Home Sweet Heritage Home - Pearce, William



	Pearce, William (Bow Bend Shack) 2014 - 17th Avenue SE Built: 1889 Demolished: 1957 1848-1930 The "Czar of the Prairies," William Pearce, was born in Elgin County, Ontario, in 1848. He was educated as a civil engineer and a land surveyor at the University of Toronto, and worked in this profession until 1874, when he moved west to Winnipeg. Appointed a Dominion Land Surveyor by the federal government, Pearce was responsible for much of the early survey work in Manitoba and the North-West Territories (part of which was present-day Alberta) - 400 000 square miles in total. He developed a hardy constitution after travelling throughout the region by foot and dog sled, and took pride in being an avid outdoorsman throughout his life. In 1882, Pearce was appointed to the Dominion Land Board, and had substantial influence over policy that would govern the west for the next century. His duty in this capacity was to personally investigate all land claims from settlers and to produce recommendations regarding these claims to the government, a job that became increasingly difficult as the "boom" in the region around Calgary brought several thousand settlers to the area. He first arrived in Calgary in 1884, in the capacity of Superintendent of Mines. The federal government did not officially this office, however, until 1887. Pearce spent the interim years energetically exploring and reporting on Calgary and the surrounding area. He was convinced that Calgary offered a strategic position for a future commercial centre for the vast areas of land between Winnipeg and Vancouver – a position that to be realized during the next 116 years. He was also convinced that by means of a vast and intricate system of irrigation, much of the drier regions in eastern Alberta and south-western Saskatchewan could produce consistent crops. The federal government conducted its own survey at Pierce’s insistence, but found the cost of such a project to be prohibitive, and nothing further was done. He personally conducted his own irrigation project on his land in East Calgary, and constantly bested his neighbors with both amazing crops and beautiful horticultural products. He also was instrumental in early oil exploration in nearby Turner Valley field. Largely because of Pearce, much of Calgary and southern Alberta offers a non-commercialized, visually stimulating nature. He was very influential in the creation of: Banff National Park - the first park of its kind in Canada - the long, green parkway along Memorial drive (a main thoroughfare through the heart of Calgary’s largest river, the Bow), the creation of a beautiful park on St. George’s Island (once again, in the Bow River near downtown Calgary, as well as the protection of Waterton National Park. Pearce and his family (his wife Gretchen and five children) lived in one of the largest and most modern homes in Calgary at the time – the "Bow Bend Shack," an immense sandstone house that was demolished in 1957. Pearce died in 1930, followed by Gretchen in 1943.
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