Business History of Alberta

Henry C. Klassen taught history for many years at the University of Calgary. His academic pursuits centred around the study of Canadian business and financial history. His book, A Business History of Alberta, was shortlisted for the Scholarly Book of the Year at the 2000 Alberta Book Awards.

• PrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroductionMap of Alberta Part One: Alberta Business Foundations1. The Road to EdmontonNorthern Italian MerchantsFrench Mercantilism, Canadian Business, and French CanadaBritish Mercantilism, Canadian Business, and British CanadaEarly Growth of Edmonton HouseNorth West Company and the Rise of Fort AugustusHudson's Bay Company and the Development of Edmonton House2. Business in Territorial AlbertaPolitical SettingEconomic Setting Territorial Enterprises. as Small Family Business The General Merchant John A. McDougall: A General Merchant The Manufacturer David Suitor: An Iron Founder Service Business Cowdry Brothers: A Private Banking Firm Ranching Business A.E. Cross: A Cattle Rancher Farming Business Thomas Hoskin: A Farmer Close of the Territorial PeriodPart Two: Business Development in the New Province 3. Expansion of Alberta Business Developing the Tradition of Government-Business Relations Alexander Rutherford and Alberta Business R.B. Bennett and Alberta Business Conflict Between Bennett and Rutherford Legacy of Rutherford and Bettet Generation Economic Growth Developing the Transportation Network Railways Roads Age of the Car and Truck Communications Agricultural Development Charles S. Noble, The Nobel Blade Cultivator, and Farming Maturing of Alberta Industry Pat Burns, Cattle, and Meat Packing John Gainer and Meat Packing 4. Specialization in Alberta Business Urban Growth and Specialization in Business Specialization in Commerce Hardware Business Ross Bros. Hardware George L. Chesney Hardware High River Hardware Company Drugstores Dunlap Drug Company Stokes Drug Company Jewellery Stores Alexander B. Mitchell: Jeweller Godley's Jewellery Specialization in Manufacturing Thomas Hutchinson: Harness and Saddle Manufacturer Robert J. Welsh: Harness Manufacturer Herbert J. Sisson: Brick Manufacturer Specialization in the Service Business Conduct of Business by the 19402 Business Attitudes Alberta's Changing business SystemPart Three: Mergence of Big Business in Alberta5. Big Business in AlbertaRailways: The First Big BusinessCanadian Pacific Railway: A Pioneer in Big Business Spread of Big Business in Alberta Robert J. Hutchings and Great West Saddlery Big Business in the Alberta Meat Industry Mass Distribution Johnstone Walker: A Department Store Jenkin's Groceteria: A Chain Store Canada Safeway and Mass Retail in Alberta Mass Production Imperial Oil and Mass Production Frederick C. Mannix and the Rise of Big Business Restructuring the Business Firm in Alberta Persistence of Small Businesses in Alberta Alberta's New Business System 6. Government and Business in AlbertaGovernment Promotion and Regulation of RailwaysTariff and Federal RegulationLabour and Business RegulationRegulation and the Anticombines MovementBanking RegulationFarmers and the Canadian Wheat BoardGovernment Promotion an the Regulation of Oil and Natural Gas BusinessesNatural Gas BusinessesA Changing Political Economy7. Diversified, Decentralized Businesses in AlbertaChanges in the Alberta Business SystemATCO IndustriesForemost Industries and Decentralized Management Standen's and DiversificationCanbera Foods: A Diversified Company Growing Importance of Alberta Multinationals Large Diversified Alberta Firms in Politics Part Four: Recent Trends in Alberta Business8. Small Businesses in the Maturing Alberta EconomySmall Business in ManufacturingSmall Business in Sales and ServiceSmall Business in Farming and RanchingWomen in Small Business and ManagementGovernment Policies for Small Business9. Challenges to Alberta Business at Home and AbroadAlberta Business in the New World OrderRegulation: Canadian Politics and Economic Uncertainty in AlbertaDeregulating the Oil and Gas IndustryGrowth Through Free TradeBig Business and New OpportunitiesRestructuring Alberta BusinessSmall Business and Fresh OpportunitiesGrowth of FranchisingNew Regulation: Environment Problems Alberta Firms' Overseas ExpansionAlberta Business at the Close of the Century Bibliography

Within his own unified frame of reference, Klassen has woven together political, economic, commercial, demographic, and social threads to explain how business operations evolved in the province. In showing us the enduring roots of Alberta's self-advertised entrepreneurial psyche, he has legitimized a long-standing popular perception. That he has done so by bringing to life dozens of forgotten individuals is an achievement all historians should appreciate. Max Foran, Great Plains Quarterly