Elbow River circa 1900-1904.
The Notre Dame de la Paix mission attracted both French and
English-speaking Catholic settlers.
The Despins brothers' hardware store became a meeting place for
francophones in the Mission District.
The Mission District is often identified with the francophone
community in Calgary. Yet by the time Rouleauville became a village
in 1899, the minority French character of the area was already
being eroded by an influx of English-speaking settlers.
Inundated by English
In responce, families such as the Beauchemins, Rouleaus and
Despins clung to their roots. The establish a branch of the St.
Jean Baptiste Society and fought for a francophone parish and
French education for their children. Their efforts allowed the
Mission District to survive as a centre for francophone culture in
Calgary, even as the community dispersed across the city.
Learn More:
Visit Rouleauville Square at 17th Avenue and 1st Street SW to
learn more about the French History in the Mission District.
Twenty-sixth Avenue was originally called Legal Street after
Archbishop Emile-Joseph Legal, a missionary who help document local
Native languages.
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