Category: Public

Alberta Provincial Police Barracks, Coleman, Alberta, 1922.

Alberta Provincial Police barracks, Coleman, Alberta, 1922. The barracks was Constable Stephen Lawson’s home. Bootlegger Emilio Picariello went there to report on his son Stephen’s condition – he […]

Fernie, BC, May, 1899

Fernie, B.C. with the coke ovens in the foreground, May, 1899.

Holy Communion recipients at Holy Family Church, Fernie, BC

Emilio Picariello arrest photo, Alberta Provincial Police, 1922.

He was one of the most successful bootleggers in the Crowsnest Pass, which made him a target of both rivals and police, as did his Italian ancestry.

Alberta Provincial Police officers at the Blairmore, Alberta detachment with liquor seized, early 1920s.

Back row: Constable Coombs, Sergeant Scott and Constable Dey. Front row: Detective Pass and Sergeant Harrison.

Fernie Court House, ca 1915

The “Black Hand Society” cases were held at the Fernie Courthouse with Judge Wilson presiding.  Sherwood Herchmer, a prominent Fernie lawyer, acted as defence counsel.  The case received […]

First Canadian Pacific Railway locomotive in Fernie, BC.

The CPR completed its line through Fernie in 1898.

Fernie, BC in 1899 with Mount Fernie in the background and Canadian Pacific Railway locomotive in front.

As a railway and mining hub, Fernie’s growth outstripped that of other Elk Valley communities.