The thought of a garbage dump operating in the middle of Edmonton’s river valley may be unthinkable today, but a little under 100 years ago, there indeed was one, along with a community of people living there.
The Grierson Dump was located on the north bank of the river, east of the Hotel Macdonald, around where the Edmonton Convention Centre and Louise McKinney Park are today.
One of the first dumps in the city, the site was being used as early as 1894. Paper, scrap wood and metal, broken glass, grass cuttings, manure, tin cans, and old clothes all ended up there. Its convenient location near downtown made it an easy place to dump waste.
But over time, that convenience came with growing complaints about the smell, declining property values, and potential public health risks, particularly for children who played in and around the site. By 1912, nearby residents were circulating petitions calling for the dump to go.
Still, the dump remained, and by the 1930s, a community of men had made their homes there.
The Great Depression brought widespread hardship, as a massive economic downturn, low wheat prices, and drought left thousands out of work. Without unemployment insurance or many of the social supports available today, people were left destitute. Jobless men rode the rails looking for work, went on relief, or were sent to government work camps.
The residents at Grierson Dump came from a variety of backgrounds. Many were immigrants, while others were born in or around Edmonton. Most were single men, though records from 1935 mention a common-law wife, and two Métis families were recorded as living there in 1937.
City of Edmonton Archives
Some residents received relief payments, while others supported themselves through seasonal employment, such as helping with the harvest. Others scavenged at the dump for mechanical parts, scrap metal, or used bottles that could be cleaned and sold. Some repurposed discarded objects into handicrafts, including flower pots and wicker baskets.
Homes were built from whatever materials residents could find, including paper, cardboard, wire, tin, sheet metal, and boards. Coal oil lamps provided light, heat came from coal dug out of the hillside, and water was either drawn from the river and boiled or taken from a community tap.
Most homes consisted of a single room filled with found or homemade furniture. Only a few had stoves. As time went on, homes were even bought and sold within the community.
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The City first formally acknowledged the community in 1932, when Medical Health Officer Dr. R. B. Jenkins raised concerns with City Commissioners about residents using river water that was likely contaminated by sewage from a considerable part of South Edmonton.
City of Edmonton Archives
By the summer of 1933, concerns about disease had grown after a second case of typhoid fever was discovered in the camp. A police investigation found conditions ranging from neat, clean homes to others in considerably worse shape. Chief Constable A. G. Shute recommended finding housing for the men and relocating them as soon as possible.
Despite these concerns, residents remained for several more years. After a particularly damning inspection in April 1937, the City began taking steps to evict them. The eviction was postponed until after the harvest following a petition signed by 42 Grierson Dump residents.
After a lengthy process, the eviction notice was signed on April 19, 1938, giving everyone until May 16 to vacate the land. Despite another request for an extension, the decision was final.
When the community had been cleared, the homes were destroyed.