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Feature Article

WASKASOO SUBDIVISION

Written By: Michael Dawe
Published By: Red Deer Express
Article Used with permission. © Copyright Michael Dawe, 2006
2006-08-18

One of the centennials in our community which has gone almost totally unnoticed is the 100th anniversary of one of the nicer residential neighborhoods in the City. It is the Waskasoo subdivision north of the 55th Street and east of Waskasoo Creek.

The origins of the Waskasoo subdivision actually go back to the early 1880’s. The Saskatchewan Land and Homestead Company purchased more than 115,000 acres of land in and around Red Deer from the Federal Government for $2 per acres. Not surprisingly, over the next 20 years, the managing director of the company, John T. Moore, acquired several pieces of the Company’s land, particularly along the Red Deer River. "

In the early 1900’s, Red Deer began to grow very rapidly. The population jumped from a mere 323 residents in 1901 to almost 1500 by 1905. With the rapid influx of newcomers to the community, a number of new subdivisions were developed in 1905 including Parkvale, Woodlea, Grandview and Fairview.

John T. Moore, and his two sons, Carlyle and William, consequently decided to develop property which they owned, on the north-eastern edge of town, as a new, high-class subdivision.

William Moore was a very talented landscaper. He took the lead in the design of the subdivision. Following an example from the Woodlea subdivision, he had two broad crescents laid out, which he named "Moore" and "Riverside"." "Riverside" was later renamed "Waskasoo" Crescent. The main north-south roadways were called "Waskasoo" (45th) and "Maple" (44th) Avenues. "

William had cement sidewalks installed, a real novelty at the time. Because the Moores owned the local Western General Electric Company, he had an attractive street lighting system installed as well.

The Moores not only developed the Waskasoo subdivision. They also decided to make it their home. Carlyle Moore built a beautiful new house on Riverside Crescent which still stands at 4532 Waskasoo Crescent. William built a magnificent residence, with lavish gardens, at 5553 45 Avenue.

The Moores had become very wealthy people by often being creative in "their business ventures. When they laid out the Waskasoo subdivision, they did it in such a way that most of the lots were in the Town of Red Deer, but their own personal properties were just over the Town limits in the rural M.D. of Pine Lake where the taxes were lower.

This was to cause some legal difficulties for Francis W. Galbraith, who built a beautiful home at 5810 45 Avenue in 1906. After Galbraith got himself elected to City Council, one of his political foes noticed that the house was just over the City boundaries as well.

An application was made to a judge to have Galbraith removed from Council on the grounds that he was not, in fact, a City resident. The judge ruled in Galbraith’s favour, however, because, although the house was just outside the City limits, the "outer buildings" which he and his family used every day were within the City. Therefore, they could be deemed to be City residents.

Eventually, the Waskasoo subdivision was extended to the north and east and the City limits were also expanded to include the entire area.

A disaster struck in June 1915, when record-setting floods on the Red Deer River washed some of Riverside Crescent away. The street lighting system was also badly damaged.

Red Deer did not grow very much in the 1920’s and 1930’s. During the Second World War, the Department of National Defense acquired much of the old Moore property to the east for a large military training base.

In the post-War years, with the population of Red Deer surging once again, a large portion of the old A-20 Army camp property was developed by the City of Red Deer and the V.LA., as housing for returning veterans and their families.

In the late 1940’s and during the 1950’s, other vacant lots in the district had houses built on them. Additional new housing was built on the south side of 58th Street a few years ago.

Today, Waskasoo remains an attractive neighborhood with a mix of grand old Edwardian residences, post-war bungalows, and two-storey homes. There is a historical walking tour of the district. Copies of the walking tour brochure are available at the Red Deer Archives and Red Deer Museum.

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