Moving to Alberta

TRIVIA

• Alberta is one of the three prairie provinces.
• It is the fourth largest province.
• Saskatchewan is east of Alberta; British Columbia is west.
• The Northwest Territories are north of Alberta.
• The state of Montana is south.
• Alberta was named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, fourth daughter of Queen Victoria.
• Edmonton (capital city) and Calgary are the largest cities.
• Alberta’s flower – Wild Rose, tree – Lodgepole Pine, bird – Great Horned Owl, mammal – Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep
• Alberta’s motto – “strong and free”.
• It is known as Canada’s “energy province”.

THE PEOPLE

• Alberta is home to over 3.5 million people.(April, 2007)
• The largest cities are Edmonton (capital) and Calgary.
• More than half of the people live in these two cities.
• Immigrants came from Britain, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the East and Southeast Asia.
• Ethnic backgrounds
  • British (44 percent)
  • German
  • Ukrainian
  • French
  • Scandinavian
  • Dutch
  • and many other countries

HISTORY

• The first people settled in the area about 8000 years ago.
• In the woodland areas the Woodland Cree and Chipewyan tribes hunted moose, caribou and deer, fished and gathered plants and berries.
• They used bark canoes to travel up and down the streams.
• On the plains the Blackfoot, Blood, and Peigan hunted the bison and lived in tipis.
• Anthony Henday ( European explorer and fur trader ) came to Alberta in 1754.
• Fur traders built trading posts on the Athabasca River and North Saskatchewan River.
• Forts were built to keep law and order.
• The First Nations traded furs and received guns, blankets and metal goods.
• In 1874 The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) established their first post in Alberta at Fort Macleod.
• Alberta grew when the railroad was built in 1883.
• Early settlers were ranchers from England and the United States.
• Immigrants came from Ukraine, Germany, Romania and many parts of Europe to farm.
• Alberta became a province on September 1, 1905.

LAND AND WATER

• The main rivers are the Peace River, North and South Saskatchewan River, and Athabasca River.
• There are icefields in Banff and Jasper National Parks.
• The icefields help to fill the rivers.
• There are five national parks.
• Banff National Park is the oldest national park in Canada.
• Wood Buffalo National Park is the home to about 2200 wood buffalo (endangered).
• A large mountain range ( Rocky Mountains ) is along the western border.
• The badlands ( dry, sandy, rocky area) are in southeastern Alberta.
• Northern Alberta is covered with forest and muskeg.
• The rest of the province is on a great plain or prairie.

CLIMATE

• The foothills receive the most rainfall.
• Warm, dry “chinook” winds are produced when air funnels through the Rockies.
• Chinook winds sweep down on southern Alberta and raise temperatures in the winter.
• Cold arctic air masses bring cool weather in the winter.

RESOURCES

• Alberta has oil, natural gas, and coal.
• Oil was discovered at Leduc (near Edmonton) in 1947.
• It is the main producer of coal in Canada.
• Coal was first mined near Lethbridge in 1872.
• The province is also the main producer of oil and natural gas in Canada.
• Alberta sells the oil, natural gas and coal to other provinces and other countries.
• There is also sulfur, silica sand, potash, quartz, thick salt deposits, clay and limestone.
• Forests cover over half of Alberta.
• There is good soil for growing crops like oats, canola and barley.
• The main crop is wheat. Alberta is the second largest producer of wheat in Canada.
• Alberta is the only province to produce sugar from sugar beets.
• There are many dairy farms and cattle ranches.
• There are also poultry, hog and sheep farms.
• Most of the beef cattle in Canada are raised on ranches in the southern foothills.

PEOPLE AND PLACES

• The mountain scenery of Banff and Jasper national parks attracts thousands of tourists.
• Calgary stampede has bull riding, calf roping and wagon racing.
• Dinosaur Provincial Park is in the badlands.
• Historical sites include Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, Rocky Mountain House (fur trade) and the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village.
• A 9 m. high Ukranian Easter egg is displayed at Vegreville, east of Edmonton.
• Figure skater Kurt Browning (born in Caroline, Alberta) won four World Championships.
• Tantoo Cardinal (born in Fort McMurray) is a Canadian film and television actress.