Our Stories

Sixty-six year old Jim Hong is a quintessential small town Albertan - laid-back, hard-working - a man who will do anything for the town of Cluny where he has lived the majority of his life. He was elected as mayor in 1970 and has been the fire chief, a school trustee, and a town councillor. Jim's father, Louie, was recruited to work on the Canadian Pacific Railroad in 1908. Like many other Chinese workers at the time, he had to pay a $500 head tax for the privilege of being in Canada. He quit the railroad and, in 1913, set up The Hong General Store in Cluny. People gathered daily to exchange news and have a coffee, and it became an essential part of the Canadian prairie landscape, a monument that stood in Cluny for over 70 years. But when the TransCanada highway was built, it bypassed Cluny by three miles. The town began to die and finally in 1987, Jim was forced to close the store. It made headlines in Alberta. He has stayed on in Cluny serving as their postmaster. Length: 23:44