Stampede Elm

Calgary’s History of Trees

Despite Calgary’s location in the prairies where natural tree diversity is limited, trees have always been important to those living in this area. Before Europeans, the the Piikani, Siksika, Kainaiwa (the Blackfoot Nations of the Peigan, Siksika and Blood), the Tsuut’ina (Sarcee Nation) and the Ĩyãħé Nakoda, Chiniquay and Sioux (the Stoney Nations of the Bearspaw, Chiniki and Wesley/Goodstoney) lived on and maintained the landscapes of Southern Alberta. Native trees were fundamental to the Indigenous peoples’ lives; for example, the straight strong trunks lodgepole pines made teepee poles, while flexible willow branches made smaller structures like sweat lodges [1]. When Europeans began to settle on the prairies, they brought with them an aesthetic and practical

desire for more trees. This desire was considered during development plans for major cities in the West [1]. For Calgary, its relationship with trees was largely the result of William Pearce who, in 1890, said he envisioned Calgary as a “city of trees” [1]. Pearce was a surveyor, engineer, and statistician who held several appointments with land use agencies concerning the development of settlement lands throughout Western Canada [2]. Throughout his various appointments, Pearce was reportedly always concerned with developments that benefited the majority and was heavily influenced by the City Beautiful Movement of the 1890s and 1900s, a reform philosophy popular in the early development of North American cities that suggested beautification would promote social harmony [1]. When appointed as an inspector for the Dominion Land Agencies in 1884, Pearce used his position to reserve land along the north side of the Bow River envisioning Calgary as a city full of tree-lined boulevards. That land today is Calgary’s landmark boulevard Memorial Drive [1]. Pearce also started the first tree farm in Western Canada that was dedicated to experimenting with different types of trees to grow in the city with the goal of encouraging Calgarians to plant their own [1]. Pearce was not the only person dedicated to vegetative beauty of the city though. In 1913 William Reader became Calgary’s third Superintendent of Parks and Cemeteries. Reader immediately began development on a new civic nursery, and dedicated himself to public improvement projects surrounding the creation of additional tree-lined boulevards [1]. Reader planted trees, created boulevards, and beautified the city until the end of his tenure in 1942. During that time Reader created numerous streetscapes that have since been added to Calgary’s Inventory of Historic Resources [1].

American Elms in Calgary

Today, Calgary has 73 identified locations of historic trees [1]. One of the more famous and cherished trees in the city is the Victoria Park American elm tree, also known as the Stampede Elm. American elms (Ulmus americana) were exceptionally popular trees during the City Beautiful Movement [3]. Despite the popularity of American elms for the movement, the Stampede Elm is only one of five of this species listed on the historic tree inventory for the City of Calgary. The other elms are located in the University of Calgary Craigie Hall Courtyard, Thompson Square, Scott House, and the Avenue of Trees along 11^th Ave NE [1]. Unfortunately, due to the susceptibility of these trees to Dutch elm disease they are no longer recommended as species for urban forests [3]. The Stampede Elm is located in the Northwest parking lot for the Stampede Grounds near the location of Calgary’s first hospital (now the site of the Rundle Ruins). No one knows how old the tree is except that it was likely planted in the early 1900s [4,5]. At this time, the area was residential and it is likely that the tree may have been planted in someone’s yard [4,5].

Development and the Stampede Elm

No matter who planted it, the Stampede Elm has preexisted even the notion of the infamous Calgary Stampede which started in 1912. It has born witness to the drastic changes and development that Calgary’s Victoria Park area has undergone in the last century, including the construction of the Saddledome in 1980 [4,5]. With approval for new event plans finalized in the summer of 2019, the Stampede elm sits in the location of the proposed new arena [4,5]. The fate of the elm is still currently unknown, but digital documentation took place in an effort to preserve this tree no matter what its future will be.

Notes

For those who wish to learn more about the urban forests of Calgary, visit the City of Calgary’s interactive urban forest management map page. Here, you can see the number of trees by neighbourhood as well as sort by type and size of trees.

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] City of Calgary. 2021. Calgary’s Urban Forest. Electronic document, https://www.calgary.ca/content/dam/www/csps/parks/documents/planning-and-operations/tree-management/calgarys-urban-foresty-history.pdf, accessed January 26, 2021.

[2] Breen, D. Pearce, William. Dictionary of Canadian Biography 15. University of Toronto. Electronic document, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/pearce_william_15E.html., accessed January 26, 2021.

[3] The Morton Arboretum. 2021. American Elm. Electronic document, https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/american-elm, accessed January 26, 2021.

[4] Babych, Stephanie. 2019. Calgary Herald, “If Only Trees If only trees could tell us stories’: Calgary’s iconic Stampede Elm could get the ax.” August 3. Electronic document, https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/if-only-trees-could-tell-us-stories-calgarys-iconic-stampede-elm-could-get-the-ax, accessed January 26, 2021.

[5] Pearson, H. Global News. “How will this decades-old Calgary elm tree be impacted by the new arena?” August 2. Electronic document, https://globalnews.ca/news/5720443/calgary-old-elm-tree-stampede-grounds-new-arena/, accessed January 26, 2021.

This photo gallery shows images of the Stampede Elm. Historic images of the tree are difficult to search for and if you have anything you would like to contribute to this gallery please contact us at capture2preserv@ucalgary.ca !

Image Sources

Images were sourced from Global News and the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Images of the scanning process were provided by the Capture2Preserv Team.