we tell the stories
of the PEOPLEPLACES, THINGS,
and MOMENTS that make Edmonton our city.

Launched in 2013, the Edmonton City as Museum Project (ECAMP) is an initiative of the Edmonton Heritage Council exploring the history of our city through story.

Writers pose in a line in a brick room, in front of a TV screen with a slide that says ECAMP Writer Orientation

Main Frames, Strikes, and More…

Want to learn about what it was like to build one of Edmonton’s skyscrapers without a safety harness, or the time police shut down an ice cream stand that dared to open on a Sunday? Then you might enjoy the ECAMP stories ahead.

Read More on the Curator/s Blog.

Explore the stories that connect us, the stories that divide us,
and the stories that nurture an appreciation of our differences as Edmontonians.

Featured Story

Waltzing With the Angels:
The Metis Ironworkers Who Built Edmonton’s Downtown

Alvin Finkel | November 5, 2024

A photo of an Tom Daniels, one of the ironworkers featured in Alvin Finkel's story Waltzing with the Angels. Here he is an older man with glasses, sitting in an office.
A photo of an Tom Daniels, one of the ironworkers who worked on Edmonton’s CN Tower.

“When you look at Edmonton you see all these high-rises and tall buildings. It’s good for them to know who was there from the start—and that was us.” – Tom Daniels 

Who built our city’s landscape – and at what cost? In this new ECAMP story, we meet the Metis ironworkers who did some of the most dangerous jobs constructing downtown Edmonton’s skyscrapers in the 1960s and 1970s. 

This article is the kick-off to our series exploring labour history in the city. It’s a harrowing look at the often-unseen work behind buildings like Edmonton’s CN Tower. Workers like Hugh Edgar and Tom Daniels talk about the falling deaths and lack of safety equipment common on construction sites at the time. 

Looking for information on sharing images from our collection?
Check out our info page On Images and Copyright


Collections

Browse our curated collections

ECAMP Stories explore the People, Places, Things, & Moments significant to our city from the perspectives of Edmontonians.

Delve into these curated story collections to discover more about the history of this place.

Special Exhibitions

Explore our curated exhibitions

Explore our three exhibits including Edmonton Living Rooms, Armistice, and Black Presence in Alberta. These exhibitions highlight significant people, places, things, and moments in our city’s history from unique perspectives.

Discover more about Edmonton through these rich, immersive exhibits.

Podcast

Listen to our ECAMP Podcast

Episodes of our past seasons are archived online. Stay tuned for our new season wherever you get your podcasts by subscribing!

Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Amazon Music/Audible

Check out our upcoming in-person and online events
that bring our vibrant history and culture to life!

YEG Trivia Night at Bent Stick Brewing Co.

November 19, 2024, 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Put your Edmonton knowledge to the test! The Edmonton City as Museum Project (ECAMP) presents an evening of local history trivia at Bent Stick Brewing.

Discover the secrets, scandals, and surprising stories hiding in plain sight around our city. Shock your friends with random Edmonton facts for months to come.

Quizmasters: Chris Chang-Yen Phillips from ECAMP and local rogue Kristy Harcourt

Team Size: Up to 4 people per team

Cost: $5 per player

Prizes: Fabulous Edmonton-themed prizes to be won!

GLAD YOU CLOSER HOME /
NEW WHITE WHISKER MARY

September 20 – December 7, 2024

Mary Imrie (1918 – 1988) and Jean Wallbridge (1912 – 1979) operated their architecture firm—the first run by women in Canada—at Six Acres, the home they built for their work and life together overlooking the North Saskatchewan River in west Edmonton.

When Mary Imrie passed away, she bequeathed the records of their remarkable architectural practice and adventurous life, along with their home, to the province of Alberta.

With a title borrowed from a telegram in the collection, GLAD YOU CLOSER HOME / NEW WHITE WHISKER MARY is Cait McKinney and Hazel Meyer’s immersive exhibition that playfully imagines and speculates in the spaces between the correspondence, amateur super-8 recordings, and modernist buildings that Imrie and Wallbridge left behind.

*Artist Talk & Opening Reception, Thursday, September 19