Dentist’s Office

Adequate dental care was largely absent from the Northwest Territories before the turn of the 20th century. In 1883, there were only two dentists in what would later become the province of Alberta, and due to distance, most settlers simply endured toothaches until they became unbearable.

Even then, most people were apprehensive about visiting a dentist because, without anesthetic, drilling and filling a decayed tooth hurt more than simply having it pulled. This building originally served as a post office in New Brant, Alberta, and was built by Tommy Johns in 1914. It is meant to portray the office of Dr. Guy Murray, the first dentist in Sedgewick, Alberta, who set up his practice using an array of second-hand instruments, which are on display. The structure was donated to Heritage Park by the Glenbow Foundation in 1964, and completely rebuilt in 1999.