About Us

Community Association

Most of the residential development of Wildwood occurred during the 1950s with the original community association building being completed in 1958.

The Wildwood Community Association (WCA for short) is run by a dedicated group of volunteers who believe that the best way to improve their local community is by ‘being a good neighbour’. This is demonstrated by a busy calendar brimming with a range of activities and events to suit all ages, including sports programs, playgroup, community garden and seasonal craft fairs, all run by local volunteers. In addition, the WCA’s newsletter – the Warbler – is distributed to all residents, helping residents stay up-to-date with community news.

If you are interested in joining the WCA as a Board member or a volunteer, please see our current vacancies and opportunities here.

Wildwood Community Association Business Plan 2016-2021

Wildwood Land Acknowledgement

Since time immemorial, acknowledging the land and our complete dependence on it to live is very important to Indigenous people. To build respectful relationships, acknowledging the land is an important part of reconciliation. It honours the authentic history of North America, its original people,  and tells the story of the creation of this country that has historically been missing.

The community of Wildwood is located in southwest Calgary along the escarpment above the south shore of the Bow River. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the land on which we gather: the traditional territories of the peoples of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta, which includes the Blackfoot Confederacy (comprising the Siksika, Piikani, and Kainai First Nations), the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Wesley First Nations). The City of Calgary is also homeland to the historic Northwest Métis and to Métis Nations of Alberta, Region 3.

The Wildwood Community

Since its founding in 1956, the community of Wildwood has flourished thanks to being easily accessible from the downtown, while retaining the feel of quiet, residential neighbourhood.

Local amenities include extensive cycle lanes, transit links, a playschool, an elementary school and an active community association. In addition, the neighbourhood has numerous small parks and green spaces, as well as two playgrounds.

The area also boast some wonderful natural attractions in the form of Edworthy Park, the Douglas Fir Trail and the Lawrey Gardens. In 2002 the Edworthy Park Heritage Society published a popular book called Treasures of the Trail: A Nature Guide to Edworthy Park, which explores these areas in more detail.

History of Wildwood

In addition to be being a great, family-friendly community to live in, Wildwood has a rich history that is closely tied to the founding and development of Calgary. The Edworthy Park Heritage Society has done tireless work to uncover previously unknown information about the indigenous history of Wildwood, which they hope to publish in an upcoming book – for instance, the Society has discovered that the first documented reference to the area dates back to the 1790s, when pioneer settlers recorded at least Blackfood names for the area. In addition, there is evidence of Métis bands over-wintering on the plateau that overlooks the Bow River.

Activity in the Wildwood area started to pick up in the 1880s, when Thomas Edworthy settled here with his family and established a successful sandstone quarry and cattle ranching business. The Edworthy’s three quarries (the largest of which was 15 acres) supplied stone for the building of many iconic buildings in Calgary from the 1880s until 1914. In the 1960s, the City of Calgary bought the 140 acre site in order to turn it into a park and heritage site. Today, the quarry sites continue to serve Calgarians in the form of a popular and picturesque off-leash dog park, cycle trails along the Bow River and forested picnic sites.

Another well known settler of Wildwood is W.J. Tregillus, who operated a retail dairy and a brick manufacturing plant in the area. In 1913 he helped establish the Alberta Farmers Co-operative Elevator Company. In the 1920s, the Wildwood area was used as an airstrip.