The event was the forerunner of Canada's national women's curling championship (now called the Scotties Tournament of Hearts), which officially began in 1961.
The event was announced in November 1952, with the formation of the Western Canada Ladies Curling Association,[1] and the event was initially called the Eaton Western Ladies' Curling Championship.
Eaton's, the main sponsor of the event, donated a specially designed trophy to be awarded to the winning team.
[2] The event usually featured the provincial champions of Canada's four western provinces, namely British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
The winner of the last event in 1960, Joyce McKee from Saskatchewan played off against the champions of Eastern Canada (Ruth Smith of Quebec) for the first Canadian championship.