Alberta 101 (full text)
[Note: Alberta 101 is adapted from a special edition pamphlet, 'Alberta 100', which was written in celebration of Buffalo-SK-AB's 100th birthday.]
"Alberta and Saskatchewan celebrated their centennials in 2005. The provinces are prairie twins, separated at birth and progeny of the Northwest Territories."
The thing about Alberta is its variation...
Pacific & Arctic winds. Semi-Arid. Rocky Mountains.
Boreal Forest. Prairie. Foothills. Lakes & rivers. Badlands. Canyons, caverns, creeks. Muskeg bogs. Ranchland. Marsh. Taiga shield. Just no sea.
Sir Frederick Haultain (1857-1942) was among those who helped set in motion the creation of provinces in western Canada. He proposed that the NWT districts of Alberta and Saskatchewan be one province called 'Buffalo,' an idea which was rejected by the federal government. Haultain was the president of the Executive Council, Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly from 1897-05.
Photo: Kananaskis Country
Photo/ signage: High Level Bridge, Lethbridge. This bridge, one of the largest railway structures in Canada, cost over $1.3 m to build in 1908-09. It is an enduring investment as it is still in use. The sign at this viewpoint reads:
Oldman River Valley Before you lies the Oldman River Valley. This valley is part of the headwaters of the South Saskatchewan basin, draining water from the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rockies into the Hudson Bay, some 2,285 kilometers (1,420 miles) downstream. The Oldman River Valley collects runoff from small gullies, or coulees (fro the French word "couler," meaning "to flow") feeding this drainage system.
Photo: Prickly pear cactus
Photo: Legislature building. Alberta's capital city is Edmonton. The legislature building was built 1907-12 and designed by Allan Merrick Jeffers.
Just one N.W.M.P. side story...
Before his last posting at Fort Pitt, Inspector Francis Jeffrey Dickens was in charge of the North West Mounted Police detachment at Blackfoot Crossing, 1881-82, near Fort Calgary. Before that, his posts as sub-Inspector (1875-80) were at Fort Livingstone, Fort Walsh and Fort Macleod. At Fort Walsh in the Cypress Hills, his presence coincided with that of Sitting Bull, who defeated Custer and the Seventh Cavalry in the Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876. This Mountie was the fifth of ten children. His father was Charles Dickens, the great English novelist. Francis Dickens died in Moline, Illinois at the age of 42.
Photo: Service road near Jumping Pound Creek
Treaty 6, 7, 8
When British Columbia joined confederation in 1871, its membership was conditional on a national railroad linking it to central Canada. The federal Government was also aware that American interests were pushing north.
Across the vast frontier, First Nations occupied land where the tracks were to be laid and where settlement/ commerce/ industry were planned. Agreements between the Crown and First Nations were negotiated. Treaty 6 was signed in 1876 at Fort Carlton and Ford Pitt (central Alberta-Saskatchewan).
The lasting effects of the Red River Rebellion (1869-70), the Indian Wars south of the border and starvation (little snow/ prairie fires of 1877 which pushed the last, remaining bison to Montana that winter) forged circumstances for negotiating Treaty 7 at Blackfoot Crossing (southern Alberta). Treaty 8 was signed in 1899 (northern Alberta-BC-Saskatchewan-NWT).
Other Factoids
Early explorers reported seeing grizzlies and wolves on the prairie. Pronghorns ranged in massive herds (up to one million) as far south as Mexico. Elk, deer and cougars were abundant. Bison roamed in massive thunder herds.
There are nearly 200 species of plants per square mile in natural prairie areas, with miles of roots that produce tangled, spongy, water-conserving sod.
There are 43 First Nations in three treaty areas comprising 105 reserves in Alberta.
About a half of Alberta (the north) is boreal forest. Until recently, it remained natural wilderness with small communities. Its rivers - Athabasca, Chinchaga, Smoky, Peace, Hay - were largely undisturbed.
Alberta has fossils but very few precious and semi-precious stones. One fossil considered a precious stone, however, is ammonite - a prehistoric mollusk - of which the vibrantly coloured type is found only in southern Alberta.
Photos: Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park; Hwy 879 near Foremost
Numbers!...
National Parks in Alberta (5) - Waterton, Jasper, Banff, Elk Island, Wood Buffalo
National Historic Sites (59) - Aisinai'pi (Writing-On-Stone), Frog Lake, Rocky Mountain House, Fort Chipewyan, Brooks Aquaduct, Atlas No. 3 Coal Mine (East Coulee), Palace Theatre, Bar U Ranch, Fort Fork
Provincial Parks (about 70) & Protected Areas - Crimson Lake, Red Rock Coulee, Cypress Hills, Hand Hills, Vermilion, Egg Island, Police Outpost, Athabasca Dunes, Kleskun Hill, Willmore, Carson-Pegasus, Peter Lougheed, Kakwa, Pembina River, Big Knife... (also, proposed in 2005: Andy Russell - I'tai sah kop)
Ghost Towns (about 79) - Silver City, Orion, Bankhead, Mitford, Bingham, Nemiskam, Anthracite, Georgetown, Morley Mission, Cleverville, Bow City, Fort Whoop-Up...
UNESCO World Heritage Sites (5) - Dinosaur Provincial Park, Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo Jump, Wood Buffalo National Park, Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park
Alberta Emblems
Floral Emblem Act (1930) wild rose, Rosa acicularis
Tartan (1961): green (forests); gold (wheat fields); blue (skies/lakes); pink (wild rose); black (coal/oil)
Flag (1968) shield from Alberta coat-of-arms on blue background
Bird (1977): Great Horned Owl, Budo virginianus
Stone ( (1977): petrified wood
Tree (1984): lodge pole pine, Pinus contorta
Animal (1989): Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, Ovis Canadensis
Fish (1995): bull trout, Salvelinus confluentis
Dress tartan (2000): same as other with white (snow)
Grass (2003): rough fescue, Festuca scabrella
Photo: Mare with foal, Stoney Nakoda Nation
NOTES: A new industry in Alberta, Agri-tourism, is modeled on initiatives in Ontario vineyard and farm communities (e.g. B&B, u-pick, markets, open farm/ranch). Check also 500nations.com for aboriginal tourism links.
Front cover: Lesser Slave Lake
Back inside cover: Grain elevator, Picture Butte
Back Cover: Young boar at Barn Loft Inn, Vegreville
References:
AB Heritage Community Foundation, http://www.heritagecommunityfdn.org/
AB provincial parks, http://www.albertaparks.ca/searchparks_name.aspx
Carter, David J., "Inspector Dickens of the North West Mounted Police", http://members.memlane.com/djcarter/dickens/default.htm
Ghost Towns, http://ghosttowns.com/
Natural Resources Canada for historical maps, http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/archives
Parks Canada for National Historic Sites, http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/index.aspx
Shepherd, George, 'The Trouble at Blackfoot Crossing", http://folklore.library.ualberta.ca/dspCitation.cfm?ID=183
PROVINCIAL NAME: "Alberta, In token of the love which thou hast shown, For this wide land of freedom, I have named a province vast... " Sonnet written by the Marquis of Lorne, Governor General of Canada 1878-83, to his wife, Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (1848-1939) on the occasion of his naming, after her in 1882, one of four new districts in the Northwest Territories. The other districts were Assiniboia, Sakatchewan and Athabaska. The Marquis was a Scot, born John Campbell. From: Memories of Canada and Scotland — Speeches and Verses by Campbell ~ gutenberg.org.
Printed in 2005.
[Note: Alberta 101 is adapted from a special edition pamphlet, 'Alberta 100', which was written in celebration of Buffalo-SK-AB's 100th birthday.]
"Alberta and Saskatchewan celebrated their centennials in 2005. The provinces are prairie twins, separated at birth and progeny of the Northwest Territories."
The thing about Alberta is its variation...
Pacific & Arctic winds. Semi-Arid. Rocky Mountains.
Boreal Forest. Prairie. Foothills. Lakes & rivers. Badlands. Canyons, caverns, creeks. Muskeg bogs. Ranchland. Marsh. Taiga shield. Just no sea.
Sir Frederick Haultain (1857-1942) was among those who helped set in motion the creation of provinces in western Canada. He proposed that the NWT districts of Alberta and Saskatchewan be one province called 'Buffalo,' an idea which was rejected by the federal government. Haultain was the president of the Executive Council, Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly from 1897-05.
Photo: Kananaskis Country
Photo/ signage: High Level Bridge, Lethbridge. This bridge, one of the largest railway structures in Canada, cost over $1.3 m to build in 1908-09. It is an enduring investment as it is still in use. The sign at this viewpoint reads:
Oldman River Valley Before you lies the Oldman River Valley. This valley is part of the headwaters of the South Saskatchewan basin, draining water from the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rockies into the Hudson Bay, some 2,285 kilometers (1,420 miles) downstream. The Oldman River Valley collects runoff from small gullies, or coulees (fro the French word "couler," meaning "to flow") feeding this drainage system.
Photo: Prickly pear cactus
Photo: Legislature building. Alberta's capital city is Edmonton. The legislature building was built 1907-12 and designed by Allan Merrick Jeffers.
Just one N.W.M.P. side story...
Before his last posting at Fort Pitt, Inspector Francis Jeffrey Dickens was in charge of the North West Mounted Police detachment at Blackfoot Crossing, 1881-82, near Fort Calgary. Before that, his posts as sub-Inspector (1875-80) were at Fort Livingstone, Fort Walsh and Fort Macleod. At Fort Walsh in the Cypress Hills, his presence coincided with that of Sitting Bull, who defeated Custer and the Seventh Cavalry in the Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876. This Mountie was the fifth of ten children. His father was Charles Dickens, the great English novelist. Francis Dickens died in Moline, Illinois at the age of 42.
Photo: Service road near Jumping Pound Creek
Treaty 6, 7, 8
When British Columbia joined confederation in 1871, its membership was conditional on a national railroad linking it to central Canada. The federal Government was also aware that American interests were pushing north.
Across the vast frontier, First Nations occupied land where the tracks were to be laid and where settlement/ commerce/ industry were planned. Agreements between the Crown and First Nations were negotiated. Treaty 6 was signed in 1876 at Fort Carlton and Ford Pitt (central Alberta-Saskatchewan).
The lasting effects of the Red River Rebellion (1869-70), the Indian Wars south of the border and starvation (little snow/ prairie fires of 1877 which pushed the last, remaining bison to Montana that winter) forged circumstances for negotiating Treaty 7 at Blackfoot Crossing (southern Alberta). Treaty 8 was signed in 1899 (northern Alberta-BC-Saskatchewan-NWT).
Other Factoids
Early explorers reported seeing grizzlies and wolves on the prairie. Pronghorns ranged in massive herds (up to one million) as far south as Mexico. Elk, deer and cougars were abundant. Bison roamed in massive thunder herds.
There are nearly 200 species of plants per square mile in natural prairie areas, with miles of roots that produce tangled, spongy, water-conserving sod.
There are 43 First Nations in three treaty areas comprising 105 reserves in Alberta.
About a half of Alberta (the north) is boreal forest. Until recently, it remained natural wilderness with small communities. Its rivers - Athabasca, Chinchaga, Smoky, Peace, Hay - were largely undisturbed.
Alberta has fossils but very few precious and semi-precious stones. One fossil considered a precious stone, however, is ammonite - a prehistoric mollusk - of which the vibrantly coloured type is found only in southern Alberta.
Photos: Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park; Hwy 879 near Foremost
Numbers!...
National Parks in Alberta (5) - Waterton, Jasper, Banff, Elk Island, Wood Buffalo
National Historic Sites (59) - Aisinai'pi (Writing-On-Stone), Frog Lake, Rocky Mountain House, Fort Chipewyan, Brooks Aquaduct, Atlas No. 3 Coal Mine (East Coulee), Palace Theatre, Bar U Ranch, Fort Fork
Provincial Parks (about 70) & Protected Areas - Crimson Lake, Red Rock Coulee, Cypress Hills, Hand Hills, Vermilion, Egg Island, Police Outpost, Athabasca Dunes, Kleskun Hill, Willmore, Carson-Pegasus, Peter Lougheed, Kakwa, Pembina River, Big Knife... (also, proposed in 2005: Andy Russell - I'tai sah kop)
Ghost Towns (about 79) - Silver City, Orion, Bankhead, Mitford, Bingham, Nemiskam, Anthracite, Georgetown, Morley Mission, Cleverville, Bow City, Fort Whoop-Up...
UNESCO World Heritage Sites (5) - Dinosaur Provincial Park, Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo Jump, Wood Buffalo National Park, Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park
Alberta Emblems
Floral Emblem Act (1930) wild rose, Rosa acicularis
Tartan (1961): green (forests); gold (wheat fields); blue (skies/lakes); pink (wild rose); black (coal/oil)
Flag (1968) shield from Alberta coat-of-arms on blue background
Bird (1977): Great Horned Owl, Budo virginianus
Stone ( (1977): petrified wood
Tree (1984): lodge pole pine, Pinus contorta
Animal (1989): Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, Ovis Canadensis
Fish (1995): bull trout, Salvelinus confluentis
Dress tartan (2000): same as other with white (snow)
Grass (2003): rough fescue, Festuca scabrella
Photo: Mare with foal, Stoney Nakoda Nation
NOTES: A new industry in Alberta, Agri-tourism, is modeled on initiatives in Ontario vineyard and farm communities (e.g. B&B, u-pick, markets, open farm/ranch). Check also 500nations.com for aboriginal tourism links.
Front cover: Lesser Slave Lake
Back inside cover: Grain elevator, Picture Butte
Back Cover: Young boar at Barn Loft Inn, Vegreville
References:
AB Heritage Community Foundation, http://www.heritagecommunityfdn.org/
AB provincial parks, http://www.albertaparks.ca/searchparks_name.aspx
Carter, David J., "Inspector Dickens of the North West Mounted Police", http://members.memlane.com/djcarter/dickens/default.htm
Ghost Towns, http://ghosttowns.com/
Natural Resources Canada for historical maps, http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/archives
Parks Canada for National Historic Sites, http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/index.aspx
Shepherd, George, 'The Trouble at Blackfoot Crossing", http://folklore.library.ualberta.ca/dspCitation.cfm?ID=183
PROVINCIAL NAME: "Alberta, In token of the love which thou hast shown, For this wide land of freedom, I have named a province vast... " Sonnet written by the Marquis of Lorne, Governor General of Canada 1878-83, to his wife, Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (1848-1939) on the occasion of his naming, after her in 1882, one of four new districts in the Northwest Territories. The other districts were Assiniboia, Sakatchewan and Athabaska. The Marquis was a Scot, born John Campbell. From: Memories of Canada and Scotland — Speeches and Verses by Campbell ~ gutenberg.org.
Printed in 2005.
