The Calgary Stampede has long been a part of Calgary history. In recognition of this year’s event, for 10 days a week (between June 30 and July 15), we’re sharing featured archive photos and highlights from the first 10 decades of Earth’s greatest outdoor spectacle. This installment: The stampede in the 1950s.
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The then-Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, along with Calgary Stampede Chairman JB Cross and Mayor Don Mackay (seated), during a rodeo demonstration in Calgary in 1951. Calgary Herald Archives.
Calgary was booming in the 1950s, and Stampede benefited from surplus cash. Bigger is better seemed to be the motto and old country roots began to give way to Hollywood glamour.
1950: The Stampede Corral opened in December. The best facility of its kind in the West, it became the home ice of the Calgary Stampeders Hockey Club.
1950: Casey Tibbs wins the Saddle Bronc and Bareback titles.
1951: The Stampede hosted a special Royal Winter Stampede for Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip in October during a visit here.
1952: Guy Weadick was a guest of honor to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Stampede. Weadick officiated at the closing ceremony, ending many years of breaking up with Stampede.
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1953: Guy Weadick died in 1953 and was buried in the High River.
1954: Six acres between the eastern boundary of Stampede Park and the Elbow River were added to the lease. The total land area of Stampede Park was then 45 hectares.
1954: The Sonja Henie Ice Revue performed at the Corral during the Stampede.
1954: Evelyn Eagle Speaker became the first Indigenous Stampede Queen.
1956: The selection of a special honorary parade marshal became an annual event.
1956: A Mexican town appeared in Stampede. It’s included entertainers, master craftsmen, and authentic Mexican food and merchandise.
1958: A special Calgary Royal Stampede for Princess Margaret was held on July 29.
1959: The Big Four Building officially opened. In addition to its function as an exhibition building, it also housed 48 ice sheets during the winter, making it the largest curling facility in the world.
— Timeline compiled by Karen Crosby, Norma Marr, and Aimee Benoit.
The first Stampede Dream Home, located in the Mayfair community and valued at $35,000, was built in 1958. In the image, Stampede board officials take possession of the house that was to be given away in a drawing during the week of Stampede. Calgary Herald Archives. A look inside the first Stampede Dream Home. Calgary Herald Archives. Evelyn Eagle Speaker, the 1954 Stampede Queen, is pictured arriving in Los Angeles to begin a goodwill tour of Hollywood. After a frantic week of studio tours and personal appearances, she headed to Las Vegas, Nevada, as part of her 18-day trip. Calgary Herald Archives. Three women visit the Stampede grounds as the annual event prepares to begin in 1956. Calgary Herald Archives. The Calgary Stampede got a new gate in 1953; This image is a reproduction of a postcard. The stockade gate cost $35,000 and was designed by Stevenson, Cawston and Dewar of Calgary. Calgary Herald Archives postcard photo, courtesy of the Calgary Public Library. Stampede’s Second Dream Home: This is the $30,000 house that was given away at the end of the 1959 Calgary Stampede. LE Wade, president of Wade Construction Ltd., the company that built the six-bedroom bungalow, is shown in front of the house on the Stampede exhibit site. The Junior Chamber of Commerce handled ticket sales. Calgary Herald Archives. The ultra-modern $30,000 Stampede Dream Home kitchen from 1959. Calgary Herald Archives. The lavish dining room of the 1959 Stampede Dream Home. Calgary Herald Archives. The fully stocked lair was another feature of the 1959 House of Dreams. Calgary Herald Archives.Herald file phogo Herald photographer Harry Befus won the National Newspaper Award for the second time in 1952 with his Feature Photography win, with this photo from the 1952 Calgary Stampede Bronco race. Calgary Herald Archives. Riders on the then new centrifugal ride in the middle of the 1958 Stampede. Calgary Herald Archives. This July 12, 1956 photo shows four entertainment stars of the day: Ferlin Husky, Myrna Lorrie, Hank Thompson and “Grandpa” Jones of the famous Grand Ole Opry, who performed at the Calgary Stampede Cowboy Jamboree in 1956. Calgary Herald Archives.
