As Chestermere continues to experience rapid growth, a weekly historical walk is intended by its organizer as a fun and informative way for both long-time residents and newcomers to learn about where they live and gain a greater appreciation of the city’s history.
“I really believe all humans need context, we need meaning, we need hope in our life,” said Shelly McElroy, local historian and tour guide who grew up in Chestermere and now lives in Keoma. “History offers us a way to look at ourselves and look at our lives…it is really, I think, important for us to know something about our homes and where we live.”
The tour follows a two-kilometre loop through John Peake Park, beginning and ending at the Chestermere Public Library, and lasts about 30 minutes.
“By the end of it, what I’m hoping is that people will see their community in layers, and that they’ll realize there’s amazing stories about the Blackfoot Trail going right through Chestermere, and veterans and plane crashes and an outbreak of typhoid in the 1970s,” McElroy said. “It all happened where you’re standing.”
Often, she added, participants are surprised by the richness of Chestermere’s history.
“A perspective that a lot of people have got is, ‘What history is there here in southern Alberta? Maybe there’ll be something from 100 years ago, if we’re lucky,’” she said. “Actually, this tour starts 13,000 years ago.”
McElroy said she based the walking tours on routes she designed for Elliston Park in years past as part of annual Jane’s Walk events. In preparing that walk, she said, she found several stories that had more to do with Chestermere than Calgary.
Then, earlier this spring, McElroy found herself yearning to participate in a historical walking tour, but found there weren’t any on offer and took matters into her own hands.
The tours began in mid-May, and McElroy said despite consistent battles with inclement weather, the first year has been a success.
Weather permitting, McElroy will continue to offer the tours once a week on Thursday nights until Oct. 17, adding autumn sometimes has the best weather for walking. The tours are offered on a drop-in basis, and participants should meet in front of the Chestermere Public Library prior to the walk begins at 7 p.m.
“It’s a free tour,” she said. “Anybody can come – it’s probably most appropriate for ages 12 and up, I don’t know if somebody really tiny would get anything out of it. [There’s no limits], and people are welcome to come and ask questions.”
So far, McElroy said she’s received tremendous support, and the success of this year’s program means she plans to lead the tours again next year.
“We had a crowd of nine out last week and the week before, so I’m hoping word will spread,” she said. “That’s often the way it goes.”
