About

 

This graph (from calgary.ca/economics, 2024) is typical of most of Calgary's history. We have always been a growing city. The blue areas on this graph represent the people who were actually born here. That's why it's often hard to find a native Calgarian!  It's great that we live in a city that people want to come to -- but it also means that many of us don't have long memories of the city's past.

We're a young city, but we have an exciting history.  I hope this blog will shed some light on the fascinating story of how we got the way we are.  

My name is Doug Coats. I'm a native Calgarian and so was my Mom, her family having come here in 1917 after homesteading south and east of the city.  My Dad was a Winnipegger who came here to take his Air Force training during World War II, fell in love with my Mom and made his home here after the war.  He didn't just fall in love with Mom, he fell in love with Calgary, and made a point of learning about and photographing his adopted city.  Between my Dad and a little booklet called "Tales of the Old Town" by Leishman McNeil, which I first encountered in Grade 9, I picked up the local history bug.  After getting degrees in History and Education from U of C, I taught junior high Social Studies for 33 years, then took a job at Heritage Park as a Senior Interpreter, telling stories, giving tours and writing programs to teach our story to people from Calgary and around the world. Now I'm retired, and have more time to explore my hobby and share it with others.