Built for Maurice Smeltzer, one of the Salisbury district’s first homesteaders, this handsome Foursquare has stood steadfast since 1920 as surrounding rural farmland shifted to urban streets. Having served as the Smeltzer’s’ family home for more than a half century, “Smeltzer House” lives on as a visual reminder of Strathcona County’s pioneering past.
Family roots – Born in Ontario in 1867, Maurice Smeltzer first ventured west in 1891 to deliver a railcar of draft horses. Arriving on one of the first trains to travel the new Calgary and Edmonton Railway line, he scouted for good farmland while he was here. Maurice returned west the following year with another shipment of horses, and this time he stayed. He paid the $10 fee to apply for the “right of entry” on a quarter section—the homestead land just west of Smeltzer House.
In 1899, Maurice Smeltzer married Eliza Pithie, and the couple lived in the house on the homestead. They had two sons. James, born in 1905, died in infancy; Francis John (Frank) was born in 1907. Early on, Maurice supplemented his farm income working nearby in coal mines and the lumber industry. In time, he turned to full-time farming, winning prizes for hogs, oats and barley.
A new home – In 1920, the Smeltzers moved across the road from the homestead into their new house—what we now call Smeltzer House. The two-storey house has the square profile and pyramidal roof characteristic of the Canadian Foursquare style. The family enjoyed such welcome features as double brick walls (which helped insulate the house), leaded glass windows, a full basement and indoor plumbing. Electricity in the home was generated by a Delco plant until 1944, when the area was connected to Edmonton Power. The original garage was built at the same time as the house. The larger “truck garage” was built in the mid-1950s.
