
Knox United Church Bell Tower - Calgary, Alberta
Posted by:
wildwoodke
N 51° 02.922 W 114° 04.281
11U E 705268 N 5659321
Knox United Church was constructed in 1912 and was unofficially called the 'Cathedral of the West'. Its tower is beginning to be over-shadowed by the buildings on 5th Avenue in downtown Calgary, Alberta.
Waymark Code: WM7X29
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 12/15/2009
Views: 4
"The Rev. James Robertson was appointed Superintendent of Western Mission for the Presbyterian Church in Canada in 1881. From Winnipeg, he set out by horse and buggy to cross the prairies and after a most hazardous journey arrived in Alberta at a small frontier settlement consisting mostly of men. Robertson found no formal place to preach, so he took his ministry to the local saloon where the men usually gathered. He obviously made a deep impression on his listeners as not long after they decided that they needed a more suitable place in which to worship.
Knox Presbyterian Church as established in 1883 in the small settlement, now named Calgary grew quickly, and so did the church. The congregation moved to the I G Baker store. Attendance continued to increase and soon the Presbyterians were sharing a tent with the Methodists. Finally they were able to build their own church for a cost of $1000. The small wooden building was opened on October 21, 1883. With the coming of the railroad, the centre of the town moved, and in March of 1884 the wooden church was hauled on skids across the ice of the Elbow River to be nearer to the new downtown.
In 1886, the cornerstone of a new building was laid at Centre Street and Seventh Avenue South and seated 330 people. This was constructed of freestone gathered form local quarries. This structure cost $8000. This structure was expanded in 1905, but still could not accommodate the growing congregation. A new sandstone building, unofficially called 'The Cathedral of the West', was built in 1912 at the corner of Fourth Street and Sixth Avenue South. This sanctuary remains in use today, though a Christian Education wing was added in 1960."
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