Peers was founded with the the coming of the railway in 1911. This was Grand Trunk Pacific’s transcontinental mainline and the firm became part of Canadian National around 1920. It is a busy stretch of track with trains frequent and long.

Peers was named after Marion Peers, mother of Charles Peers Davidson , a prominent judge and lawyer in Eastern Canada. It seems unusual that someone like this from the east would lend their name to a town on the western frontier.

Davidson, through marriage, was related to the president of the Grand Trunk Pacific, so this must be the connection. One wonders if he ever actually set foot in the town that bears his family name.

“Lori, she’s been awesome. She’s great. Like believe me how good she is for this place.” – Dylan (speaking of Lori the server).

“We’re at the Peers Hotel, the Shady Lady, Beers for Peers. Yeah, well, I mean it’s had a few different names in this time but the beer’s good and as cold as your ex’s heart. It’s one of my favorite dive bars, really. “ – Curtis

“It’s been progressively busier. Lots of people were doubtful, but the community’s finally accepted me. They talk to me you know, and look how happy everybody is. Like, all the old guys came in.” – Lori.

Peers is situated in the transition zone between Boreal forest and aspen parkland. There is some farming in the area, but much of the surrounding countryside is forested. To this day the town remains somewhat remote and surrounded by wilderness. It is off the highway and sort of hidden away.

Gold Dust Days is a yearly event celebrated in Peers and takes place every summer a little northeast of town along the McLeod River. Placer Gold can be found in this channel in small amounts and occurs in other nearby waterways. Placer Gold in Alberta is otherwise uncommon, at least in quantities visible to the naked eye.

A local wood treating facility for utility poles appears to be the largest employer in town. Locals also work in oil and gas sector, forestry and agriculture.

“It means a lot to a lot of people, and it’s been here 100 years. I had a girl tell me, three generations came here. Her grandma worked here, her mom came here, and now her and her sisters come.” – Lori.

“We used to they used to sit out in that lobby part there because the bar got so full. They’d have people out there on Pepsi cases…that’s how busy it was.” – Morgan (speaking of busier times).

“Like, two years prior to me it was only open for a little bit. You know what, she’s (Kelly, the owner) a good person, and I was her last hope. She even said, like, you were my last hope. It must have been really hard for her to let me come in here and touch all this stuff. Because I know that that’s hard for her. So, that she knew she was at, and so I tried to think about it from her end. And so, I just carried on because I know she’s a good human. I learned a lot here. And I, like, I’m glad I was able to do this. And I just…really hope the hotel can carry on.” – Lori (speaking of getting the business running, with the owner often away and working up north).

As late as the 1960s United Grain Growers had one grain elevator in town. Old telephone directories list a store or two over the years, a restaurant and a lumber yard, but it seems there was never a huge commercial presence.

The Peers Hotel was built sometime in the 1920s, although the exact date of construction is not known. It is mentioned in the local history book only briefly and with a vague timeline The town back then had a population of 25 and with 35 listed as living on farms in the area.

“I’ve been around the area for quite a while. So I’ve seen a lot of different people…different owners, different bartenders, lots of different patrons.” – Dallas (on knowing the Peers Hotel for decades).

“I was a director for a non-profit and on a hiatus for the first time in 17 years. I was a workaholic, just taking a break and trying to figure out what I wanted to do. She (Kelly, the owner) heard about what happened, and we ran into each other, and she’s like, you know, I heard what happened, and I know that you’d be perfect…so then she mailed me a key and a book. This was the least lucrative of all the job offers I had, but definitely the best experience, the most rewarding” – Lori.

Approximately one hundred folks live in Peers now and that is down from a peak of around 150 in the 1970s. The town is categorized as an unincorporated place and this means a settlement without a municipal government.

A photograph in the Molson Breweries archives (circa 1950s) shows the Peers hotel looking much as it does today. In that report, it was listed as having six rental rooms and seating for sixty in the bar. After the 1980s, it appears that rooms were no longer offered and presently they are used for storage.

“My first memory is watching my dad, working here, he was a bartender. So he left this place, but his spirit…his spirit is here.“ – Morgan.

“I mean, we used to come here, play pool and have a few drinks and, you know, have a good time as younger teenagers (16 years old in his case). Yeah, get rowdy. I mean, we never really caused any trouble in the bar here or anything like that.” – Curtis (on sneaking in while underage).

Still, the Beer Parlour is where the money is, and it continued to operated. Present day, it is known at the Shady Lady Saloon, but also has the name Beers at Peers.

During the two visits by the Beer Parlour Project, the owner was away working in the north, but the Hotel was in the capable hands of manager Lori.

On the occasion of our second visit, there was a memorial service for a local resident who had recently passed away. This person had been part of the first shoot and it was a shock to hear what had happened on our return. Our photos were some of the last captured of her.

“You guys are super ******* awesome…and I….I think I just burped on your microphone…” – Lori (her thoughts on the Beer Parlour Project).

“I’m not gonna mention any names, but the RCMP tracked this guy down. They chased him with dogs out of here. So he broke into the hotel and I think he got, like, 17 dozen beers or something. He didn’t run well with 17 dozen. So then the cops come in and they he started through the creek, and he’s laying in the cold water just shivering. He just give himself up.” – Morgan (sharing stories of a theft gone wrong – that creek runs next to the hotel).

“It makes me really sad, very sad actually. So the hotel will be in limbo again, but…I have to…move on.” – Lori (speaking of this being her final night).

The turnout for the celebration in her honour was good and we were able to meet many of the residents. Being near Halloween, some came in costume. This night also proved to be the last for Lori, and until someone else can be found to run the hotel, it was the last night open for a while.

Lori’s goodbye on the Peers Hotel Facebook Page: “Please stop by on Saturday for a Memorial gathering to say goodbye to our beautiful friend Dana. Come tell your stories about her and your experiences over the years in the bar to the historical society who will also be there to document the amazing place that has been a part of so many people’s lives for so long. Starts at noon….goes until we’re done. Looking forward to one last hurrah with all the wonderful people I have met in this community that has truly been one of my best experiences.”

To say it was an emotionally charged experience would be an understatement and everyone wore hearts on their sleeves. It was a night of many goodbyes, of tears and sorrow, of remorse and most especially of celebration and joy.

Peers shares some things in common with another town we visited to shoot an episode of the Beer Parlour Project. Just down the same tracks and founded about the same time is Wildwood. We visited the Wildwood Hotel early in October and rocked the house.

Peers, Alberta: Population about 100, located in Yellowhead County and 175km west of Edmonton.