Many Faces, One Heart
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(various
details)
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by Tim Heimdal, Grande Prairie
(145.1 m2)
Stony Plain celebrates its multicultural background with its
people coming from many national origins. Indeed, a major
attraction of the town is its Multicultural Heritage Centre. This
enormous mural on the back of the town hall faces a park
dedicated to Stony Plain's "twin" community of Shikaoi
in Hokkaido, Japan. Some of the many faces of Stony Plain's one
heart in this mural are: (top left) Andrew Anderson, (b. 1880) of
Sweden, an artist; Alexis Wabamun (Kees-kee-chee-chi), a Stoney
Indian Chief who lived 111 years; (top right) Philipine
Strassburger, of Germany, who with her husband was known for
their produce and livestock; Ross Newell, a blind fiddler, who
came from Iowa in 1899 at the age of 54; (bottom left) Julia (Kotcherofsky)
Kulak came from a Ukrainian/Russian background; Jackie Gregorwich
is a member of a local Ukrainian dance group; Wong York was Stony
Plain's first Chinese person and ran a laundry, rooming house,
and cafe early this century; Eva Armbruster was of Austro-Hungarian
origin; and Henry Oppertshauser, who ran a hardware store, was of
German background. He built the Oppertshauser House that has been
relocated next to the Multicultural Heritage Centre and today
houses an art gallery. (Bottom right): Otto Wilken was born in
the Stony Plain area in 1913, and his mother, Annie, was the
first white child born west of Edmonton; Hughie MacKinnon, of
Scottish descent, was known for his bagpipe playing.
Canajun Guide thanks the Town of Stony Plain
for permission to reproduce these murals.
Web Page © 2000 Richard McGuire