History of Colonel Irvine

The Man - The School

Our school's name is in honour of Colonel Irvine. He was an Assistant Commissioner of the North West Mounted Police who was posted in western Canada. In 1876 he visited Colonel MacLeod at the new settlement located where the Bow and Elbow rivers meet.

Colonel Irvine was very supportive of Colonel MacLeod's suggestion to name the site "Calgary" which means "clear running water." It is largely due to a letter written by Colonel Irvine on February 29, 1876 that our city is named Calgary.

The construction of our school was initiated in 1956 and officially opened on Oct. 23, 1957. The school is situated on 2.75 acres.