Instituted on December 31, 1904, Britannia Lodge No.18 continues in operation today, 114 years later. In 1981 the Fort Ostell Museum relocated to this building and in 1905 (we assume) this boulder was placed by the sidewalk leading to the museum's entrance. Inscribed on the boulder is wording commemorating the centennials both of Britannia Lodge No.18, in 2005, and the Town of Ponoka, in 2004. Both the wording and a Masonic logo have been sandblasted into the stone and painted black. The commemorative memorial was placed by the lodge.
While the lodge was instituted on December 31, 1904, it did not receive its charter until June 15, 1905, the year following the incorporation of the Town of Ponoka. Like the lodge, the town continues in existence today, growing in size each year, growing to the point that the town, which covers just under 7 square miles, is home to close to 7,500 Ponokans, not to mention Canada's largest seven day rodeo.
A quick history of the town follows, from the town itself.
HISTORY/HERITAGE
Humble Beginnings
Ponoka means "elk" in Blackfoot. Oddly enough, our local first nation's tribes to the North are Cree in descent. The community originated in 1891 as a delivery point along the Calgary-Edmonton Trail. When the CPR arrived in 1895, the town site was known simply as "Siding 14" until an unknown railway employee wrote the name Ponoka on a sign to identify the community. Ponoka was incorporated as a town in 1904 and grew as settlers arrived from Eastern Canada and the American Midwest. The diversity of our citizens' nationality, backgrounds, and age, are instrumental in cultivating our local heritage.
Alberta Hospital, Ponoka
The early days saw not only agriculture in the area but also lumber rolling down the Battle River and the construction of the Alberta Hospital Ponoka; a fully self-sustaining psychiatric facility complete with gardens for supplying its own food. A great deal of its history can be seen at our Local Fort Ostell Museum's "History of Mental Health in Alberta display."
Ponoka Stampede
Now Canada's largest seven day pro rodeo, the world famous Ponoka Stampede, had humble beginnings back in the 1930s. Staged each year during the July 1st, Canada Day weekend, the Stampede still owns its reputation for being true to authentic rodeo roots. Seven full days of rodeo action attracts the best two and four-legged rodeo athletes in the world. World-class chuck wagon racing, midway attractions and other high profile entertainment now transform Ponoka into the chosen destination for thousands of rodeo and summer entertainment fans and enthusiasts.
Today
Like the evolution of the Stampede, the community of Ponoka now boasts a vibrant, rural lifestyle with a nod to its roots. The once mighty Battle River has transformed into a river of quite tranquility, laced with beautiful trail systems. The Psychiatric Hospital has become the world-renowned Centennial Centre for Mental Health & Brain Injury and a new Agricultural Event Centre will continue to propel our agricultural progress.
From the Town of Ponoka