Virtual Historic Calgary Week in Partnership with CPL
HCW 2020 may have been cancelled this year, but work has been going on
behind the scenes to bring events to your home screens. Despite being closed
for most of the time, Calgary Public Library has been able to put forward a
number of virtual presentations to occur during what would have been our
"normal" Historic Calgary Week. CCHS is working on more events to be held
during August and September, so check back from time to time on our website,
chinookhistory.ca, to see the schedule of events as they are organized.
Register for these programs on the Calgary Public Library events page.
The events organized by Calgary Public Library in honour of Historic Calgary
Week are as follows:
Doug Coats: Calgary Welcomes The Car encore presentation
Friday July 24 | 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Calgarians with money and a sense of adventure embraced the newfangled
automobile with open arms. Grab your duster and goggles and join our excursion
into the novelty, freedom, challenges, and misadventures of early motoring in
Calgary. You don't even need a license -- there weren't any!
Calgary History for Newcomers
Monday July 27 | 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Are you a newcomer to Calgary? You are one of millions of newcomers who
have made this city their new home since the 1870s. Join historian Tereasa
Maillie and learn about the history of immigration to Calgary. Tereasa is a writer,
historian and speaker whose current research focus is on Calgary’s Immigration
history, and the LGTBQ+ community.
Family Stories and Community Traditions with Richard Van Camp
Tuesday, July 28 | 7:00 – 8:00 pm
This workshop is designed to inspire you to collect family stories and community
tales as sources of history, culture, and tradition. What are the best questions to
ask? How do you evoke memories? What is the protocol with Elders? Richard
Van Camp draws on his rich experience in presenting this important workshop.
Scribblers & Scrabblers: The Writers of 1920s Calgary
Wednesday July 29 | 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Gumption, ego, and a dash of scandal: these are the stories of the small,
ambitious literary community of 1920s Calgary. Shaun Hunter, Historian-in-
Residence at the Calgary Public Library, explores this little-known chapter of the city’s past and its
cast of true-life characters.
Countdown to Calgary's 20 Oldest Houses
Thursday July 30 | 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Join Doug Coats as he tells the stories behind the twenty oldest still-standing
houses in Calgary. Some are truly remarkable – we still have at least 6 homes
built in or before 1883, when Calgary’s population was less than 500. See if your
favourite old house makes the list!
Virtual Historic Calgary Week with Fort Calgary
Fort Calgary to host virtual Historic Calgary Week events
Historic Calgary Week will be celebrated differently this year given the unprecedented times we find ourselves in. We will not be able to meet face to face but that will not dampen our enduring interest in and love of history.
Another of our Historic Calgary Week partners is bringing a virtual program to you. Fort Calgary has organized several events between July 24 and Heritage Day, August 3. You can see the schedule of events and access details on the Fort Calgary website (https://www.fortcalgary.com/histroiccalgaryweek-heritageday).
Live Calgary Trivia with Kelsie
30 July 2020 | 12:00-12:30pm
A virtual event that will explore how this place is a significant part of Calgary’s past and present.
Artifact Preservation with Gail Niinimaa
3 August 2020
Join Fort Calgary’s artifact expert Gail Niinimaa as she shares some fun facts about our collection and the fascinating world of textile and artifact preservation!
Chat with Daniel Voth PhD
28 July 2020
Tune in as Professor Daniel Voth shares his knowledge about the Numbered Treaties, what territory acknowledgements mean, and the complex histories of Blackfoot- Métis relations in what is now Calgary.
Mural Activity
27-31 July 2020
Let's make a virtual mural! We will have some videos, songs, and poems created by Indigenous artists to inspire you and your kids. Have them draw a picture of what one of these pieces means to them, and post it on Facebook or Instagram tagging @fortcalgary so we can share their art.
In this Place with Erica Olmstead
27-31 July 2020
Check out some videos with Fort Calgary’s Education Manager Erica as she talks about our art installations that represent some of the many stories from the place on which our museum sits!
Complex Stories: a podcast by the Fort Calgary National Historic Site
31 July 2020
What is Métis History? We have a special episode of Complex Stories, where we talk to special guest Matt Hiltermann and ask what is Métis history, and why is it relevant to many places across Canada, including Calgary, today?
Historic Calgary Week 2021 Is A Go!
Zooming Back: Unmasking Our History
Historic Calgary Week 2021 kicks off on July 23 at 7 PM with our virtual opening ceremonies. Mayor Naheed Nenshi has been invited to preside over the opening ceremony. Immediately after the ceremony, Doug Coats will present “Where Avenues Collide”highlighting some of the incongruent intersections in our City.
Our program will comprise 56 events, including a few that will be run twice. Twenty-four of the events will be virtual and the rest in-person. We are limiting in-person events to a maximum of 35 participants with some events having a lower limit to accommodate individual circumstances. Pre-registration will be required for all events and the specific information will be included in our full program at the links below. Even though we are pleased that most restrictions due to Covid-19 have been lifted, we believe these limits are a prudent step for our program considering that the virus is still with us.
Program
See our Week-At-A-Glance below for the complete listing of events.
See the description and registration links for Virtual Events below.
See the description and registration information for In-Person Events below.
We will not be taking donations during our events this year. However, your support for our history festival would be very much appreciated. We have set up e-transfer capability for donations. Please use the email: treasurer@chinookhistory.ca to make your contribution. Note in the transfer that your donation is for HCW. The e-transfer is deposited directly into our bank account, so no “skill testing” question need be used. All donations $20 and over will receive a tax receipt.
Our ever-popular History Hunt contest can be download here. Plan on learning more about your Calgary Communities with this David Peyto “hunt” and submit your answers by August 13th to qualify for a prize draw.
The giant Historic Calgary Week Crossword Puzzle will appear in the Calgary Herald on July 23 and on our website as well. Our puzzle theme is “Optimistic History,” something we can all appreciate this year! Entires for the puzzle contest must be postmarked no later than August 25 and mailed to the CCHS Office at:
#311, 223 - 12 Avenue SW
Calgary, AB T2R 0G9
Thank you for your support for our history festival. We look forward to seeing you on the “trail” or in the virtual chat room.
Historic Calgary Week is a program of Chinook Country Historical Society.
Historic Calgary Week Crossword Puzzle
It's that time of year again!
The annual Historic Calgary Week Crossword Puzzle for 2020 has been released. Download the puzzle and clues on our HCW page.
We'll Meet Again: Unseen History Brought to Life
July 22 – August 1
Historic Calgary Week 2022 kicks off at 9:45 am on July 22 (doors open 9:15 am) with our opening ceremonies followed by four programs at the Memorial Building of the Southern Alberta Pioneers and Their Descendants. Mayor Jyoti Gondek has been invited to open our 11-day history festival.
Our program comprises over 65 in-person and virtual programs in Calgary and region, including Nanton, High River, Okotoks, Chestermere, Irricana, and Rosebud. We’ll soar to new heights with the F-86 at The Hangar Museum and dig into the findings of the archaeologists and palaeontologists. See current issues of Reconciliation, Urban Development and strife in the Ukraine through the lens of history. The experiences of our pioneers and immigrants over the decades will highlight several of the presentations. Visits to libraries, churches, parks, museums, and communities will explore the history of the places we call home.
Take a Road Trip Around Alberta while tackling our Giant HCW Crossword Puzzle. We plan to publish it in the Calgary Herald on July 22 and have it posted to our website on the same day. Mail in your completed puzzle in order to qualify for our prize draw for successful entrants. We hope you enjoy the “trip” around our province.
Listen to some of our presenters preview events at HCW on our YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol2HC0uqmk8.
Open up our online brochure at the link below and peruse the HCW 2022 offerings. Registration is open for members only until July 1 at which time everyone may register. Sign up early for the limited spots available.
If you have any questions, please contact us at hcw@chinookhistory.ca.