Image above: Portrait of Agnes Sorrel Forbes who came to the Grande Prairie area as Presbyterian missionaries with her husband, Dr. Alexander Forbes, in 1910. ca. 1910. (SPRA 1994.58.02b)
Agnes Sorrel Forbes played an important role in the development of both community life and healthcare during the earliest years of settlement in the Grande Prairie region. Born on September 17, 1850, in Montrose, Scotland, Agnes was one of eight children. Her interest in helping others began at a young age, shaped in part by the loss of two siblings to diphtheria. By 1891, she was serving as matron of a Home for Girls in Aberdeen, where she met Presbyterian minister Alexander Forbes.
After marrying in Edmonton, Agnes and Alexander devoted themselves to missionary work in Fort Saskatchewan for approximately fifteen years. In 1909, they traveled to the Peace Country to assess the need for a permanent Presbyterian mission. Finding no other volunteers willing to take on the challenge, the couple decided to relocate to the region themselves in 1910. At sixty years old, Agnes embraced the demanding life of a frontier community and quickly became a valued member of the growing settlement.
The Forbes family initially lived in a small shack before establishing a homestead in what is now central Grande Prairie. Known for her welcoming nature and willingness to help others, Agnes became deeply involved in community-building efforts. She helped organize Sunday School programs, established a local Women’s Missionary Society, and worked alongside Maud Clifford and nurse Agnes Baird to create one of the area’s first pioneer hospitals on her own homestead.
In the fall of 1910, Mr. Alexander Forbes filed on a homestead bordered by 100th Avenue, 100th Street, 108th Avenue, and 96th Street today. The first building to be established on the homestead was the pioneer hospital, built in 1911.This small hospital provided much-needed medical care to settlers in the surrounding region. Agnes continued to support the facility and, in 1914, joined Dr. Annie Higbee and Agnes Baird in laying the cornerstone for the Kathryn Prittie Hospital, a significant milestone in the development of healthcare in Grande Prairie. The Forbes later built an adjoining home, which has been restored by the Grande Prairie Museum and can be visited today!
Agnes Forbes passed away peacefully in her sleep in 1917. While she was not a nurse or physician herself, Agnes recognized the importance of accessible healthcare in a growing frontier community. She was just one of the many women whose dedication helped build the foundations of healthcare in the South Peace, demonstrating the profound impact that compassion, determination, and community spirit can have on future generations.
