Cardston

For the municipal district, see Cardston County. For the provincial electoral district, see Cardston (provincial electoral district).
Cardston
Town
Town of Cardston

Cardston

Location of Cardston in Alberta

Coordinates: 49°12′09″N 113°18′07″W / 49.20250°N 113.30194°W / 49.20250; -113.30194Coordinates: 49°12′09″N 113°18′07″W / 49.20250°N 113.30194°W / 49.20250; -113.30194
Country  Canada
Province  Alberta
Region Southern Alberta
Census division 3
Municipal district Cardston County
Government[1]
  Mayor Maggie Kronen
  Governing body Cardston Town Council
  MP Jim Hillyer
  MLA Grant Hunter
Area (2011)[2]
  Total 8.64 km2 (3.34 sq mi)
Elevation[3] 1,130 m (3,677 ft)
Population (2011)[2]
  Total 3,580
  Density 414.1/km2 (1,073/sq mi)
Time zone MST (UTC-7)
Postal code span 403 / 587
Highways Hwy 2
Hwy 5
Hwy 501
Waterway Lee Creek
St. Mary River
St Mary Reservoir
Website Official website

Cardston is a town in southwest Alberta, Canada. Cardston was settled in 1887 by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) from Utah Territory who travelled via the Macleod-Benton Trail to Alberta in one of the century's last wagon migrations. They had departed April 6 and arrived June 3.[4] The official founder of the town is Charles Ora Card, after whom the town is named. The combined church and school was completed by January 29 the following year after their arrival.[5]

Geography

Cardston is situated in the low foothills of southwest Alberta, approximately 25 km (15.53 mi) north from the American state of Montana. On its north side, it borders the Kainai Nation (Blood Tribe) Indian Reservation, one of the largest reserves in North America. 40 km (24.85 mi) to the west of Cardston are the Rocky Mountains of Waterton Lakes National Park. Cardston is 77 km (47.85 mi) southwest of Lethbridge and 234 km (145.40 mi) south of Calgary.

Climate

Cardston experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb). Along with the rest of southern Alberta, Cardston is subject to chinooks, which often bring temperatures in mid-winter well above 10 °C (50 °F). This same pattern results in more than 200 days of wind a year.

Seasonal temperature averages:

Weather records:

Demographics

In the 2011 Census, the Town of Cardston had a population of 3,580 living in 1,208 of its 1,322 total dwellings, a 3.7% change from its 2006 population of 3,452. With a land area of 8.64 km2 (3.34 sq mi), it had a population density of 414.4/km2 (1,073.2/sq mi) in 2011.[2]

The population of the Town of Cardston according to its 2007 municipal census is 3,578.[7]

In 2006, it had a population of 3,452 living in 1,234 dwellings, a 0.7% decrease from 2001. The town has a land area of 8.64 km2 (3.34 sq mi) and a population density of 399.3/km2 (1,034/sq mi).[8]

The population of Cardston in 2001 was 3,475.[9]

Population by age and gender, 2001
Age Male Female Total
0–4 115 140 255
5–14 335 310 645
15–19 175 180 355
20–24 105 100 205
25–34 125 160 285
35–44 175 210 385
45–54 165 200 365
55–64 125 155 280
65–74 135 170 305
75+ 150 260 410
Totals 1600 1870 3470

Source: Statistics Canada 2001 Census (numbers may not add up due to rounding)

Family income, 1996 and 2001
1996 2001
Total number of families 730 760
Average family income $53,750 $52,939
Median family income $46,503 $48,004

Source: Statistics Canada 1996 & 2001 Census

Economy

Primary industries are education, health care, entrepreneurship, agriculture, and tourism. Cardston is one of the few communities in Canada where alcohol cannot be sold or purchased.[10][11]

Attractions

Cardston has a soccer park, ball parks, a golf course, an ice skating rink, a swimming pool, tennis courts, hiking trails, a skateboard park, several recreation parks, picnic areas and playgrounds. The local schools and LDS Church buildings have gymnasiums. St. Mary's Dam reservoir northeast of Cardston supports water sports in the summer months.

Local attractions

Cardston Alberta Temple
The Cardston Alberta Temple is one of southern Alberta’s most recognized landmarks. It was constructed by Mormon pioneers who settled Cardston in 1887. The temple became the centerpiece of the town, and it was the first temple constructed by the church outside of the United States.
Remington Carriage Museum
The Remington Carriage Museum houses the largest collection of horse-drawn vehicles in North America, with more than 250 carriages, wagons and sleighs. The 63,000-square-foot (5,900 m2) facility features video displays, a fire hall, carriage factory, restoration shop, working stable, carriage rides, carriage rentals, a restaurant, and a gift shop. Guided tours are offered for free. On April 9, 2006, the museum was briefly mentioned on TV in Canada as a destination of Patty and Selma's vacation during the Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore episode of The Simpsons.
The Carriage House Theatre
This theatre was constructed in 1912 by Mark Spencer, and underwent renovations in 1937 and 1992. It seats 350 and hosts films, community theatre and professional summer theatre, which has produced such shows as Seussical, Oklahoma, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Card Pioneer Home
A genuine "Little House on the Prairie", it was built by Cardston’s founder Charles Ora Card in 1887, and served as a community centre and stopping place for travellers until the first hotel was built in 1894. The log structure stands in its original location and is open for public visits as a Registered Provincial Historic site.
Courthouse Museum
The Courthouse Museum shows how a rough country changed dramatically. The unique sandstone structure was built in 1907 from stone quarried near Cardston. The building’s profile and interior stand as a monument to Cardston’s early pioneer artisans. It was used longer than any other courthouse in Alberta. The building displays the judge's bench, witness box, and other artifacts. Original jail cells, including graffiti, can be found. The Courthouse Museum is a Registered Provincial Historic site

Regional attractions

Waterton Lakes National Park

Waterton Lakes National Park is a national park in the southwest corner of Alberta, 40 km (25 mi) west of Cardston, and borders Glacier National Park in Montana, USA. Waterton Lakes was Canada's fourth national park, formed in 1895. Amid the peaks are the lakes of Waterton Lakes National Park, carved out of the rock by glaciers.

Frank Slide Interpretive Centre

On April 29, 1903, at 4:10 a.m., the mining town of Frank, Alberta, was devastated by 82 million tonnes of limestone crashing down from Turtle Mountain. The Frank Slide Interpretative Centre in the Crowsnest Pass, 130 km (81 mi) northwest of Cardston, tells of one of the geatest natural disasters in Canadian history.

Castle Mountain Ski Resort

Castle Mountain Resort 90 km (56 mi) west of Cardston has kilometres of groomed skiing runs, natural half pipes, deep fresh powder, short lift lines and wide open spaces.

Writing On Stone Provincial Park

Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, 125 km (78 mi) east of Cardston, is one of the largest areas of protected prairie in the Alberta park system, a nature preserve and protection for rock art created by Plains People. There are 50 rock art sites, with thousands of figures, as well as archaeological sites.

Police Outpost Provincial Park

Police Outpost Provincial Park is 32 kilometres (20 mi) south of Cardston, on the Canada/United States border, on the shores of Outpost Lake.

Education

Schools include the Cardston High School, the Cardston Jr. High School (formerly Eastridge Elementary School), and Cardston Elementary School which are all under the Westwind School Division.

Former schools include Leeside (grades 1 and 2 - torn down in the late 1980s to make way for the Remington-Alberta Carriage Centre) and Westside. The building that housed many of the junior high facilities, E.J. Wood School (including the gymnasium near the current high school), Parkland School, and John S. Smith Schools were torn down in 1993 as the junior high moved to the former Eastridge building. The Cardston High School underwent extensive renovations in the early 2000s, including an expansion to its gymnasium, much-improved fitness and weight room facilities, wider hallways, and a new cafeteria.

Media

Historical newspapers

The Cardston News (1928-1958) and Cardston Record (1898-1899) have been digitized from microfilm and are available through the University of Lethbridge Library digitized collections.

Notable people

Fay Wray Fountain, Cardston

See also

References

  1. "Municipal Officials Search". Alberta Municipal Affairs. April 15, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
  3. "Alberta Private Sewage Systems 2009 Standard of Practice Handbook: Appendix A.3 Alberta Design Data (A.3.A. Alberta Climate Design Data by Town)" (PDF) (PDF). Safety Codes Council. January 2012. pp. 212–215 (PDF pages 226–229). Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  4. Cardston Diamond Jubilee Committee (1962). Cardston jubilee : 1887-1962 : Jubilee Souvenir. p. 28.
  5. Shaw, Keith (1978). Chief mountain country : a history of Cardston and district. Volume I. Cardston: Cardston and District Historical Society. p. 45. ISBN 0-919213-89-8.
  6. "Cardston, Alberta". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 (in English and French). Environment Canada. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  7. Alberta Municipal Affairs (2009-09-15). "Alberta 2009 Official Population List" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-09-14.
  8. Statistics Canada. "Canada 2006 Census: Cardston - Community Profile". Retrieved 2007-06-10.
  9. Town of Cardston - Demographics
  10. http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/10/07/mayor-of-cardston-alberta-says-party-animal-citizens-dont-need-alcohol-in-dry-town/
  11. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/cardston-holds-plebiscite-on-lifting-ban-on-alcohol-in-mostly-mormon-town-1.2788673
  12. 1 2 Strathern, Gloria M. (1988). Alberta Newspapers, 1880-1982: An Historical Directory. University of Alberta. pp. 56. ISBN 0-88864-137-0.
  13. “Elder Victor L. Brown Dies at 81,” Ensign, May 1996, 105.
  14. “Elder Merlin R. Lybbert of the Second Quorum of the Seventy,” Ensign, May 1989, 98.
  15. "Strate, Grant", The Canadian Encyclopedia, accessed 2007-12-17.
  16. Jay M. Todd, “Edward J. Wood: ‘Faith Personified’,” Ensign, September 1988, 50.
  17. William Addams Reitwiesner, Ancestry of Fay Wray, accessed 2007-12-17.

External links

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