Carseland, Alberta
Encyclopedia
Carseland is a hamlet
in Alberta
, Canada
within Wheatland County
. It is located on Highway 24, approximately 23 km (14.3 mi) south of Cheadle, Alberta
and 26 km (16.2 mi) south of Strathmore
.
It is within Alberta Census Division No. 5
.
When the Military Colonization Company, which Strange had founded ceased to exist, the Canadian Pacific Railway
(CPR) permitted free grazing on their 3000000 acres (12,140.6 km²) on the north side of the Bow and it attracted many new settlers to the area.
The Addemans, Moffats and McGregors purchased the Horsetrack from the Goldfinchs and started the Horsetrack Cattle Company in 1901. Others such as Groves, Moorhouse, Brown, McHughes, McKinnon and Newbolts soon followed.
When the open range came to an end most of the areas cattlemen became the first grain farmers of the district.
In 1903, the CPR brought irrigation to its large land acquisitions in the Carseland area.
As the land prospered and more product was being shipped by rail to market, the CPR began construction of the Gleichen/Shepard cut-off in 1913. These rails carried troops to the First World War
in 1914.
Due to its proximity to the river crossing and railway, Carseland grew rapidly into a prosperous community during the 1920s through 1940s. It boasted six grain elevators, a railway station, school, general store, barber shop and pool-room, post office, restaurant, garage and Ford
car dealer, well house, lumber yard, hardware store, meat market, bank, stock yards, two churches, hotel and community centre. Only three original buildings still standing on Railway Avenue are the hotel, the post office and the former hardware store.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
within Wheatland County
Wheatland County, Alberta
Wheatland County is a municipal district in south-central Alberta, Canada, east of Calgary.It is located in Census Division 5. The municipal seat is the Town of Strathmore.-Demographics:...
. It is located on Highway 24, approximately 23 km (14.3 mi) south of Cheadle, Alberta
Cheadle, Alberta
Cheadle is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada, within Wheatland County. It is located on Highway 24, south of the Highway 1 and approximately east of the City of Calgary....
and 26 km (16.2 mi) south of Strathmore
Strathmore, Alberta
Strathmore is a town located along the Trans-Canada Highway in southern Alberta, Canada, east of the city of Calgary, within the boundaries of Wheatland County.- History :...
.
It is within Alberta Census Division No. 5
Division No. 5, Alberta
Division No. 5 is a census division in Alberta, Canada. It is located in the north-central portion of southern Alberta and its largest urban community is the Town of Strathmore.- Census subdivisions :...
.
History
The advent of the cattlemen in the late 1800s to the Bow River country west of the Blackfoot Indian Reserve brought men like: Major General Thomas Bland Strange (1881), Charlie Hawks, Colonel Arthur Goldfinch, Felix McHugh (1886) and Colonel Arthur Wyndham (1887) to the Carseland area.When the Military Colonization Company, which Strange had founded ceased to exist, the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
(CPR) permitted free grazing on their 3000000 acres (12,140.6 km²) on the north side of the Bow and it attracted many new settlers to the area.
The Addemans, Moffats and McGregors purchased the Horsetrack from the Goldfinchs and started the Horsetrack Cattle Company in 1901. Others such as Groves, Moorhouse, Brown, McHughes, McKinnon and Newbolts soon followed.
When the open range came to an end most of the areas cattlemen became the first grain farmers of the district.
In 1903, the CPR brought irrigation to its large land acquisitions in the Carseland area.
As the land prospered and more product was being shipped by rail to market, the CPR began construction of the Gleichen/Shepard cut-off in 1913. These rails carried troops to the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1914.
Due to its proximity to the river crossing and railway, Carseland grew rapidly into a prosperous community during the 1920s through 1940s. It boasted six grain elevators, a railway station, school, general store, barber shop and pool-room, post office, restaurant, garage and Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
car dealer, well house, lumber yard, hardware store, meat market, bank, stock yards, two churches, hotel and community centre. Only three original buildings still standing on Railway Avenue are the hotel, the post office and the former hardware store.