History of Prince Albert's Official Flag and Coat of Arms

Submitted on February 3, 2012 - 11:37am

Prince Albert’s official flag and coat of arms are important symbols displaying the city’s past and present.

The Prince Albert flag was designed by Miss Milda Hunter of Arborfield and modified by Mr. Carter Watson and the Celebration Committee during Prince Albert’s 75th Jubilee Year in 1979.

It was declared the “Jubilee Flag” until January 1, 1980 when it was announced the Official Flag of the City of Prince Albert by the City Council.

The two colours of the flag are green and gold and represent the official colours of the city. Green represents the forests, while gold represents the agriculture present within Prince Albert and area. The flag also displays four triangles that represent the four building blocks of industry within the community: fur, fish, forestry, and farming. These four triangles form an arrow pointing towards the north and represents all roads that lead north to and from Prince Albert, known as the “Gateway to the North.” The arrowhead symbol on the flag pays tribute to the area’s original inhabitants and ancestry.

Like Prince Albert’s flag, the city’s coat of arms also acts an important symbol representing the area.

Prince Albert has had an official coat of arms since 1957, but until August 9th 1992 it was registered in England.

Previously, all coats of arms in Canada were granted and registered by the Queen’s heraldic officers in London and Edinburgh. In 1988, the Queen transferred her power to grant coats of arms to the Governor General, making Canada the first Commonwealth country with this power. On August 9th 1992 Governor General Ray Hnatyshyn officially registered Prince Albert’s coat of arms with the other coats of arms in the Canadian records. The design of the city’s coat of arms has remained the same since its origins, featuring symbols of Prince Albert. The coronet on the crest refers to Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert, after whom the city was named; the beavers represent the fur trade, and the sheaves of wheat and white pines represent the landscape and industrial elements of the city.

Lana Alberts

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Prince Albert Historical Society

The Prince Albert Historical Society is one of the oldest historical societies in Western Canada, first established in 1886 by residents who realized that the previous generation and they themselves were making history by developing Prince Albert and the surrounding region. A fire in 1890 at the Nisbet Academy destroyed the artifacts and records that the Society had collected, which also put an end to the Society for a time. In 1923 Professor Arthur Morton, the City of Prince Albert and citizens interested in local history reorganized the Historical Society. The Society established a museum in the Nisbet church located in Kinsmen (then Bryant) park and an archive in 1932. The museum was moved to the Prince Albert Court House on Central Avenue in 1946. The Nisbet Church was again established as a museum in 1972 and operated until 1975. When the Fire Department vacated the original fire hall in 1975 the City of Prince Albert invited the Society to establish a permanent museum in that building. Since 1977 when the permanent museum opened to the public the Prince Albert Historical Society has been based at the appropriately historic original fire hall at 10 River Street East. The Bill Smiley Archives are named in honour of the man who has done more to preserve Prince Albert history than any other, having spent years collecting and organizing important historical items. Today over 15,000 photographs. 300,000 negatives and 15,000 documents are kept at the Historical Museum. These records are a significant source for information on Prince Albert, the surrounding region and all of Canada. Access to the archives is available to the public and if you are interested in acquiring information please check our archives page. As of 2009 our Society is made up of 55 members and 14 member volunteer board of directors. Membership fees are $ 10.00 per year. We hold many annual events including the spring Crocus Tea, participate in the downtown Street Fair and host a Christmas Party. During the summer season a staff of 13 tour guides keeps the museums open while during the rest of the year the museums can visited accompanied with one of our dedicated volunteer members. The Prince Albert Historical Society is committed to preserving local history and being able to showcase it to local residents and visitors alike.

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