Re: Calgary At 150: The Forgotten Anniversary, Sprawlcast, June 21, 2025.

Much could be made of the fact that little is being done to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Fort Calgary, the locus of European settlement at the confluence of the Elbow River and the Bow River in 1875. Distracting from the topic is the fact that Calgary was not established as a town until later and then even later as a city.

Is the year 2025 an important milestone in the story of Calgary? It depends. But on what? On who is telling the story? And many other factors.

Until recently history was sometimes little more than a list of names and dates and places. White guys and their European titles and surnames. Dates of significance as chosen by... old white guys. And locations with names to honour distant namesakes. Calgary is named after a village in Scotland.

Why this view of history is not enough in 2025 is more important than whether or not the 150th anniversary of Calgary is celebrated.

To the victors go the spoils. And the naming rights. And the perspective. Or at least that was the dominant view of the powerful in society until recently—and still the view of many who want to decide the narrative.

Working class history became important after World War II. The story of the First Nations, from their perspective, is gaining more audiences. White guy scoundrels, including the drunk and bigoted first prime minister of Canada, are being toppled off their pedestals—literally and figuratively.

Not that old, dead white guys did nothing to contribute to the story of Canada, but they were not the only players. Or necessarily the most important characters in the saga.

So what are we to make of history if the old ways no longer work?

First, the story of Calgary belongs to more players than white heroes of the past. First Nations people's stories include those of the nations that were here when European explorers and settlers arrived, and also the nations that were here before they arrived. More needs to be done to tell their stories and understand their point of view.

Next, the story of the development of the area and its natural resources deserves more attention—particularly in the period before the arrival of the steam engine. The region had centuries of development before steel. And before cattle. The bison belonged then, as does their story now.

Many more stories fill out the landscape. Seasonal use of the land and its plants and animals, for example. The reasons that a confluence of rivers became confluences of people as well as waters.

Third, we need to tell commonly understood themes from new perspectives. The Calgary Stampede celebrates the culture of the cattle industry but its roots are in the ancient story of the bison on these prairies. Grazing history.

Natural resource extraction and the petroleum industry is a dominant narrative, of course, and it came out of the exploration for coal and precious minerals. Geology.

Railways and roads and air travel are part of the modern story, but the reason Calgary is located at the junction of two rivers relies on the fascinating travel patterns of the First Nations people who crossed rivers at sensible locations. Transportation. And for reasons of trade and seasonal rounds of hunting and gathering.

Fourth, we need to invite the "losers" and not just the "winners" to tell their stories from their perspectives. Minorities of all kinds tend to have their stories ignored, disbelieved or disdained. Even suppressed. We all benefit when those around us have the space to tell their truth. There is no one set of "true facts" or "accepted wisdom" or "correct interpretation" of the past. We can hold space for all. In the past, now and forever.

History is an “unending dialogue between the present and the past.” Thus wrote E.H. Carr in his 1961 book What Is History? There is no single set of objective facts. Each observer of history brings a perspective to the topic that informs the dialogue. And the discussion results in a better understanding of history. Unending dialogue.

Perhaps the chance to discuss what it means for Calgary to celebrate 150 years since the construction of the fort is a good idea in 2025. And then as a town in 2034 and in 2044 as a city. Each re-examination will provide another window on the story. Encourage more observers to describe the view. And call on one another to notice the forces at play in society and each of our contributions to the story of this community.

Then we can better claim with pride, “This is our history!”

David Finch is a public historian in Calgary and is the author of dozens of books. To submit a letter for publication in The Sprawl, send it to hello@sprawlcalgary.com with "letter to the editor" in the subject line.