Between the Wars

During the First World War, the Peace River country continued to develop with the construction of the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway (EDBC). Those who arrived in the Peace country found churches, town halls, schools, banks, blacksmith shops, and stores of all kinds.

The railroad line developed the new communities of Grande Prairie, Wembley, High Prairie, and Spirit River into major centres. Peace River Crossing was renamed Peace River, and it became more important as it was the end of the railroad for a number of years. At the same time, communities that had been bypassed by the railroad like Flying Shot Lake, Saskatoon Lake, Dunvegan, and Grouard saw slower growth.

During the 1920s, wheat prices were very high, but because of the challenges of clearing and breaking the land many homesteaders had not expanded beyond a quarter section of land. The small size of farms in the Peace country meant that many could not produce enough to rely entirely on agriculture. Many families turned to the railroad, logging, or trapping to improve their situations, yet many families still did not have running water, electricity, telephones, or gravel roads.

A second wave of settlers arrived in the Peace River country in the 1930s as many were fleeing the hardship of the drought in the south or loss of jobs because of the Great Depression.

The Peace River country continued to see growth and settlement through the 1920s and the 1930s, as many came to the “Last Best West” to find the hope and success that had eluded them so long.

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