Rossdale Flats
Technically known as Edmonton’s River Lot 4, the Rossdale Flats Site
has a history that cannot be told without mention of its namesake,
Donald Ross. Located north of the Saskatchewan River, the site
originally consisted of flat ground immediately south of what was then
the Town of Edmonton.
Donald Ross was
born in Scotland and arrived in Edmonton in
1872, after travels had taken him throughout North America. Possessing
foresight and an entrepreneurial spirit, Ross recognized the potential
that lay waiting to be actualized. With this vision in mind he took to
various tasks.
Social divisions that marked him an unsophisticated working-class man did not
prevent him from remaining ambitious. He liaised with prominent business
figures, politicians, and society to great financial success.
A passionate dedication to horticulture led to Ross’s work for
Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) where a three-year agreement was drawn up
for him to farm HBC land. After a year Ross decided to relinquish his
farm operator status and fees, instead claiming River Lot 4 as his land and
setting about its development. He promptly built the Edmonton Hotel and
the estate became known as Rossdale.
His involvement with the Edmonton Agricultural Society (EAS) would
deepen. An invested agriculturalist, Ross had been a founding member of
the EAS in 1879, but had somewhat retreated form his involvement with
the society when it failed to sustain initial momentum. As the EAS
re-asserted itself, he returned, serving as vice-president from 1885
to 1887. When the non-profit organization sought a new site at the
beginning of the 20th century, he sold 55 acres of the Rossdale Estate
to it at a cost of $7,000 CDN paid in nine installments.
The Edmonton Industrial Exhibition Association (EIEA) now had a new home and Ross used his various skills to take charge of the 1901 fair,
overseeing construction of the grandstand the next year. In 1903, he was
elected the association President and served his full two-year term. An epic
figure in Edmonton history, he went on to contribute such things as
bringing the railway through to Edmonton.
When
the City of Edmonton expressed a desire to build power facilities on his
land, an incentive was offered. A deal entitling Ross to part
of the company prompted him to sell the EIEA land to the Edmonton Electric Light and
Power Company. This marked an important step in Edmonton’s development,
and transitioned the EIEA to its next and permanent site.
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