How a bison head helped change the Pioneers Cabin into the Bison Lodge

The Northern Alberta Pioneers and Descendants Association has changed the name of the iconic Pioneers Cabin on 99 Street NW to the Bison Lodge.

"We're broadening our scope to truly include Northern Alberta, and (to) create a more open and more philanthropic cause that goes beyond our membership," Mike Alexander, the executive director of both the "purposeful social club" and the lodge, told Taproot.

Alexander became executive director in October and was handed a list of priorities from the association's board. Number one on the board's list was "to investigate truth and reconciliation," Alexander said. Another list-topping item was to consider a name change for the Pioneers Cabin, which was built in 1959.

He began his work by establishing a relationship with Lewis Cardinal, a communicator and educator who is Woodland Cree from the Sucker Creek Cree First Nation. Cardinal was also the project manager for kihciy askiy-Sacred Land ceremonial site among the many hats he wears in Edmonton.

The relationship blossomed from a conversation about a bison head that Parks Canada gifted the association many years ago, and whether the association should give it to an Indigenous group.

"You've had it since 1920 or 1930, it's as much your history as it is ours," Alexander recalled Cardinal saying. "The bison was really important for pioneers and the Indigenous community."

The bison idea grew from there. Cardinal pointed out that at one time, bison crossed the plains, traversed the Mill Creek Ravine, and would be visible from where the lodge now stands. He told Taproot that the bison head sparked a conversation.

"We were talking about the issue of the name Pioneers Cabin and some of the colonial baggage that comes along with that," Cardinal said. "Not to discount the pioneers' experience by any means. They have their own story, and it should be honoured. But I said, 'Have you considered changing the name? I think the bison is kind of pointing us in that direction.'"

The Pioneers Cabin name was adopted in 2020. Before then, the cabin was known as the Old Timers Cabin.

Alexander said one of his main priorities is to communicate that people of all backgrounds are welcome and encouraged to engage with his organization, which was founded in 1894 for pioneers and business people to socialize. He said part of this new chapter is hosting different cultural nights for specific communities where dance and other cultural expressions come into focus.

"The key is to expose people to cultures that they're not necessarily completely familiar within a safe space where they know they're allowed to (participate) because they're being taught that by the community," Alexander said.

Another way Alexander said he hopes to broaden the association's reach is by working more closely with Indigenous peoples. The association now has an advisory committee of elders. Alexander said it plans to host culturally specific events like sober dances for Indigenous youth.

But Alexander is cautious not to organize things that aren't appropriate for him to be involved in.

"One of the things the elders mentioned is that young teens and young adults don't have spaces to go have cultural social events where they're safe — both physically and culturally safe," Alexander said. "We're advocates for all cultures and all human rights, but we shouldn't overstep into taking on ceremonial roles ourselves."

Alexander said he's not aware of any colonial activities performed by his organization as a whole. Still, Frank Oliver, a central founder of the organization, has a well-known legacy of colonial oppression in Edmonton and Canada that Alexander is working to face head-on.

Oliver, who was a newspaper publisher before becoming minister of the interior and superintendent-general of Indian affairs, systemically harmed Indigenous and other racialized people in his various political posts.

This history has recently been part of renaming activities in Edmonton. It's why the central neighbourhood that used to bear Oliver's name is now Wîhkwêntôwin.

Alexander said he can't be sure, but thinks that Oliver's role in the federal government might be how the lodge got its bison head.

"This was discussed with our Indigenous elders council and their feedback was that they don't want history to be erased — they want history to be told," Alexander said. "We're not removing Frank Oliver's picture from our walls, but we are working to curate a more holistic history within the cabin to talk about things like the Indigenous efforts that allowed pioneers to survive."

Alexander had another major challenge beyond community engagement. The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the association's finances and he needed to whip them into shape. By increasing event rentals, cutting costs, and scoring a new liquor licence, the association is back in the black and able to program the events that Alexander believes will build a sense of belonging and understanding. The next one is Latin SBKZ Night on Oct. 19. The program includes dance lessons, DJs, performances, and food.

The Northern Alberta Pioneers and Descendants Association registered in 1894 as The Edmonton Old Timers Association, but Alexander said there's a membership pin that dates back to 1849 in the association's archives. The organization was renamed the Northern Alberta Pioneers and Old Timers Association in 1925 before adopting its current name in 1983. The cabin now located on 99 Street NW was built by a homebuilder named Hobart Dowler in Pigeon Lake in 1959. Dowler then disassembled the cabin, transported it into Edmonton, and reassembled it. Its original name was the Old Timers Cabin. That name was changed in 2020 to the Pioneers Cabin before changing in July to the Bison Lodge.

Correction: This story has been updated to add additional information about the builder of the original cabin, Hobart Dowler.