West. Though there were a few bumps in the road, the Exhibition became an annual event and attendance continued to grow.

• 1884: The Town of Calgary was formed.

• 1884: The Calgary District and Agricultural Society was founded.

• 1889: The Agricultural Society purchased 94-acres from the Dominion of Canada and called it Victoria Park.

• 1899: The Agricultural Society defaulted on its mortgage, and was reorganized as the Inter-Western Pacific Exhibition.

• 1901: The City of Calgary purchased Victoria Park; started leasing it back to the Exhibition.

Guy Weadick

The Visionary

Guy Weadick visited Calgary while with a travelling western showcase in 1908. The city inspired him, and he thought it was on the brink of modernity but still firmly rooted in its "Old West" origins. He believed it would be the perfect place to stage a "Frontier Days and Cowboy Championship Contest." He talked about it with H.C. McMullen, general livestock agent for the CPR, but McMullen felt Calgary was not quite ready.

Born and raised in Rochester, New York, Weadick had become captivated by the cowboy lifestyle when he was young. He headed west to learn from real cowboys. After working on various ranches, he signed on to the Miller Brothers' 101 Ranch Wild West Show where he learned "the ropes" of showmanship and became a popular trick roper.

Weadick's travels took him to Chicago, where he first met Flores La Due (born Grace Maud Bensell). LaDue was also a trick rider with a different Wild West Show and had left home as a teenager to join the circus. Weadick and La Due married after a five week courtship and began a lifelong partnership. They teamed up on stage for a trick roping show, and performed together on the vaudeville circuit into the 1930s.

• 1888: Weadick was born in Rochester, NY.

• 1906: Guy Weadick and Flore La Due marry.

• 1908: Weadick visits Calgary as part of the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show.

• 1912: Weadick returned to Calgary with the hopes of holding a "Frontier Days Celebration and Championship."

1908

The Dominion Exhibition

The Exhibition’s growth attracted national attention. In 1908, the federal government awarded Calgary the Dominion Exhibition, a travelling fair intended to highlight the country’s various regions. International entertainment came for the event, including Miller Brothers 101 Wild West Show, the troupe that Guy Weadick worked with.

Marquee events at the Dominion Exhibition included:

• A spectacular parade through Calgary led by Grand Marshal, Fire Chief James "Cappy" Smart.

• The Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show.

• Daily flights by Strobel's Airship, until a gust of wind blew the propeller-driven blimp into the side of the Grandstand and it exploded.

• Events in the brand new Industrial Exhibits Building, barns and Victoria Park's first Grandstand, all of which were constructed with the support of federal funds.