Horace Hinton: Alberta’s Black history

Looking back to Amber Valley at 99 years of age

Horace Hilton (front) is recognized with a certificate celebrating his 99th year, along with MLA Janis Irwin and MP Blake Desjarlais. | Constance Brissenden

In the black-and-white photo dated 1946, Horace Hinton is one of 10 Black athletes making up Amber Valley Baseball, Alberta’s first all-Black baseball team.

Twenty-four kilometres northeast of Athabasca, the community of Amber Valley was founded in 1910 by African-American families. Their greatest desire was to escape racism and violence. They headed north from Texas, Oklahoma, and other southern states pursuing free homesteads offered to settlers in 1910.

The Obadiah Place provincial heritage site, the homestead of one settler family, is a remembrance of the approximately 1,000 African-Americans who arrived in this early period. The community built a school in 1913, and a nondenominational church in 1914.

Another huge achievement was its all-Black baseball team playing in the Northern Alberta Baseball League. The formidable Amber Valley Baseball players were much admired throughout northern Alberta. Unlike in the United States, they could play against white teams and did so with style.

Horace Hilton is 99 years old and still driving. Here, he shows his new license to MLA Janis Irwin and MP Blake Desjarlais on a recent visit. | Constance Brissenden

Horace Hinton was born in August 1925 in Maidstone, Saskatchewan, another largely American Black settlement. His parents moved to Amber Valley around 1932 when he was seven years old. A lifetime athlete, he played with the Amber Valley Baseball team, starting in his teens.

After moving to Edmonton with his family, Hinton worked as a bouncer at a local hotel. One day, a friend suggested that he apply for a job with Northwest Utilities, now Atco Gas. He was hired and worked with the company for twenty years until he retired.

Today, Hinton is a proud 99-year-old living in the Parkdale community. He still drives, does his own banking and lives in the house he bought more than 50 years ago.

In October, Hinton received recognition from two levels of government. Gathering at his home, MP Blake Desjarlais and MLA Janis Irwin both brought certificates congratulating him on his life and age.

As his son Troy said, “Dad feels truly honoured and appreciated.”

Humour is one of Hinton’s weapons against time. I asked him for the secret of longevity. With a laugh, he quickly answered, “Eat, drink, and party.”

When it comes to living legends, Horace Hinton is one of them. Today, few know about the quiet man who goes about his daily life with the help of his son Troy, and a caring next-door neighbour, Rauldon Augustine. 

Horace Hinton encourages all of us to “keep doing the things you can do,” as we get older. For his own part, he loves watching sports on television. From his own playing days in Amber Valley to his Blue Jays ball cap today, “baseball has always been my sport.”