Edward Carey

Edward Francis Carey, Sr. was a Canadian gold prospector, fur trader, and merchant. He was also politician in Alberta, Canada serving briefly as a municipal councillor in Edmonton.

Carey was born in Upper Canada in 1832. Intrigued by the opportunity to gain a fortune in gold, he was quickly drawn to the California Gold Rush, and later to British Columbia, where he prospected for gold along with his partner, Bill Cust. In the 1860s, the duo would make major discoveries of gold in the Parsnip River and in Peace River, leading to gold rushes when news spread of the discoveries. Carey later went into the fur trade, establishing himself at Peace River, and later, Lac la Biche. After spending a couple years in the fur trade, he went into the general merchant business, establishing stores in Manitoba, and later in Edmonton, North West Territories, where he would move to in 1882. Carey would operate the first store in the town, as well as a cattle business along with fellow merchant John Norris, until his retirement in the late 1890s. After his retirement he would live quietly in Edmonton as his health declined, leading up to his death in 1908. Regarded as one of the pio

Source: Wikipedia