Our roots in the community

By way of introduction to Strathcona Law Group, we thought we should highlight our long standing connections with Strathcona County, from which our firm name is derived.

The foundations of our firm in Strathcona County began in the early part of the twentieth century when John Smyth established a farm in the Clover Bar District, at the intersection of what now is Broadmoor Boulevard and Baseline  Road. It is on land that formed part of the farm established by John Smyth that our office is now located, on or near a field that was at one time Ruth King’s pasture for her Welsh pony, Tonka. By the time that Ruth and her family came to live on the Smyth farm, John Smyth’s children, George and Edie Smyth, were operating the farm and living in the house built by John Smyth in 1935.  Ruth’s dad, Sid Tordoff, accepted an opportunity to partner with George Smyth in operating a dairy farm, so Ruth and her family relocated from the Athlone district in Edmonton to live on the Smyth farm.

The Smyth farm is now memorialized by a specially commissioned Curtis Golomb painting of the 1935 house, barns and outbuildings.  This painting is located in the boardroom on the main floor of our office, which has been named “The Smyth Room”.  

The next chapter of our firm’s connection with Strathcona County occurred when Sam and Anise McCaughey established a farm in the Clover Bar District. Sam named their farm after a village located in County Atrium, Ireland, where he had served in the British Army during WWI. The village was called Craigavon, now the name of a subdivision later developed on the McCaughey farm at the intersection of what is now Baseline Road and Clover Bar Road. Sam McCaughey was the brother of Sarah Clark, and the great uncle of our founding partner, Barry King.  He emigrated to Canada from Ireland after the Great War and operated Edmonton Flour and Feed on a site on 97^th Street, about a block north of the present location of the Edmonton Law Courts.  He later sold Edmonton Flour and Feed, and established the Clover Bar Mill, which stood at the intersection of Highway 16 and Sherwood Drive, until it was destroyed by fire. Craigavon Farm is memorialized by a painting of the McCaughey residence and some of the outbuildings, also painted by Curtis Golomb.  This painting is located in one of our second floor boardrooms, now called “The Craigavon Room”.

A further connection to Strathcona County occurred when Joseph and Sarah Clark accepted Sam McCaughey’s invitation to move from Long Island, NY, to a farm in the Sand Hills, south of Spruce Grove.  Joe and Sarah Clark had immigrated from County Antrium, Ireland to the United States, before relocating their family to the Sand Hills. Not long after coming to Canada, Joe and Sarah, together with their adult son, Martin, purchased what was then known as Pleasant View Farms from Clarence McGhan. The original name of the farm was derived from the view northward from the intersection of what is now Baseline Road and Highway 21, which was the south east corner of the farm. Pleasant View Farm was operated by Joe, Sarah and Martin Clark from the late 1940s until Genstar developed the subdivision now known as Clarkdale Meadows, which is located where the Clarks lived and operated their dairy farm.

Joe and Sarah Clark’s daughter, Mary met and fell in love with John King shortly after the Clarks arrived in Canada. John and Mary were married in 1951 and their son, Barry King, grew up to become our founding partner. 

The Clark farm is memorialized by a painting by Bill McKibbin, another Irish immigrant to Canada, which hangs in the second floor boardroom now named “The Clark Room”.

The Smyths, the Tordoffs, the McCaugheys, and the Clarks, together with numerous other farm families, witnessed the origins, growth and development of the Clover Bar District into what is now Sherwood Park, the community to which Strathcona Law Group now proudly contributes. We value their perseverance and ethical conduct, as well as their legacy of hard work, diligence and thrift, all of which we seek to emulate as we provide direction to many of the individuals and corporations resident in and carrying on business in Strathcona County.  Like them, we are not perfect but we are constantly evaluating the services we offer to ensure that we provide excellent service and insightful advice to each of our clients.

So, that is our historical connection with Strathcona County, from which we have taken our firm name. The rest of our website is about now, and the people and services we can offer to provide direction to you with a wide range of legal services.  Welcome to Strathcona Law Group LLP.