08/25/2026
G.W. West & Sons General Store — a piece of Innisfail’s beginnings
Long before Innisfail became the community we know today, George Washington West arrived in the area in 1891, when the settlement was still known as Poplar Grove. On July 1 of that year, he opened what would become one of the community’s early businesses: G.W. West & Sons General Store.
For generations, the store was much more than a place to buy groceries. It became part of the economic and social fabric of early Innisfail, dealing in everything from general merchandise to hardware, lumber, furs, meat and grain.
The West family remained connected to the business for an impressive 77 years, carrying it through decades of change as Innisfail grew from a small pioneer settlement into an established Alberta community.
Today, the G.W. West & Sons General Store at the Innisfail Historical Village gives us a glimpse into that earlier era. Many of the artifacts displayed within it have a personal connection to the West family and help tell the story of the people who lived, worked and built their lives here.
📍 G.W. West & Sons General Store
Innisfail HistoricaInnisfail Historical Villageisn’t just found in museums. Sometimes, it’s standing right where the community began.
