Rutherford
House is the former residence of Alberta's first premier, Alexander
Rutherford. This Edwardian era mansion has been restored to the year
1915 and has been designated a provincial historic site.
In
February of 1911, Alexander Cameron Rutherford, his wife Mattie, and
their two children Cecil and Hazel moved into their spacious new
home overlooking the North Saskatchewan River. From then on, the
house welcomed family, friends an the political and social elite of
the day as the family hosted numerous meetings, press conferences,
afternoon teas and dinner parties. The Rutherfords' tradition of
hospitality continued until 1940, when Mattie Rutherford died in
September of that year at age 74. Shortly thereafter Mr. Rutherford
sold the property to the Delta Upsilon fraternity, who made the house their home for the next 28 years.
Mr.
Rutherford died in June of 1941, at age 84, but the legacy of the
home he had built with his family lives on to the present day.
Renovated and furnished with both period and original artifacts with
the assistance of Mrs. Hazel McCuaig, Mr. and Mrs. Rutherford's
daughter, Rutherford House was opened as a provincial historic site
in 1973. Today, it welcomes an annual average of over 28 000
visitors from across Alberta, Canada, and the world!
For
specific information about Rutherford
House, visit the Alberta Community Development website