There’s a building right across Fourth Avenue from the Cochrane Public Library that no one can ever remember not being there.
Library archivist Ardis Proulx-Chedore says it was built as a rooming house in 1908.
“Anderson House was a staple of the community up until it turned into Thib’s Tavern and then later closed on New Year’s Eve, 2017,” she recounts. “ It now houses a hair salon and apartments.”
(Cochrane Public Library Archives)
Anderson House was built by Johan August Anderson, a Norwegian who arrived in Canada in 1903 and Cochrane in 1908. He opened his establishment in January, 1909. After the 1911 fire, he quickly rebuilt, providing 30 rooms for other pioneers building the town.
While the library is closed during the pandemic, you can play “Archives Live” on its Facebook page, every Friday at 1:30pm.