To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Edmonton Police Service, Legacy of Heroes #5 takes readers back to the beginning of policing in Edmonton.
The year was 1892.
Edmonton’s 700 residents had a problem.
Their arch rival on the south-side of the river, South Edmonton, had lobbied the federal government to relocate the Dominion Land Office to their town.
Without the land office, Edmonton’s future was in doubt.
The town’s first mayor, Matt McCauley, had only been in office a few months when the controversy erupted.
With residents threatening violence if the decision to move the land office was not reversed, McCauley knew he had to act fast.