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Frank Beattie, proprietor
of Frank Beattie & Son, merchants of Banff, was born in Grey county,
Ontario, on the 11th of May, 1855, a son of Francis and Mary (McCullum)
Beattie, natives of Scotland, who came to Canada and located in Toronto
about 1825. They came to this country with their respective parents and
their marriage was celebrated in Toronto. By trade the father was a
stonecutter and bricklayer, but after coming to this country he engaged
in farming, and continued that occupation for the remainder of his life,
being one of the most successful agriculturists in the province, and
enjoying the confidence and esteem of all who knew him. His death
occurred at the age of sixty-five years. Mrs. Beattie died in 1886.
In the acquirement of his
education Frank Beattie attended the public schools of Ontario,
remaining with his parents oil home farm for some time and during the
latter years of his life there, he and a brother ran the farm, that
association being maintained until 1881, when Frank Beattie came west.
He spent one year in Montana and in 1882 joined the Winnipeg police
force, where he served for one year, then for two years he was cook for
a construction gang working oil Canadian Pacific Railroad, and in 1884
he went into the hotel business in Golden and in Beaver, British
Columbia. The following year he operated a hotel on the summit of
Selkirk Range. In 1887 he came to Banff and bought out the Hot Springs
Hotel. After conducting it for tell he then rented it out and went to
Kaslo, West Kootenay, British Columbia, establishing a hotel there,
which subsequently was burned to the ground, and as Mr. Beattie had no
insurance on it the venture proved a very expensive one. He then
returned to Banff and opened the Alberta Hotel, which had not been used
for some four or five years, running this hotel for two years, during
which time his Hot Springs Hotel burned down. Subsequently he bought out
the Old Park Hotel, but after a short time also rented it out. In 1915
it burned to the ground and Mr. Beattie decided to withdraw from the
hotel business. He erected a new building on the old location, in which
he now has a pool hail and bowling alley, and he also is in the
confectionery business.
In January, 1888, Mr.
Beattie was married to Miss Katherine Cameron and to their union six
children have been born: Three of the boys volunteered for service at
the outbreak of the World war—Frank M., a platoon scout, who was killed
in active service during the World war; Roy, who served throughout the
World war, died a short time after coming home, having been
incapacitated four different times and was finally discharged because of
valvular heart trouble; and Arthur is a veteran of the World war, having
served two years overseas with the Twentieth Artillery as gunner. He was
severely wounded, losing three fingers. Evelyn died in May, 1918;
Florence is living at home; and Harry died in 1902, at the age of five
years.
In his political views
Mr. Beattie is a Conservative and he maintains an active interest in
party affairs and is well informed on all important questions and issues
of the day. His religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church. He
is a life member of the Masonic order and is readily conceded to be an
exemplary member of the craft. Mr. Beattie's success has not come to him
without hard work and he has overcome many obstacles that would have
turned back a far less determined man. He has always employed the
highest principles of honesty and integrity in the conduct of his
affairs and is held in high confidence and esteem by all who know him. |
