ATHABASCA — The buildup of ice and snow, dotted with dirt and packed down by months of boot imprints, along the stretch of sidewalk between the Husky gas station and Athabasca’s biggest intersection bears resemblance to the grey-white blanket of ash that coated the same sidewalk six months ago.
The July 23 burning of the Grand Union Hotel is an event ingrained into the memories of many who stood at various vantage points along Hwy 55 and the Riverfront Park to watch the blaze, as well as those who heard or saw the news second-hand.
But equally as prevalent in the minds of Athabascans as memories of the historic hotel’s demise are recollections of family meals in the old restaurant, must-see live entertainment in the bar, and even fateful romantic introductions over the years.
In short, the Union is remembered by many as ‘the place to be’.
As part of an ongoing series, the Athabasca Advocate has invited anyone with memories, stories, and photos from their time spent in the Union to reach out, and long-time resident Sandy Krawec was eager for an opportunity to reminisce by way of the written word.
“They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I suppose that is true. Coming from a British background, I saw the beauty in that iconic building,” Krawec wrote.
“My husband John and I spent our wedding night at the Union on Aug. 5, 1961 in room 212 if I remember right. Later, when we would come to town to shop, we would take the children and go have lunch or just ice cream. I remember the U-shaped counter and the stools that everyone’s children liked to sit on and twirl.”
Also engrained in Krawec’s memory is the sight of the big buffalo head that adorned the space above the doorway to the dining room. She also remembers the “Men Only” placards hanging above the bar entrance, a sign of the times from the hotel’s earlier years, and recalls their eventual removal.
“In 1975, when Alberta Gas Trunkline (now TC Energy) built their office in Athabasca, we had our Christmas party in the Buffalo Room downstairs. Emile Kryvenchuk’s orchestra played for the dance. He was hired to play until 2 a.m. but the party was so much fun, the guys dug into their pockets and Emile played until 3 a.m. What a night that was!”
Generations at the Grand Union
Father and daughter duo Bob and Melissa Salamon both have their fair share of stories from within brick walls that now lay in a scattered heap, collected over the years of employment and personal enjoyment.
“When I worked there, it was the only place in town to go — I met my wife there,” said Bob. “Our slogan for the hotel back then was ‘where good friends meet,’ and that carried on for a long, long time.”
Bob recalls being casually employed at the bar in the mid-70’s, bouncing between oil field, trades work, and the Union. Between the live music and entertainment every weekend and bar brawls requiring uniformed intervention, he has more stories than he can count, but said his favourite has to be the meet-cute with his would-be-wife.
“Her mother introduced us, she worked there in housekeeping. We were having coffee one morning and Audrey came in to see her mom, and she introduced us and we started going out. Next thing we know, we’re tying the knot.” said Bob.
Living in the hotel at the time, Bob said the fast-paced romance wasn’t as subtle as the pair had hoped. Audrey’s uniquely small feet were found to be a perfect match for footprints found on the fire escape attached to the exterior wall, a clue her mom did not miss.
After taking a short break in their relationship for fear of moving too fast, Bob said he and Audrey eventually allowed their connection to take the reins, and the pair got married in 1978.
For Melissa, her fondest memories from the Union also involve family: “Being able to take my grandma and have a drink with my grandma at the Union years later,” she said. “I used to take her down from Pleasant Valley and go have a drink and B.S. with everyone,” she recalled with a chuckle.
“And my mom, I spent a lot of time at a lot of shows with my mom. Her and I would go to every show there was — every show, especially if there was male strippers or female or whatever. Yeah, her and I, front row every time.”
And the Union continued to be a staple for the Salamon family throughout the years. Melissa, like her dad, spent time employed at the bar, and noted her own daughter, Emmalynne, met members of her extended family within the Union’s walls at less than two weeks old.
“They made me bring her into the bar and told me to put her up on the bar, so I did and everybody said ‘hi’ to her,” said Melissa. “A lot of interactions for her and her family were at the Union. Her great grandpa was always there, and her great great grandpa worked there,” added both Bob and Melissa.
While family memories mean the most to the pair, they both recalled ghost stories and odd happenings in the basement late at night, restrictions on taking photographs for fear of a wife seeing her husband out on the town with someone else, and even bar fights that resulted in the loss of minor limbs.
“Everybody knew everybody, and everybody was friends — don’t get me wrong, we did have some issues,” said Bob. “I watched a guy bite one of the RCMP’s fingers right off when they were trying to load him in the car.”
Stories of old
Lorraine Menzies, granddaughter of early 20th century settlers to the Athabasca area, dug deep into her family lore to for stories that date back to the construction of the brick and mortar iteration of the hotel.
“My grandfather, John Schulte, arrived in Athabasca in 1911 with his bride, Helena,” Menzies wrote. “Since he was a baker and used to mixing dough, and the hotel was being built, he got a job mixing concrete and eventually mortar.”
“One day, he noticed his wedding ring was missing. It is still somewhere in either the foundation or mortar of the hotel. If anyone finds it, I would appreciate knowing.”
According to stories passed down from John and Lorraine’s father, Randy Schulte, John’s weekly routine included building a raft on the riverbank to transport groceries back to an isolated home in the river hills, and decades later, Randy delivered dairy products by horse drawn wagon to businesses in town from what is now Cornwall.
Menzies penned an anecdote recalling a winter evening long ago when the Union hotel requested a can of cream from the Schulte’s, cans which then measured two feet tall and weighed between 25 and 30 pounds.
“My dad, a teenager, volunteered to deliver the cream by bobsled since it was winter,” wrote Menzies. One Mrs. Schinkinger, originally from Bavaria, offered to join for a chance to relive old thrills, and get back to her home across from the hotel quickly.
Travelling a different road than is present now, the pair, their sled, and the cream slid down the East Hill, barrelling straight towards the Union Hotel.
“As they picked up speed, she screamed all the way down, and with the extra weight, they overshot the hotel. She dusted herself off and marched home. Dad delivered the cream in record time and faced a long walk home smiling.”
Looking ahead
Now, six months after the brick walls that housed countless memories, from the mundane, everyday routines of employees to the stand-out stories still shared between friends, were forced to the ground by an excavator bucket, many locals have their own opinions on how the legacy of the Union should be preserved.
Although the 100-year-old hotel was not a registered historic site, many Athabascans, including Krawec, were melancholy that more wasn’t done to preserve the building itself.
“It is sad that more of the recent owners did not renovate or restore some of the architecture,” wrote Krawec.
“I hope that it would be possible to salvage some of the red bricks and create a memorial or something to remind residents of the rich history of our ‘Land of the Whispering Hiils.’ Europe preserves history, why can’t we?”
Bob and Melissa expressed hope that the community staple they remember will not be lost forever.
“It’s always made a comeback,” said Melissa. “I would like to see it built back up, in a different way — a fresher, newer kind of thing,” they both added.
If you have memories, stories, or photos to share from your or loved ones time at the Grand Union Hotel, please contact reporter Lexi Freehill at [email protected] or (780)-609-9204.
