The Viking Hotel dates to 1936 and under a new owner, replaced an earlier hotel on this same lot that went up in flames the year before. To be precise, the fire was on November 20th 1935 and it destroyed the old King Edward along with several other buildings in downtown.  

The King Edward was a three story brick affair and was built in 1909.

It seems a recurring pattern, but almost every small town we have visited has had a major hotel fire at one time or another. Sometimes this meant the business closed for good and other times, as we see here, something new was built in its place.

The Viking Hotel is situated on the corner of 50th Street and 53rd Avenue. This is a little unusual, as it is a couple blocks away from the train station (which still stands), which was often where early hotels were built. Down by the tracks is where the action was.

“My brother and I, we bought the hotel in September of 2015. We bought it together, it was fairly cheap but needed a lot of work.” – Mario.

Viking’s train station now functions as an arts centre and is right beside the busy CN main line.

In early records, the Viking Hotel boasted 20 rooms, all with hot and cold water. Bathrooms were said to be the most modern, but it is believed these were “end-of-the-hallway” facilities, which were common at the time. Still, these were good selling points for the era.

“I filled many of them (traditional Beer Parlour glasses) with a little white line.” – Doug.

Rooms are still offered and have been updated to today’s standards, so no need for late night forays down the corridor to the communal facilities.

Early ads seemed to heavily emphasize that the establishment was fully licensed. The Beer Parlour always brought in the money, then as now, so it was often well promoted.

Former professional hockey player and Stanley Cup Champion Clem Loughlin built the Viking Hotel, and ran it up until 1972.  The owners that took over remodelled it to basically the form seen today. Hockey and Viking seem synonymous – look up the Sutters.

“We’re very fortunate and lucky to have Mario as the owner. He’s very, very accommodating in our community as a sponsor.” – Jamie.

Later owners changed the name to the Viking Inn but that did not last long and it soon reverted back to its original name. At present there is a motel in town called the Viking Inn, but there is no connection. It does not appear there were ever any other hotels in downtown Viking.

Current owner Mario became involved in 2015 with his brother as a partner.  

“I was a caretaker for the hotel. I lived upstairs in the hotel. Okay, and that was in the 50s, 60s, I’ve been in here for, I lived upstairs for three years. I came down, I cleaned the bar, I did, and I served off time when I was needed.” – Doug.

The Hotel has always been home to a dining lounge and while it closed not long ago, a chat with the hotel owner suggested it may not be permanent.

Viking dates back to 1909 and was founded by Norwegian settlers who named it in honour of those seafaring warriors of old. Other folks from Norway, and elsewhere in Scandinavia soon moved to the area, to join their countrymen. Viking obtained town status in 1952.  

The town’s population peaked late, in about 1980 and at around 1300. It has since dropped off somewhat.

Viking, Alberta: Population about 1000, located in Beaver County and 120km Southeast of Edmonton.

“Back in the 70s, it was a very lively little place…if you didn’t get in by four o’clock in the afternoon, you didn’t get a seat.” – Doug.