Raymond Stampede Grounds

The Town of Raymond

The Town of Raymond was founded in 1901 by industrialist and prominent member of the Church of Latter-day Saints, Jesse Knight. Knight moved to Alberta from the Utah in the United States and planned to exploit the rich arable grassland and good summer growing conditions of the area to open a sugar factory based off locally grown sugar beets [1,2]. Within the first few years the sugar beet factory, the location of the town Raymond, named after Knight’s eldest son, along a railine, as well as the presence of the Church of Jesus Christ attracted more than 1,500 settlers to the area coming from diverse locations including the United States, Europe, and neighbouring provinces. Raymond was incorporated as a village in the North-West Territories (NWT) in 1902, and as a town in 1903, officially becoming part of Alberta when it was given provincial status in 1905 [1,2].

While Jesse Knight was the official founder of the town, he continued to be occupied with his philanthropy, and industrial and mining endeavours. His eldest son Will became the first minister of the Church of Raymond, while his son Ray found he was most interested in livestock and started Kirkaldy Cattle Ranch with his own brand [1,2].

The Raymond Stampede

Ray Knight brought in the finest stock available to Western Canada and his cattle ranch boasted quality breeding bulls, stallions, and rams for the production of heavy wool [1,2]. Knight’s favorite pastime was rodeo. Coining the word “stampede,’ Ray Knight funded and promoted Canada’s first ever stampede in Raymond in 1902. For this event the first shotgun style bucking chute was built, as well as Canada’s first stampede arena and grandstand. Knight also became one of the first rodeo producers and stock contractors [1,2]. This stampede was so successful, it inspired similar events in other areas of Alberta such as Lethbridge, and the infamous Calgary Stampede which began in 1912.

Steer roping and bronco riding were the main events at the first Raymond Stampede which was held at the northeast corner of 200 South and 100 East. The addition of the stampede grounds gave Raymond an urban landscape unique to the small communities in Southern Alberta [1,2]. In 1903 the stampede grounds were moved to Victoria Park so a horse racing track could be added. Just three blocks to the east of the town’s main street, Victoria Park today features a large racetrack surrounded by open fields, an arena, announcer’s booth, corrals, and a grandstand that reads “Raymond Stampede July 1” across its roof [1,3]. Other sporting events such as baseball, basketball, and running competitions have also been held at the stampede grounds here [3].

Stampede Grounds Today

Victoria Park will host its last Stampede in July 2023, after which construction will begin on a new school funded by the Alberta government to alleviate pressures on the education system in Raymond as the towns’ population grows [4]. After community consultation, it was decided to build the school in Victoria Park for its proximity to newly constructed sports amenities. To make way for this project, the Raymond Stampede grounds will be relocated to a new permanent location on the north side of Raymond where they will not impact community growth [5].

Due to expenses and its condition, the current grandstand will not be relocated [5]. The Raymond Pioneer Museum & Historical Society contacted the University of Calgary digital heritage research group to request digital documentation of the site of the stampede before it is relocated and some of the structures, like the grandstand, are changed or dismantled. In May 2023 the Capture2Preserv project documented the grounds using a combination of mobile terrestrial laser scanning and UAV photogrammetry to document the 1903-2023 site of the first and longest running stampede in Canada.

For additional models of the Raymond Rodeo Grounds, please click on the links below:

Raymond Grandstand Point Cloud

Raymond Grandstand Cutaway

Raymond Rodeo Grounds Point Cloud

Notes:

This site is located on Treaty 7 Territory of Southern Alberta, which is the traditional and ancestral territory of the Blackfoot Confederacy: Kainai, Piikani and Siksika as well as the Tsuu T’ina Nation and Stoney Nakoda First Nation. This territory is home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3 within the historical Northwest Métis Homeland. We acknowledge the many First Nations, Métis and Inuit who have lived in and cared for these lands for generations. We are grateful for the traditional Knowledge Keepers and Elders who are still with us today and those who have gone before us. We make this acknowledgement as an act of reconciliation and gratitude to those whose territory we reside on or are visiting.

[1] Town of Raymond. 2014. Raymond Historic Context. October 31. Report on file with Raymond municipality.

[2] Tychen, Holger. 1969. The History of Raymond, Alberta, Canada. Masters Thesis, https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/3816, Utah State University, Logan, Utah.

[3] Town of Raymond. 2017. Raymond Historic Resources Inventory: Victoria Park. September. Report on file with Raymond municipality.

[4] Mathieu, Erika. 2023. “Province Invests $37.6 to Build New High School in Raymond,” April 5. Sunny South News.

[5] Pratt, Kurtis, Raymond Chief Administrations Officer. Personal Communications, May 2023.

This gallery contains modern and historic images related to the Raymond Stampede grounds. The photos in the gallery have been provided by the Raymond & District Historical Society and the Capture2Preserv project.