Lacombe, Alberta
Lacombe was named in 1893 by railway officials to honour Father Albert Lacombe, an outstanding Roman Catholic Missionary who was accepted as a friend by the aboriginals...
In 1893 the present townsite had a population of approximately 25 people, and by 1900 this had increased to about 100 and was considered to be larger than Red Deer...
The hamlet was constructed as a village July 28, 1896 and incorporated as a town May 10, 1902. W. Burris was the first mayor and the first town councillors were M. J. McLeod, C. F. Morris, H. A. Day, H. B. Powell, W. F. Puffer and Joseph Tire. By 1907 the population of Lacombe began to increase at a great pace. Many residential and commercial developments were approved at this time and, at that time, Lacombe was known as a city with great commercial importance...
In 1900 the first newspaper, the Lacombe Advertiser, was published by W. D. Pitcairn. Soon, other newspapers began to appear including The Lacombe Western Globe in 1906, which was started by C. B. Halpin. It was purchased by Harry J. Ford in 1935 who changed its name to the Lacombe Globe which was published by Mr. Ford's sons, Bert and Tom...
A small hydroelectric plant was installed on the Blindman River nine miles away in 1910 and electric lights were installed in the town that same year. In 1911, a 55,000 kilowatt steam-electric plant was built but could not be operated after freeze-up. On February 12, 1929, Calgary Power Ltd. was granted a franchise to supply the town with electric light and power. On September 12, 1929, the same company was granted a franchise to supply the town with water. The first sewer mains were installed in 1911. Natural gas was supplied to the town from the Viking-Kinsella field, by Northwestern Utilities Ltd. in 1946...
With the onset of WWI, the town of Lacombe experienced a decrease in population and, as a result, 1,000 lots of land were forfeited to the town in 1915. These lots were then put up for a public auction but no one wanted to purchase the land. After that time, the population of the town steadily decreased until 1951 when Lacombe experienced a small boom and the population increased to 2,277 people. From 1951 to the 1970's, the growth rate increased rapidly...
In 1929, Charles Halpin, editor of The Western Globe in Lacombe, took a very public stand against the Klu Klux Klan, by publishing scathing editorials. The Klan was beginning to organize in Alberta in the late 1920s, and despite Klan threats to destroy The Western Globe, Charles Halpin continued his vocal campaign against the hate-mongering group. His campaign is stated as one of the main reasons why the Klan failed to garner much support in Alberta in the late 1920s and early 1930s...
The post-war era in Lacombe has witnessed an impressive growth in industry and research. In 1958, Len Thompson, a fish hook designer and manufacturer, moved his plant from Saskatchewan to Lacombe. Mr. Thompson and his son-in-law, Cecil Pallister chose the site for their plant on account of the soft water and of its transportation facilities.
Lacombe was supported by a prosperous mixed farming district and a large number of purebred livestock was shipped from the district. A huge breeding program carried at the Federal Government's Research Station at Lacombe, resulted in the development of a new breed of bacon hog, the Lacombe Hog, which was distributed across Canada. The Lacombe Hog was the first swine to originate in Canada and was in popular demand. Later, the Lacombe district was the scene of a widespread development in the dairy and beef cattle feedlot industry and had one of the largest concentrations of beef cattle in the province.
From Unlock the Past