A PLACE CALLED HOME SONS OF SCOTLAND

When Scottish grocer Robert Williamson boarded a steamship in Glasgow in 1909 headed for Montreal, he had ambitions for a new life. From Montreal, he headed directly for Medicine Hat.

He was probably prepared for a culture shock. He needn’t have worried. Medicine Hat had a large Scottish population at that time. Even the mayor of Medicine Hat at that time, David Milne, was Scottish born. It is said that Mayor Milne had such a strong brogue that he was sometimes difficult to understand. Medicine Hat was also the home of Bill Lauder, the most famous Scot of all ever to reside in the city. Lauder had been the lightweight boxing champion of Scotland and after emigrating here, the Canadian lightweight boxing champion from 1906-1912.

Williamson and his Scottish peers were likely a bit home sick. There was such a strong attachment to the homeland, that on Nov. 30, 1911, the Sons of Scotland Society (S.O.S.) was formed. Its mandate was “to provide facilities in Medicine Hat for social intercourse between representatives of the Scottish nation and their descendants.”

In 1912, Williamson and partner, Samuel Sprague, leased the L.B. Cochran building, today the site of 234 South Railway Street, for use as a grocery store. Williamson had been the head clerk at the L.B. Cochran general store until Lewis Cochran’s retirement.

Looking for headquarters, the Sons of Scotland

Society was offered a room above the Sprague and Williamson grocery store. “Cochran Hall” as it was known, held meetings, followed by singing and bagpipe music. Members of the S.O.S. included organizer Mayor David Milne, dentist Dr. McKee and no doubt, Bill Lauder, all who had strong ties to Scotland. The S.O.S. brought in traditional Scottish entertainment, held dances where reels and schottisches were performed, and continued to embrace both their homeland and their new country.

The Cochran building, constructed in 1888, was the oldest building on South Railway street in 1912. The two-storey frame building with its tall, arched front facade had a distinct “Gay Nineties” appearance. It was in strong contrast to the new, modern brick building next door, the Huckvale Block, today the Assiniboia Inn. With the death of Lewis Cochran in 1916, the future of the old building was questionable. Williamson bought out Samuel Sprague and for a very short time, leased a space in the new Huckvale Building.

The Sons of Scotland lost their headquarters when in 1917, the old twostorey building was demolished, and the current one-storey structure built in its place. Williamson moved to Calgary and continued working in the grocery trade.

PHOTO LEGEND:

1. Cochran Hall, upper level of the Sprague & Williamson grocery, 1912 (Esplanade)

2. Ad for Robbie Burns social event (Medicine Hat News, Jan. 22, 1913)

3. Scottish and Canadian lightweight boxing champion, Bill Lauder (Esplanade)