History of Calgary Trivia Quiz

Answer: David Thompson

David Thompson was an explorer and clerk for the Hudson's Bay Company. He became the first European to visit what is now Calgary in 1787 when he was invited to stay with members of the Blackfoot Confederacy. Unlike other explorers, Thompson was well respected by the First Nations in the area.

They called him Koo-Koo Sint, meaning stargazer in reference to his profession as a cartographer.

Answer: Fort

Fort Calgary, originally named Fort Brisebois, was founded in 1875 and established by the North West Mounted Police. The location was chosen because it was convenient for several reasons. The most important was that it provided an advantage spot to fight the illegal whiskey trade by the Americans.

It was also a prime location to establish a strong friendship and alliance with the many First Nations tribes who lived in the area. The fort also was along the proposed route for the Canadian Pacific Railway and once the whiskey trade ceased, it became a barracks for police and railway workers.

Answer: Flour and feed store

The fire occurred on November 7, 1886 at the Parish and Son flour and feed store. Because many of Calgary's buildings were made of wood, over a dozen buildings were destroyed or purposely knocked down to slow the spread. There were no reported injuries or death caused by the fire.

There is no documented evidence to suggest how the fire started, although arson by an unknown person was the predominant theory at the time. Because of the fire, many of Calgary's buildings had to be reconstructed. They were made from sandstone and Calgary was thus nicknamed Sandstone City.

Answer: Cattle

After this area's part of the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed, the Canadian Government offered ranching land nearby for cheap to get people to settle in the area. People came from all over the world to settle Calgary. Ranching and agriculture quickly became the dominant industry.

The law that allowed the government to sell the land so cheap was called the Dominion Lands Act, similar to the Homestead Act in the United States.

Answer: Calgary Stampede

Guy Weadick was an American cowboy who hosted rodeo shows all across North America. In 1912, he and several others hosted a small rodeo stampede that later developed into the world famous Calgary Stampede. The Calgary Stampede was not hosted again until 1919 in honor of World War I veterans and became a permanent yearly event in 1923.

At the time of its founding, it was one of the few events that allowed participation by First Nations people. Nowadays, the Calgary Stampede is a ten-day event that attracts about a million people.

The Calgary Stampede gave the city its nicknames of "Stampede City" and "Cowtown". The Stampede is called the "Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth".

Answer: Turner Valley

Turner Valley is located just south of Calgary. When oil was discovered there in 1914, it quickly became a viable industry. Although agriculture was still large, much of the city's focus shifted to oil and energy production. With the dawning of both World Wars, Calgary was seen as a very important city for Canada and its allies. Over 95% of the oil production in Canada came from this area by the 1940s. Over the decades following the first discovery, more and more oil deposits were discovered across Alberta which only added to the economic success of the city.

Answer: 1973

In 1973, OAPEC the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries instituted an embargo on oil against several countries because of their support for Israel. The price of petroleum skyrocketed and Calgary benefited economically as it was one of the largest oil producing areas outside of the Arab World.

The embargo brought about a renewal of sorts to the city. The population nearly doubled in twenty years and many of the city's most famous skyscrapers were built or planned during this time. Once the embargo subsided, however, the economy collapsed in the city since oil prices also fell.

Answer: True

The 1988 Winter Olympics were considered a success for many reasons. Internationally, it revived the Winter Olympics popularity which had been declined considerably for many years. The Winter Games were seen as inferior to their Summer counterparts and the IOC struggled to find host cities for it. Domestically, it debuted Canada as a winter sports hotspot despite the fact that Canada failed to win a gold medal. But new facilities and arenas were built and Canada was seen as having redeemed itself for the poor reputation the Montreal Summer Games received in 1976. Many of the Winter Games' most popular sports debuted as exhibition games at these games, including the very Canadian sport of curling.

For Calgary, the Games served as one of the first times the city was able to show itself off internationally. Prior to the Games, Calgary was seen internationally as a boring city mainly focused on agriculture and petroleum but the 1988 Winter Olympics shifted its reputation.

Answer: Laid out guidelines for constitutional changes

Canadian was in the midst of a constitutional crises that had been active, to some extent, since its independence but things heated up in the 1980s. Two previous attempts to solve the issues failed until the Calgary Declaration in 1997. The main issues decided at the Calgary Declaration was the status of Quebec. Quebec had been pushing for a status of "distinct society".

While this was not achieved, Quebec's uniqueness was recognized and any special powers dedicated to Quebec had be offered to all the provinces. Notably, the Calgary Declaration also affirmed a series of equal rights for all people and explicitly mentioned Canada's First Nations who had long been excluded from this area.

Answer: G8 Summit

The J26 Protests took place in Calgary on June 26, 2002. Protesters opposed the globalization primarily but environmentalism and human rights supporters also marched. The Group of 8 (Eight leaders representing the world's largest economies) were meeting in the nearby village of Kananaskis when the protests occurred. Overall the protests achieved very little other than gaining attention to the various causes represented. Since this protest, the G8 and its successors have seen larger protests in opposition to the conference.