Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
General material designation
- Textual record
- Graphic material - photograph
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title based on name of creator.
Level of description
Repository
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
1926-1974, predominant 1955-1963 (Creation)
- Creator
- City of Edmonton. Edmonton Municipal Airport
Physical description area
Physical description
2.5 m of textual records. - 2 photographs
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Administrative history
On June 16, 1926 Edmonton's airport become the first licensed municipal airport in Canada. Upon its establishment the airport was the responsibility of the Engineer's Department. A short-lived and ill-fated experiment occurred in 1927 when the City leased the land to farmer Mary Watt, who was expected to clear the brush, graze animals and raise hay on the land while maintaining it as an air field. When this project failed the Engineering Department retook control of the airfield.
In 1929 the newly incorporated Edmonton and Northern Alberta Aero Club was given responsibility for the airport. A Council Report that year recommended that since the airport was owned by the City a municipal official should be placed in charge. As a result, the Finance Committee appointed James "Jimmy" Bell airport manager on February 5, 1930. A former WWI bomber pilot and active member of the Aero Club, Bell would be a fixture at the airport until his retirement in 1962. For the first few years Bell was responsible for maintaining the hangar and field, while the Aero Club continued the field operations. Airport construction was done by staff of the Engineer's Department.
In 1940, as a result of the airfield's important role in the war effort, the Federal Government took over operations of the Edmonton Municipal Airport. This lasted until November 1, 1946, at which point control of the airport was transferred back to the Engineer's Department.
In 1947 James Bell became Superintendent of the Airport, presumably making the airport a separate department. This is confirmed by the functional organizational charts of the 1950s and 1960s. During the 1950s and 1960s the airport superintendent supervised all construction, maintenance and operational activity associated with the airport. He supervised a staff of around twenty, which included clerks, maintenance workers, fieldmen, watchmen, electricians, and janitors.
In 1965 the Edmonton Municipal Airport returned to the control of the Engineer's Department for budgetary reasons, however this was short-lived, and on December 29, 1967 the airport became independent once more when a Bylaw to regulate the operation of the Edmonton Industrial Airport (No. 3092) was passed.
In 1971, as part of a departmental reorganization, the responsibility for the airport was given to the newly formed Engineering and Transportation Department.
On April 1, 1996 the Edmonton Municipal Airport was transferred to the Edmonton Regional Airports Authority under a 56 year lease.
Custodial history
Scope and content
The fonds consist of meeting minutes, agreements, financial records, personnel records, correspondence, and other material generated through the business conducted at the Municipal Airport.
An order has been imposed on the material. The arrangement includes three series.
- Series 1 – Administration
- Series 2 – Correspondence
- Series 3 – Airport Tenants
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
This material was transferred from City Hall and the Municipal Airport to the City of Edmonton Archives between 1961 and 1992.
Arrangement
The material was arranged according to the filing system of the creator.
The photographs were assigned item numbers with the prefix EA-681.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
These records contain information that is protected in alignment with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Copyright may apply.
Reproduction restrictions may apply.
Finding aids
Associated materials
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
General note
Accession numbers: A61-158; A70-73; A92-102
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Control area
Description record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules or conventions
Rules for Archival Description (RAD)
Archives Society of Alberta Subject Terms