The great fire is often something you hear about in Lloydminster’s rich history.
To quantify the damage, at the time it was reported that $1 million in damage was done, back in 1929 that was a staggering amount of money. Adjusting for inflation in the modern age would mean over $18 billion of damage was done to the downtown core.
A fire had broken out on Aug. 19, 1929, at the back of the Boyd and Waddell Pool Hall. The fire raged across the business district destroying nearly everything in its path. The wooden buildings didn’t stand a chance against the raging inferno.
There were a reported 53 businesses destroyed with the only building on 50 St. surviving being the brick Royal Bank building. Lloydminster was still split into two towns at this time and it complicated things.
On the Alberta side, things were left mostly untouched as business owners soaked blankets and draped them over the front of their stores. With the limited water they had, they kept the blankets wet while just across the road, the sparks flew, and flames grew larger. On the Sask side, Shortell’s Workshop and the new Town Hall survived.
The community came together, surviving businesses offered victims of the fire space in their buildings to continue operation until something new could be built. The fire also helped push ahead the amalgamation of the two Lloydminsters.
Part of the difficulty of controlling the blaze was the lack of a water supply and the outdated firefighting equipment. The use of brick also increased in buildings, and the Royal Bank stood as a testament to its effectiveness against fires.
Lloydminster came out of the other end of a cataclysmic event stronger and more unified.
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