The Drumheller Co-op has passed a landmark of longevity this month as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
The cooperative movement in Alberta dates back more than a century to a time before the formation of the province. There were a number of movements that provided products to residents and agriculturalists for years.
According to Dr. Boris Nahornick, who was the first Drumheller Co-op Board president, the area was served by a co-op grocery store since 1947. It was originally located at the present site of the Valley Plaza.
In the late 1950’s Federated Co-op was getting out of the retail end of the business and wanted to focus on wholesaling. In May of 1962 the Drumheller Co-op held its organizational meeting at the Social Credit Hall. This meeting followed a series of meetings held to gauge the interest in forming a local co-op. It was said if there was not enough interest, Federated Cooperatives would discontinue its present operations of the retail outlet.
The support was there, and the resolution to form a co-op was carried unanimously. The first order of business was finding a name.
Jake Leonhardt made a motion it be called Dinosaur Valley Co-op. Alf Axelsen moved it be called Drumheller Co-op Ltd. Not to be outdone, John Wakaruk amended the motion so it read Drumheller and District Co-op. This amendment however went to vote and was defeated.
Drumheller Co-op Ltd. was formed, and a provisional board was appointed.
This began a drive for membership. The Drumheller Mail reported in its June 30, 1962 edition that 250 people had purchased $1 memberships. Members had also purchased additional shares to ensure adequate share capital, and had raised $2,322. New members as far away as Three Hills and Ghost Pine had joined up, “again indicating the interest in this co-operative community enterprise,” stated The Mail.
By August 15, The Mail announced that Federated Co-op, dealing on behalf of the Drumheller Co-op, reached a deal to purchase Jenkins Grocery on Third Avenue where Reptile World is currently located.
They paid $52,000 for the building, $25,000 for the fixtures, and $25,000 for the land.
The Jenkins store was closed on August 18, on August 20, they did inventory and opened on Tuesday, August 21. Most of the former staff of Jenkins were retained.
Morley Krause, who came to Drumheller in 1964 to work for Co-op explained it wasn’t long until there was a need to expand. In 1965 they opened the service centre beside where ATCO Electric is now located in Drumheller. They also moved the food store to that location while the Jenkins store was demolished to build a new Co-op store. This modern store opened in downtown Drumheller in 1970.
Many have fond memories of the downtown store, including the original Tipple Inn in the basement. They continued to grow however and they began making plans for their next move. The Co-op purchased the Sky-Lite Drive-In Movie Theatre property in 1973 on Highway 10. In 1977, the new Service Centre was constructed which housed the Agro and Home Centre for a price tag of about $2.5 million. The next year Greentree Mall, with a price of $7.5 million, opened.
There were ups and downs for the Co-op along the way. In 1976 they amalgamated with Hanna, and for a time the Stettler store was a part of the Drumheller Co-op. Both of these locations have since closed.
In the early 2000’s Drumheller saw major expansion in the retail sector, and the Co-op was able to renovate and expand its grocery operation in Greentree Mall. Most recently it also merged with the Linden Gas Co-op and has built a new cardlock gas system. This helped bolster the Co-op’s sales this year to $37.8 million.
Equity Days are this week. Drumheller Co-op members can pick up their cheques at Linden Care and Share on May 9 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cheques are also available to members on May 10 and 11 at Greentree Mall. On May 11 they are kicking off their anniversary celebration and serving coffee and cake.
