No Self-Service Just Customer Service

In the early days customers did not simply walk around the store gazing at their choices in a self-serve fashion.  They approached a clerk at the counter, inquired about the prices or availability of the goods they needed, and the clerk wrote down the list of items.  Then the clerk gathered the goods, packed them, tallied the final cost by simple arithmetic.  There were no brand choices and very little in the way of luxury items.

Compared to the early store the Country Junction is quite a dazzling display of choices of merchandize. 

 

 

Odours from the Old Fire Hall

 

In Wetaskiwin a frequent community meeting place was upstairs in the old red fire hall with the tall red tower featuring windows facing out in all directions.  It contained the City Council Chambers  which were located directly above where the horses were stabled. 

"The odours arising from these stalls did not in any way affect the progress of the meetings.  In fact, this condition was accepted in many ways as a hallmark symbol of wealth.  The noble horse was now at the peak of his glory, soon doomed to be replaced by the tractor and the automobile.  Many men's wealth in those days was reckoned by the number of horses he owned and worked.

 

 

Dare to Criticize the Northwest Mounted Police

 

Very near the spot wear the first Co-op store stood was a local detachment of the North West Mounted Police.  One old-timer was recorded as say that "while he  admired them greatly for their outstanding qualities, he had one criticism to make - that they cut their stove wood too long."

 

 

No Wind Saves the Bulk Fuel Tanks

 

Edward Peterson writes about a petroleum endeavour that was interrupted by a fire: 

"At noon on a nice spring day, the fire alarm sounded.  Upon going outside to the street, we saw the bulk oil station, which we were to take over the following day, going up in flames.   It was a spectacular and very dangerous fire, due to the several large bulk tanks adjacent to the fire.  The plant warehouse was completely destroyed.  Luckily, with no wind prevailing, the fire did not reach the bulk tanks or other nearby oil company properties."

 

 

Paper Pelts Horses

 

Edward Peterson, having been with the Co-op for the better part of fifty years has many good stories.  Here's one:

"One windy march day, with large pieces of box car wrappings blowing down our streets, Lee Kelly's big black Percheron dray team were coming over the Main street crossing, when one of these huge papers tore by.  The big brutes bolted, throwing off the dray, driver and hind wheels of the wagon, and came running blindly in our direction.  They hurdled the fire hydrant in front of Livesidges Free Press Office, heading straight for our big plate glass windows.  We stood there agape and frozen, expecting within a second to have a couple of tons of live horseflesh inside our Co-op store.  Whether the hand of fate intervened at that moment, we are not prepared to say, but it seemed so.  Walter Rechnagle's, new car was standing angle-parked at the curb, with young Donald in the seat.  The left hand horse leaped over the car hood and caught his hind hoof in the bumper and fell to the sidewalk with a crash right under our plate glass window.  Because he was still fastened to the other horse by the neck yoke, the other horse also fell-around the corner of the building, underneath the plate glass on that side.  Seconds seemed like hours at that time.  

Arthur Manes and the writer had by that moment, collected our senses and rushed out to sit on the heads of the brutes.  We held them until help came to untangle the mess.  Damage to the car and the building turned out to be nil."

 

 

Goldie Retired

 

Goldie was a handsome animal, her name well described her colour.  She mothered several colts before entered the service of the Co-op.  She faithfully delivered our city orders, without a grumble or a complaint for a ration of oats and hay and stall.  She met trains to pick up bread cases and other express.  She knew the streets of Wetaskiwin backwards and forwards and all the doorstops of our customers.  She contributed her share to our progress, perhaps unnoticed - but still she was there without fail.  She retired to the original farm that she came from, when we replaced her with a modern delivery truck.

 

 

Aim Eggsactly

 

In "Siding 16" an early  history of Wetaskiwin, A. Bert Reynolds writes,

Following the war there was a crew of characters working in the Wetaskiwin Produce Company building on the corner of Railway Street West and Lansdown that made life somewhat unnerving for those that passed through that area. One of the major functions of the produce business was to buy and grade eggs, but not all eggs reached their proper market.  Dan Wing, one time egg grader at the produce, tells us that the Ellis brothers and their various employees delighted in using off-grade or rotten eggs to put a little excitement in that corner of town.

One of Lee Kelley's dray drivers was one of their favourite targets.  The dray driver would wheel around the corner at great speed, let out a yell and dare the scoundrels to hit him as he raced for Kelley's office.  The produce employees poured out on the sidewalk and let fly at their speeding quarry.   Sometimes the driver made a clean getaway, sometimes he arrived back at the dray office with broken shell in his hair and raw egg running down the back of his neck.

At another time and place Dan and a fellow called Schmidt were grading potatoes just south of the Wales Hotel (then the hospital) Schmidt decided that the crew from the produce deserved more crafty opposition - someone who in face could fight fire with fire.  He pocketed a few ugly potatoes, hid himself strategically behind the steps of the Wales, and prepared to let fly at the first egg thrower to emerge from the produce.  He didn't have long to wait...sighted ...and let fly!  At that moment Duncan MacEachern, impeccably dressed, walked up the end of the hotel steps, met the flying spud head on.  Schmidt wasn't seen for several days thereafter.

 

   Previous   -  Next

Photo Gallery     Notable Events  
View Lists of Directors From Early Years
Women of the Co-op    Return to History Outline
 

Return to Home Page

 

Compiled and written for the Wetaskiwin Co-op Association by Marie Peters.
Thanks to the Co-op members who had the foresight to record memorable events or preserve photographs and various other materials.

 

Copyright © Wetaskiwin Co-op Association Ltd.

 
 

 

 

 
No Self-Service Just Customer Service 

In the early days customers did not simply walk around the store gazing at their choices in a self-serve fashion.  They approached a clerk at the counter, inquired about the prices or availability of the goods they needed, and the clerk wrote down the list of items.  Then the clerk gathered the goods, packed them, tallied the final cost by simple arithmetic.  There were no brand choices and very little in the way of luxury items.

Compared to the early store the Country Junction is quite a dazzling display of choices of merchandize. 

 

Odours from the Old Fire Hall 

In Wetaskiwin a frequent community meeting place was upstairs in the old red fire hall with the tall red tower featuring windows facing out in all directions.  It contained the City Council Chambers  which were located directly above where the horses were stabled. 

"The odours arising from these stalls did not in any way affect the progress of the meetings.  In fact, this condition was accepted in many ways as a hallmark symbol of wealth.  The noble horse was now at the peak of his glory, soon doomed to be replaced by the tractor and the automobile.  Many men's wealth in those days was reckoned by the number of horses he owned and worked.

 

Dare to Criticize the Northwest Mounted Police 

Very near the spot wear the first Co-op store stood was a local detachment of the North West Mounted Police.  One old-timer was recorded as say that "while he  admired them greatly for their outstanding qualities, he had one criticism to make - that they cut their stove wood too long."

 

No Wind Saves the Bulk Fuel Tanks 

Edward Peterson writes about a petroleum endeavour that was interrupted by a fire: 

"At noon on a nice spring day, the fire alarm sounded.  Upon going outside to the street, we saw the bulk oil station, which we were to take over the following day, going up in flames.   It was a spectacular and very dangerous fire, due to the several large bulk tanks adjacent to the fire.  The plant warehouse was completely destroyed.  Luckily, with no wind prevailing, the fire did not reach the bulk tanks or other nearby oil company properties."

 

Paper Pelts Horses 

Edward Peterson, having been with the Co-op for the better part of fifty years has many good stories.  Here's one:

"One windy march day, with large pieces of box car wrappings blowing down our streets, Lee Kelly's big black Percheron dray team were coming over the Main street crossing, when one of these huge papers tore by.  The big brutes bolted, throwing off the dray, driver and hind wheels of the wagon, and came running blindly in our direction.  They hurdled the fire hydrant in front of Livesidges Free Press Office, heading straight for our big plate glass windows.  We stood there agape and frozen, expecting within a second to have a couple of tons of live horseflesh inside our Co-op store.  Whether the hand of fate intervened at that moment, we are not prepared to say, but it seemed so.  Walter Rechnagle's, new car was standing angle-parked at the curb, with young Donald in the seat.  The left hand horse leaped over the car hood and caught his hind hoof in the bumper and fell to the sidewalk with a crash right under our plate glass window.  Because he was still fastened to the other horse by the neck yoke, the other horse also fell-around the corner of the building, underneath the plate glass on that side.  Seconds seemed like hours at that time.  

Arthur Manes and the writer had by that moment, collected our senses and rushed out to sit on the heads of the brutes.  We held them until help came to untangle the mess.  Damage to the car and the building turned out to be nil."

 

Goldie Retired 

Goldie was a handsome animal, her name well described her colour.  She mothered several colts before entered the service of the Co-op.  She faithfully delivered our city orders, without a grumble or a complaint for a ration of oats and hay and stall.  She met trains to pick up bread cases and other express.  She knew the streets of Wetaskiwin backwards and forwards and all the doorstops of our customers.  She contributed her share to our progress, perhaps unnoticed - but still she was there without fail.  She retired to the original farm that she came from, when we replaced her with a modern delivery truck.

 

Aim Eggsactly 

In "Siding 16" an early  history of Wetaskiwin, A. Bert Reynolds writes,

Following the war there was a crew of characters working in the Wetaskiwin Produce Company building on the corner of Railway Street West and Lansdown that made life somewhat unnerving for those that passed through that area. One of the major functions of the produce business was to buy and grade eggs, but not all eggs reached their proper market.  Dan Wing, one time egg grader at the produce, tells us that the Ellis brothers and their various employees delighted in using off-grade or rotten eggs to put a little excitement in that corner of town.

One of Lee Kelley's dray drivers was one of their favourite targets.  The dray driver would wheel around the corner at great speed, let out a yell and dare the scoundrels to hit him as he raced for Kelley's office.  The produce employees poured out on the sidewalk and let fly at their speeding quarry.   Sometimes the driver made a clean getaway, sometimes he arrived back at the dray office with broken shell in his hair and raw egg running down the back of his neck.

At another time and place Dan and a fellow called Schmidt were grading potatoes just south of the Wales Hotel (then the hospital) Schmidt decided that the crew from the produce deserved more crafty opposition - someone who in face could fight fire with fire.  He pocketed a few ugly potatoes, hid himself strategically behind the steps of the Wales, and prepared to let fly at the first egg thrower to emerge from the produce.  He didn't have long to wait...sighted ...and let fly!  At that moment Duncan MacEachern, impeccably dressed, walked up the end of the hotel steps, met the flying spud head on.  Schmidt wasn't seen for several days thereafter.

 
Top Of Page

Return to History Outline

Notable Events      Photo Gallery 

 
The compilation and writing of the history of the Wetaskiwin Co-op was made possible because co-op members had the foresight to record memorable events or preserve photographs and various other material.