Crescent Heights, Renfrew, & William McKnight

One such story is that of William McKnight, one of Calgary’s greatest WWII heroes. Join Heritage Calgary’s Chris Axford and local historian Shelly McElroy as they guide you through the communities that McKnight grew up in and how they shaped his life.

WALK NOTES: No washrooms, linear tour (the starting location and ending location are 12 blocks apart)

MEETING SPOT: Intersection of Crescent Rd NW and 6A St NW

WALK LEADERS: Chris Axford is the Communications and Marketing Coordinator at Heritage Calgary. He mostly grew up in Calgary’s far-flung south-west where there is little to no history. There are some agricultural sites like the McInnes Barn, the Father Lacombe home site and a few others. It was not until he moved back to Calgary from Victoria where he learned to appreciate the city’s history, its architecture, and urbanism as a whole. Chris is interested in our city’s history and how it fits in with our present and future; how we grow, how we respect our past while acknowledging our need to accommodate the present and future.
Shelly McElroy is a writer and researcher working in public history and biography. She has worked in public and reference libraries and museums and was the 2022 Historian in Residence with the Calgary Public Library and Heritage Calgary. Her book on Calgary’s Second World War ace William McKnight will be published later this year. She believes history matters because at its best it gives us context, meaning, and hope — and helps us live more thoughtfully in the most important time of all: the present.

***Please note, we ask that folks cancel their tickets through Eventbrite if they can no longer make it to a walk as tickets are limited. This allows folks on the waitlist to take open spots.***

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