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Calgary Herald

Calgary Stampede's Weadickville riding into sunset

A sleek coffee-coloured house — the prize of winning a lottery — stood behind Stampede's entry gates, drawing scores of people on July 8, all eager to grab a look at what a stroke of luck can offer them. Article content Tucked behind the Stampede Rotary Dream Home, facing the innumerable rides, vendors and raffle stalls and standing in solitude, save for a few teenagers on their cellphones, was a relic representing the city's foundation. Article content Article content Article content A shack constructed from round and roughly hewn logs stood beside another structure with a white exterior made of lumber bearing the initials N.W.M.P. for the North-West Mounted Police. The agency, the predecessor of the RCMP, was the first among European settlers to set up shop in the region, paving the way for the creation of Calgary. Article content The area, now a shell of its former self, is named after Guy Weadick, one of the founders of Stampede. The space, built in the mid-20th century as a replica of the streetscape in 1912 and a callback to the festival's roots, has been a popular spot for Calgarians who would visit the place for its shooting range, ice cream shops, or for solace from the chaos of Stampede. Article content Article content Soon, however, that space will give way to a 13-storey, 320-unit hotel with sweeping views of downtown, 14,000 square feet of food and beverage offerings and a south-facing terrace with a whirlpool tub and activity pool. Article content The project came to life when Calgary Municipal and Land Corporation and Calgary Stampede struck a praetorship with hotelier Truman, which will develop the hotel by 2028. Article content As a result, the former NWMP Morley detachment will be disassembled, stored and reassembled at a later date and in a different location, according to Calgary Stampede CEO Joel Cowley.