14

The CPR tries to remove a rail crossing they approved two years earlier.
May, 1907
Olds NWT Canada

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Battle of Olds:
According to a History of Olds:
With CPR permission the town had constructed a second railway crossing at 49th St. that cost the town $500.00. A considerable sum in those days. The benefit was this allowed a town crossing without great delays as the trains were standing in the station for long periods of time.
Despite protests from the town the CPR decided some 3 years later to abolish the 49th street crossing. The people of Olds were firm in their intention to prevent this happening. In May 1907 section men arrived from Red Deer at night. This attempt was foiled.
June 3rd. Mayor Dean (also the Justice of Peace) was alerted … that a train had left Calgary bound for Olds with cars of gravel, fifty workmen, several CPR detectives and 12 Mounted Police with carbines.
According to Dean:
" After consultation with my councilman, we decided to fight their action and swore in about 20 special constables to prevent disorder. Word was passed up and down the line that trouble was approaching and soon four or five hundred people gathered to witness the trouble, which was sure to come. At that time Olds had a large number of American settlers, these carried revolvers in the approved western style and several showed up armed with shotguns. They were a mood to defend what they thought were their just rights as townspeople engaged in the promotion of their towns best interests.
"Accompanied by the councilors, I met the train at Olds on its arrival at noon. Supt. Niblock informed us he would lose his position with the company if the crossing was not closed at once. We, in turn, pointed out that the Company had given us permission to build this crossing and it was our intention to fight to the last ditch to preserve what we felt was a part of the property of the people of Olds.
"I had served nine years in the Mounted Police and a number of the men accompanying Inspector Duffus were old friends and after an exchange of greeting with the men, we adjourned for lunch. We felt nothing would transpire of a serious nature during the noon hour and that the crowd might disperse in the meantime. Hardly had we been seated in the local hotel dining room before one of the townspeople ran in with the news that the battle had started and a fight was raging between the citizens of the town and the Italian workmen who arrive on the work train. The dinner broke up with haste and we hurried to the scene of the battle which had rapidly spread by this time. Supt. Niblock, with his tall, stovepipe hat and long tailed coat was in the thick of it. Two of our special constables were attempting to arrest him for trespass and the battle was raging in several places. The workmen were wielding pick handles and shovels, with considerable effect.
" Inspector Duffus arrived with his squad of mounted Police and read the Riot Act. This was followed by an order from him for the townspeople to disperse or he would give an order to shoot. The situation was place squarely before me, and as mayor of the town I was asked by my adherents what they were to do. I realized only to well that a more serious situation would arise if we did not vacate the right-of-way. The blood of honest but fully aroused citizens would be on my hands if Inspector Duffus' orders were not obeyed. I gave the order to leave the right-of-way and the police and railway employees were left to guard the scene.
During the melee the police had arrested most of our town councilmen as well as a number of the town merchants for taking part in the fight. We, in turn, with the aid of our special constables, had arrested two or three of the railway detectives and several workmen and held them in an empty room above the machine shop which I operated. The situation had arrived at a stalemate. Inspector Duffus and myself after some hot words between us, decided to release each other's prisoners on the condition that we would abandon the fight. The first round in the battle of Olds was over and the townspeople were dejected onlookers as the crossing approaches were torn up and our rail crossing, which had been of such value to us in our daily commerce, was closed up for good."

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Mayor Billy Dean leaves Olds on completiton of his term of office for B.C.