20 Questions about St. Albert

How familiar are you with Canada’s botanical arts city?

St. Albert residents recognize that the city is one of the best communities in the country. However, beyond that, most residents are likely unfamiliar with its history. Here’s where we come in, courtesy of a quiz to further familiarize yourself with a municipality that has such an enlightening past. Need some help to complete this? All the answers are in the Then & Now archives in t8nmagazine.com, more specifically by clicking on the Arts & Culture nav bar. Or you could sneak a peek at the answers at the end of this quiz.

1. How much money did travelers have to shell out to cross the original Perron Street Bridge when it was completed in 1862?

1. One cent
2. Two cents
3. Five cents
4. Ten cents

2. What was the name of the first rail line to serve St. Albert?

1. Canadian Northern Railway
2. Alberta & Great Waterways Railway
3. Canadian Pacific Railway
4. Edmonton & Slave Lake Railway

3. Roughly how many students first graduated from Bellerose Composite High School in 1990?

1. 100
2. 150
3. 200
4. 250

4. Cathy Heron was one of only two female mayors to be elected as St. Albert’s mayor. Who was the other one? 

1. Myrna Fyfe
2. Bertha Kennedy
3. Marie Poburan
4. Anita Rachinsky

5. When St. Albert officially became a city, roughly how many people lived in the community?

1. 10,000
2. 20,000
3. 30,000
4. 40,000

6. What currently occupies the building that once housed the original Paul Kane High School?

1. Lorne Akins Junior High School
2. Kinosale Elementary School
3. Elmer S. Gish School
4. Holy Family Catholic School

7. Which park currently boasts an 18-hole disc golf course?

1. Lions Park
2. Kingswood Park
3. Coal Mine Park
4. Red Willow Park

8. Roughly how many St. Albert men took part in the First World War?

1. 20
2. 40
3. 60
4. 100

9. Who was credited with giving St. Albert its name?

1. Bishop Alexandre-Antonin Tache
2. Father Albert Lacombe
3. Bishop Vital Grandin
4. Father Baptiste Morin

10. In what year did the Rainmaker Rodeo debut?

1. 1945
2. 1955
3. 1965
4. 1975

11. What was the name of the railroad established in 1913 to serve St. Albert and Edmonton?

1. Twin City Transfer Company
2. Interurban Rail Line
3. Edmonton-St. Albert Transit
4. Trans-Town Streetcar System

12. The St. Albert Saints, which at one point featured future NHL great Mark Messier in the lineup, lasted how many seasons in the city?

1. 17
2. 27
3. 37
4. 47

13. What is Étoile Crescent North, in the city’s northwest section, named after?

1. A hotel
2. A drugstore
3. A tavern
4. A newspaper

14. Thelma Chalifoux became the first Metis woman in Canada to occupy what position?

1. Senator
2. Member of Parliament
3. Governor General 
4. Speaker of the House

15. How many St. Albertans died from COVID during the 2020-2022 outbreak?

1. 22
2. 44
3. 66
4. 88

16. Which historic mover and shaker was dubbed “The Little Napoleon”?

1. Octave Bellerose
2. Lucien Boudreau
3. Cheri Hebert
4. Fleuri Perron

17. Gardening entrepreneur and Alberta Lieutenant Governor Lois Hole had previously played organ at which church?

1. St. Albert Alliance Church
2. St. Albert Catholic Parish
3. St. Albert Evangelical Lutheran Church
4. St. Albert United Church

18. How long did it take to build the first chapel in St. Albert?

1. 10 days
2. 20 days
3. 30 days
4. 40 days

19. Mary Cross Dover was a co-founder of which rodeo?

1. Calgary Stampede
2. Cochrane Rodeo
3. North Peace Stampede
4. Rainmaker Rodeo

20. What force was mobilized in 1885 to protect St. Albert from the Riel Rebellion?

1. North West Mounted Police
2. Royal Canadian Mounted Police
3. St. Albert Mounted Riflemen
4. St. Albert Police Force

Answers

1. c. (However, volunteers who helped build the bridge got to cross it for free.)
2. d. (The railway first reached St. Albert in 1906.) 
3. b. (The school officially opened two years earlier.)
4. d. (Elected in 1989, she served three consecutive terms before Cathy Heron succeeded her.)
5. c. (St. Albert reached city status in 1977.)
6. a. (The original Paul Kane school relocated in 1973.)
7. b. (The course officially opened in 2024.)
8. d. (The contingent also included one woman.)
9. a. (He named the spot in 1861, long before the first mission was built.)
10. c. (It was first called the Kinsmen Rodeo 104.)
11. b. (The service lasted only six months before it was destroyed by fire.) 
12. c. (The team played in St. Albert from 1977 to 2004.)
13. d. (The bilingual St. Albert Star operated from 1912 to 1914.)
14. a.. (She was also the first Metis woman to broadcast on private radio.)
15. d.. (Nearly 9,000 St. Albertans caught the virus by August, 2022.)
16. b.. (The real estate mogul and hotel owner also served as an MLA.)
17. d. (She was also the church’s choir director.)
18. a. (Red River construction techniques quickly built the structure in 1861.)
19. a. (Dover Court in St. Albert’s northwest section is named in her honour.)
20. c. (The NWMP didn’t set up a permanent outpost in St. Albert until 1888.)