Visiting the Card Pioneer Home, Cardston, Alberta: Log Cabin of the 19th Century Founder of Cardston

The Card Home, a log cabin, built in 1887 as his the residence of Charles Ora Card (1839-1906) and his family, is depicted in the above photo, dating from 1889. It is located in Cardston, Alberta which was previously called Lee's Creek encampment.

This log cabin still stands, and in Alberta has the status of a Registered Provincial Historic Site.

Facing the Card Log Cabin, on an adjacent wall, is a mural painting depicting life in pioneer settler days (1).

As leader of the LDS settlement in what was then the North West Territories, Charles Ora Card was in contact with Prime Minister of Canada Sir John A. Macdonald; they notably disagreed on the subject of plural marriage or polygamy, but Charles Ora Card gained the respect of his Dominion interlocutors and became a land agent for the Canadian government.

He was also heavily involved in irrigation projects in the North West Territories.

The log cabin at Cardston, which also served as a lodging place for visitors to Cardson before the first local hotel was built, was sometimes referred to as 'Mother Canton's Flannel Place', which was a reference to the wallpaper material made and used by Charles Ora Card's wife Zina Presendia Young Williams Card (1850-1931).

Zina Presendia Young Williams Card, daughter of Brigham Young, was known as a strong orator, excelling her husband in that exercise. She was very active in various educational causes and served on the faculty of Brigham Young Academy (as it was then known; see photo, below) and later as Trustee of Brigham Young University. She travelled widely: to the Eastern United States, meeting President Rutherford Hayes and First Lady Lucy Hayes, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and would strongly argue for plural marriage and women's suffrage. In later life she engaged in extensive worldwide travel.

The Card Home is located at 337 Main Street, Cardston, Alberta.

March 25, 2020

Notes

(1) See also: http://www.cardstonhistoricalsociety.org/card_home.htm This resource contains extensive, colour photos of the Card Home.

Some sourcing: Wikipedia

Cardston, Alberta has interesting museums: the Remington Carriage Museum, the Courthouse Museum and the Card Pioneer Home; a building by which the town is dominated is the LDS Temple, which, though not open to the public, has a visitor centre.

The lakeside hamlet of Waterton, Alberta (distance: 45.9) within Waterton Lakes National Park attracts many visitors, including numerous hikers; attractions include the berth for boat trips on Waterton Lake, overlooked by the majestic Prince of Wales Hotel; the Cameron Falls on Evergreen Avenue, and a Heritage Centre at 117 Waterton Avenue.

St Mary, Montana, USA (distance: 55.4 kilometres / 34.4 miles) has a Visitor Center at the entrance to Glacier Park, and outstanding mountain views and of St. Mary Lake.

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How to get there: Air Canada, flies to Lethbridge Airport (distance from Lethbridge Airport to Cardston: 70.2 kilometers), via Calgary, with wide North American and other connections, from where car rental is available; some visitors may prefer to make the road journey to Cardston directly from Calgary International Airport (distance from Calgary International Airport to Cardston: 246.2 kilometers). Some facilities may be withdrawn without notice. For up to date information, please check with the airline or your travel agent. Please refer to appropriate consular sources for any special border crossing arrangements which may apply to citizens of certain nationalities.

MJFenn is an independent travel writer based in Ontario, Canada.