A moment in history: July 10, 1953

On this day in 1953, Edmonton's Exhibition Lands were being prepared for the 75th anniversary of the city's annual summer fair.

Edmonton's exhibition predates the city itself by almost 30 years. The first iteration was held at Fort Edmonton in 1879, although it happened in October and was mostly a showcase of handicrafts and agricultural products. Even then, that first exhibition drew a crowd of 500.

For the next several years, the exhibition would bounce around the growing settlement, often being held on available land along Jasper Avenue. In 1899, the exhibition got its first permanent home after a purchase of 55 acres of land from the Hudson's Bay Company near Rossdale. The first Edmonton summer fair was held there in 1901.

It wouldn't be long before it outgrew its new home, however. Attendance grew, reaching 20,000 people by 1904. After only nine years in Rossdale, the Edmonton Exhibition was looking north for a new, larger home. In 1910, the exhibition would move to its current home in the northeast. The city bought the land, known as the "Kirkness Lake property," for about $24,000. City councillors made the decision without putting it to a plebiscite, for fear that voters would reject the idea.

The plan divided the newly purchased lands into several areas, including athletic grounds and a park. The northern part was set aside for the exhibition. Work began quickly to get the land ready for the summer, clearing trees and draining wetlands to rapidly put up dozens of buildings. Edmonton's Radial Railway network was expanded to provide transit to the new exhibition grounds, too. When the 1910 Exhibition opened in August, it drew in 80,000 people.

Construction soon started on one of the centrepieces of the Exhibition Grounds — the Stock Pavilion. When it was finished, the $120,000 structure was the largest livestock pavilion in the country. It would also serve as the city's arena, following the destruction of the Thistle Rink in the same year, eventually renamed as the Edmonton Gardens. (Half a century later, it would also be the home of the Northlands Coliseum, which would replace the Gardens.)

It wouldn't be too long before the grounds began to serve another purpose — supporting the military during the First World War. Parts of the grounds were used as a camp for cadets in the early days of the war. Soldiers and recruits were housed on the grounds. Apparently, the Stock Pavilion suffered some minor damage due to an indoor football game played by some of the soldiers stationed there at the time.

For the past 116 years, the Exhibition Lands have seen their share of reworkings, renovations, and renamings. Now, it is facing what could be another massive change. Earlier this year, city councillors discussed proposals for redeveloping the Exhibition Lands, which could see the summer fair move to a new location for the first time in a century. For the moment, however, it remains the home for the annual KDays exhibition, which starts on July 17.

This clipping was found on Vintage Edmonton, a daily look at Edmonton's history from armchair archivist Rev Recluse of Vintage Edmonton.