Our family has been operating a building supply business under the Hands On Contracting Ltd. name since January 1, 2015. Given the fact that the Hands On name was somewhat confusing to many of our Customers because it was not accurately representing the style of business we are conducting, we have changed our business name to Emerson Trail Building Supplies Ltd. as of August 16, 2018. Our thanks goes to past and present Customers who have supported Hands On and who have also encouraged us to change the name to something a little more explanatory of what we are actually doing here at our rural location 732011 Range Road 105 in the County of Grande Prairie. This is located along Alberta Provincial Highway #672 which is commonly known as the Emerson Trail.
We welcome you to stop by our yard and office to see what we have on offer in way of wood products and other building supplies you need for your projects. Our mainstay product line is still the specialty wood items such as Pine, Cedar, and Fir Tongue and Groove as well as many other dimensional and rough-sawn lumber.
The Emerson Trail received its' name by virtue of the efforts of Mr. Morton Emerson, who had some hay to move in the year 1912 over the rough prairie sod close to the present-day town of Sexsmith, AB. Due to the difficulty of transporting loose hay on a wagon pulled by horses, he finally hooked up a team of 4 oxen and dragged a plow back and forth between the field and his yard. This 8 or 9 mile section of "not-quite-as rough" prairie was quickly dubbed "The Emerson Trail" by locals who also used the stretch of trail. Over the years this road has been improved and also extended to what it has become today. We want to pay a tribute to Mr. Emerson for his significant effort in making a difference in his community.
While a hundred plus years have passed since the road past our door was named, we want that same spirit of community to prevail in our community. If possible, we also want to make a small difference and invite you to do the same by participating in whatever way you are inspired.