Canadian Furniture World and the Undertaker, May 1921, p. 131: "The Acadian Phonograph Company Limited, Toronto, was recently granted a provincial charter to manufacture and deal in phonographs, gramophones and other musical instruments. Capital $40,000. J.H. Young and L.J. Brown, both of Toronto, are two of the incorporators."
Edmonton Journal, December 1, 1927, p. 24: "The Acadian is made by the McLagan Phonograph Corporation [Woodstock, Ontario], exclusively for James Ramsey, Limited [Edmonton, Alberta]".
When the James Ramsey Ltd. department store opened in 1911, it became an overnight success. Ramsey became known as Edmonton’s "Merchant Prince". The store initially occupied 18,000 square feet in the newly-built Tegler Block on the corner of First Street and Elizabeth Street (now 102nd Avenue) and for the next 17 years it was Edmonton’s most dominant retailer. By the 1920s, the business sprawled over more than 175,000 square feet including the main floor of the Kelly Block, built in 1914 at 10040 101A Avenue. In 1927, at the height of the business, Ramsey constructed the Ramsey Block at 10048 101A Avenue. When Ramsey retired in 1928, he sold his little retail empire to the T. Eaton Company for $1 million.
Tegler Block, Edmonton, Alberta and Ramsey Limited Garage and Stables, 1912.
Edmonton Journal, October 26, 1927, p. 22.
Edmonton Journal, November 4, 1927, p. 28.
Edmonton Journal, November 25, 1927, p. 29.
Edmonton Journal, December 1, 1927, p. 16.
Edmonton Journal, December 1, 1927, p. 24.
Edmonton Journal, December 21, 1927, p. 22.
An Acadian phonograph for sale in Red Deer, Alberta in 2023.
A sorry Acadian console phonograph auctioned in Drayton Valley, Alberta in 2023.
