Empress and Cabana
Making our way down a random street, as we are apt to do, in an industrial section of Calgary, we stumble across an interesting pair of motorhomes not far from each other. Both are pretty darn old, dating from the 1970s or thereabouts, and are known as an Empress and Cabana respectively. Neither is or was a terribly common make, especially so for the latter model, which is the first of its type we’ve ever seen.
The Empress was built by HaiCo Manufacturing, a division Wickes Corp (sometimes called Wicks, Wilkes or Wickers, all in error I guess, in some documents found), of Lethbridge Alberta. It looks like this firm started making RVs in the late 1960s and lasted about a dozen years or so – the newest examples we could find were from the early 80s.
This one, based on its appearance, is an early to mid-1970s model.
You’ll notice a Dodge logo on the front grill, which was the firm that supplied the motorhome’s chassis. The drive train, suspension and electrical parts, and other associated components are the same as those found in a one ton truck from that maker. As such, this means most mechanical issues can be fixed cheaply and easily.
The front and rear caps and roof of the motorhome are molded fibreglass while the fluted sides may be fibreglass or something else. We couldn’t tell. In that era, fibreglass-bodied motorhomes were less common, as a result of being more expensive to manufacture, then those that were made with flat walls clad in metal siding. Fibreglass did offered up some distinct advantages. For example, molded material allowed for a more stylish and streamlined bodywork.
It appears that for a time HaiCo also made camping trailers which from what we can tell are super rare, not the motorhomes are particularly common.
Next up is a Cabana, with it’s pronounced front prow, made by Cabana Motorhomes Inc, a division of Forest Grove Industries, in Oregon. This firm seems to have started in the late 1960s and lasted about ten to twelve years – the 1960s and 1970s were a boom period for the industry but there was a big shakeup at the start of the 1980s and many firms went out of business then. Funny that both the makers discussed here were founded around the same time and later succumbed around the same time. Their time lines are remarkably parallel.
The Cabana is much like the Empress in construction and is either all fibreglass or a composite of fibreglass with side-walls made of another material. The chassis is likely from a commercial maker, much like the other motorhome and is probably a Dodge, which was by far the most common one from the era. Based upon photos of other Cabanas we’ve found online, this one seems to match best with those listed as mid-1970s models.
You’ve got to love that very retro green colour. I was curious what the interior looked like, but all windows had curtains and peering inside was not possible. I can just imagine the shag carpeting, avocado green or harvest yellow appliances, and dark wood paneling. It would be 1970s personified!
It looks like both motorhomes are being lived in on a full time basis. Given the scarcity of affordable housing in Calgary, this is not the least bit surprising to anyone. I’ve come across a lot of hard working people, who are forced to live in trailers, motorhomes, RVs, campers and so on. The Cabana seems to be occupied by a hoarder, and was full to bursting with all manner of junk and stuff.
If you have an Empress or Cabana motorhome, or any other vintage RV that you think we might be interested in, send us an email. We’ll come by and photograph it and put it on display on this website for the whole world to see.
To see other old motorhomes we’ve come across in our travels, go here…
GMC Motorhome.
Vixen Motorhome.
Mystery Machine – Green Machine – Strange homemade RV.
If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, by all means contact us!
Date: June, 2014.
Location: Calgary, AB.
A vintage Empress Motorhome.
And nearby we find this old Cabana model.
This brand was made in Forest Grove Oregon in the 1970s.
I suspect someone is living in it.
And I think someone is living in this one too.
The Empress was made by HaiCo Manufacturing of Lethbridge Alberta.
I just sold a Wickes (Skylark) with all original appliances as far as I can tell. It is a model 115 – which is a slide in truck camper (11.5 bed total length in the neighbourhood of 16’). It was in amazing condition with one leak on a front side window and associated rot that I removed and replaced. Just too big for my truck! Wet Weight was listed at 2600 lbs!
That is a heavy one! Thanks for sharing.
Always fun to browse this site, especially when you come upon things like this old post that tie to my home town.
Empress motor homes were built by HaiCo, which was started by the Haibeck family in Lethbridge (thus the name for the company). The brands were Empress and Aquarius for motor homes, and Skylark for travel trailers and campers. At some point the company was sold to Wickes, a US based conglomerate. At some later point the company was sold to Triple E RV out of Winkler Manitoba, and operations were consolidated into the Triple E factory with the brand names disappearing except for Empress, which became the name of Triple E’s top of the line diesel pusher motorhome (produced until the US housing market collapse in 2008/9 killed the market for a lot of RV products).
At one point HaiCo/Wickes had two plants in Lethbridge, one at the airport in an old hanger (later used by Triple M modular homes until fire destroyed it in the early 2000s) and one located approximately where Lethbridge’s south-side Canadian Tire is situated.
Wow, thank you for adding to the story!
Fairfield ohio has one in my mother -in-laws back yard, poor condition , but all that interior charm you talk about
Would love to see it!
Kinda weird seeing my motor home on here and no one was living in the empress
Okay, that’s cool. So it’s yours? It did look like someone was living in the Empress.
I have an older Cabana (similar but mine is 1972 and the powder blue trim) just outside Calgary. It is in amazing condition, everything original except the carpet. We are in the midst of cleaning it up and taking it to the east coast in a few weeks to live out its days. If you want to see it before we leave, we could arrange that.
Where in Calgary is that green Cabana? I have never seen another one and wouldn’t mind driving by.
Thanks!
Awesome, these things seem rare enough that we never expected to hear from another Canabana owner. Awesome. Yes, would love to see it. Powder Blue? Retro! I’ll send off an email. Those shots were from a couple years ago – and I’m afraid it’s since moved away. I’ve tried to find out where but with no luck. Sorry.
I have a 1973 Empress also built in Lethbridge.She was well built .Her name is Gypsy.
Checked out your link…Nice!
The green rv is now totally covered in paint splotches. Like it was used as a target for a bunch of paint ballers. I think the chap who lives inside is a bit eccentric.
You know, a few people have told us this. Interesting.