Back in 1913 a man named AS Buck painted a scene of Chestermere for Orville Webster. Orville and Vida owned the Lakeview Inn in Chestermere, at the time, one of the few establishments located on the NE shore of the ‘new’ in relative terms, Chestermere Lake, or CPR Reservoir #1, the dam having been built in 1906 by the CPR Department of Natural Resources as part of the Western Section of the Irrigation Project. Mr Buck captures in this painting the activity of the time–possibly that building with the oval sign is the first Calgary Yacht Club, early on called the Calgary Sailing Club, and within the other buildings possibly ‘The Sunshine Cafe” –even in those early days of population growth around Calgary, this little lake, a mere irrigation reservoir, was seen as an oasis. The painting is now owned by Dave and Lorraine Webster of Chestermere.
In 2016 Doug Buck, grandson of Alva Buck, ( the family knew him as Alvin), contacted Lorraine and Dave Webster in Chestermere. He had seen the article in the Anchor. ( here) To quote Doug “Last month I found my grandfather, Alva H. Buck, after 67 years. To my family he was always known as Alvin. He was a character to say the least but still a curiosity to me”.
Third child of Eli S. Buck, b. 1845; Alva was born in Paris Michigan in 1879; Had both an older brother Fred S. & sister Nellie. Married to Grace sometime at or before 1903;Grace lived at 420 Henry St., Grand Rapids, MI; occupation fireman; convicted of arson; sent to Jackson State Pen March 1903; served 15 months; serial number 7828. He then went north to Calgary (1218 Boulevard NW (Henderson’s Directory Calgary 1913 p 433 listed as a Realtor). There he married my grandmother in 1908. They had three sons; Fred A., b. 1909; Reginald Clarence, b. 1911 October, another son (my father); a third son died as an infant. He left town with his girlfriend in 1914, never to heard from again. It was during that term in a tiny prison cell, he learned to paint.
It is believed Alva died serving in WWII.
On to another more recent painting of Chestermere. Margaret Shelton, well known Alberta artist in the 70s, resided at Chestermere for a number of years, living on the east side of the lake, just north of Sunset Park. Her daughter Patricia generously donated a copy of one of Margaret’s paintings of Chestermere to be included in ‘Chestermere A Home for all Seasons’, the most recent history book written about this area. You can still buy these books, click here. In November of 2016 The Collector’s Gallery donated this painting to Chestermere Historical Foundation, it now hangs in the Chestermere Public Library.
Thank you to calligrapher and artist Lorraine Webster for using the photo by AS Buck to create a lovely membership card for CHF. Want one? Membership is only $5 per year and you can get yours here.
An article about both of the paintings was featured in The Chestermere Anchor, you can read that here. https://www.theanchor.ca/2013/chestermere-art-in-chestermere/