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 Coleman Legion - Coleman, AB Posted by:  ScroogieII
N 49° 38.043 W 114° 30.058
11U E 680444 N 5500943
Though this building was first built as a commercial building in 1923, it was bought by the Coleman Legion in 1939 and extended, essentially doubling it in size, in 1986.
Waymark Code: WM12WR6
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 07/27/2020
Views: 1
This was Alberta's FIRST Legion, chartered on October 6, 1926.
If you're wondering why the first Legion in Alberta should be Branch Number Nine (see photo in the gallery), there is a very good reason for this. When chartered, on October 6, 1926, the branch was offered the number ONE, but declined it in favour of NINE to honour the nine charter members.
To the east of the building is a memorial park which contains the Coleman Legion Cenotaph.
Coleman Legion
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The Coleman Legion was first formed as a British Empire Service League branch in October 1926. With the unification of Canadian veteran organization into the Royal Canadian Legion later that year, the branch was chartered as a member of the legion. It is claimed to be the first charter branch of the legion set up in Alberta and the North West Territories, although, it retains its branch number of nine in honour of the nine men who had set up the branch.
During the last three years of World War One, there were few management/miner difficulties. Increased demand for coal and a shortage caused by the war meant good wages for the miners of the Crowsnest Pass. Most of the recruits from the Crowsnest Pass were committed British, French or Belgian volunteers. The East Europeans were often unsure of their status, uncertain whether they were allies or enemies. This circumstance helps to explain why the names of all nine men who founded the legion in Coleman are very British.
The legion in Coleman did not have its own hall during the interwar years; instead they used the Oddfellows' hall for much of this period. In 1936, they asked the town for permission to build a hall, which was granted on the condition that the groups owning the surrounding lots were also willing to allow them to build. The hall was not built. In 1942, the legion bought this warehouse and converted it into a hall. The membership of the legion has swelled and diminished a number of times over the years, depending on the vitality of the mining industry.
From the Alberta Register of Historic Places
Official Heritage Registry: [Web Link]
Address:
7831 17 Avenue
Coleman AB
T0K 0M0
Heritage Registry Page Number: Not listed
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