Endiang, Alberta is a hamlet

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 the County of Stettler No. 6

Stettler County No. 6, Alberta

The County of Stettler No. 6 is a municipal district in central Alberta, Canada.-Demographics:In 2006, the County of Stettler No. 6 had a population of 5,216 living in 1,846 dwellings, a 2.6% decrease from 2001. The county has a land area of and a population density of .In 2001, the population...

. It is located approximately 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) southeast of Stettler, Alberta

Stettler, Alberta

Stettler is a town in Alberta, Canada. It is located east of Red Deer at the junction of Highway 12 and Highway 56. The town is located in the eastern region of central Alberta and nicknamed "The Heart of Alberta."- History :...

.

Although Endiang enjoyed fair prosperity in the early years of the 20th century, the Great Depression

Great Depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

, World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, and years of poor weather have led to the depopulation of the local farming community, and with it, of the hamlet. In former years, Endiang was home to a post office, two general stores, two hardware stores, bank, train station, grain elevators, hotel and pool hall, gas station, tractor dealership, lumber yard, and all the other establishment expected in most towns. Today, Endiang is still home to a post office, community hall, and a small restaurant.

The hamlet is located in census division

Census division

Census division is an official term in Canada and the United States. The census divisions of Canada are second-level census geographic unit, below provinces and territories, and above "census subdivisions" and "dissemination areas". In provinces where they exist, the census division may correspond...

 No. 7

Division No. 7, Alberta

Division No. 7 is a census division in Alberta, Canada. It is located in the southeast corner of central Alberta and its largest urban community is the Town of Wainwright.- Census subdivisions :...

 and in the federal riding

Alberta federal electoral districts

As of 2006, the province of Alberta has 28 electoral districts represented in the Canadian House of Commons.*Calgary Centre*Calgary Centre-North*Calgary East*Calgary Northeast*Calgary Southeast*Calgary Southwest*Calgary West*Calgary—Nose Hill*Crowfoot...

 of Crowfoot

Crowfoot (electoral district)

Crowfoot is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968.It is in the central part of the province, and is named in honour of Chief Crowfoot, leader of the Blackfoot First Nations in the 19th century.This electoral district...

.

History

A little known fact about Endiang is that during the cold war

Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

 it was considered the place most likely for conflict between the U.S.S.R.

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 and the U.S.A.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 to begin. If the Soviet Union were to have fired a missile first, and the American military were to respond, it was considered likely that the two missiles would collide over Endiang. This fact was immortalised in the poem "Armageddon at Endiang, Alberta".

An interesting bit of history is that the original settlement of Endiang was located about 5 kilometers northeast of the present hamlet and was established by William Foreman on his homestead in 1910. It was named for a summer resort hotel the Foreman family owned in the Muskoka Lakes region of Ontario, named "Endiang," from the Anishinaabe language Endaayaang, meaning "our home". The tiny settlement included a post office, store and hall. When the CNR built a railroad through the area in 1925 it missed the original settlement, so with the aid of horse power the buildings were moved to the new site of Endiang.

Endiang is also notable for being the home to the Shaben family, some of whom were involved in the establishment of the first mosque in Alberta.

NHL hockey player Darcy Tucker who played for Montreal, Tampa Bay, Toronto and Colorado was raised at Endiang and his family still resides there.

The history of the Endiang area was first recorded in local author Jean James' book This Was Endiang. In 2002 the history of the area was updated with family histories included in the book "Endiang - Our Home". The latest 650 page history book was the project of the Endiang History Book Committee.

The Endiang community celebrated their Centennial on July 23–25, 2010.

Geography and climate

Endiang is located on a plain bounded by ranges of hills to the west and south, and by Sullivan Lake, a large alkali lake to the east. The Chain Lakes lie to the southwest. Its geography and climate is similar to that of most other prairie areas of East-Central and Southern Alberta, experiencing cold winters broken up by Chinook wind

Chinook wind

Chinook winds , often called chinooks, commonly refers to foehn winds in the interior West of North America, where the Canadian Prairies and Great Plains meet various mountain ranges, although the original usage is in reference to wet, warm coastal winds in the Pacific Northwest.Chinook is claimed...

s, and warm, dry summers. In recent years, Endiang has experienced both extreme droughts and extreme wet conditions, having a great impact on the local farming community, although this sort of weather pattern is typical of other such areas found in Palliser's Triangle

Palliser's Triangle

Palliser's Triangle, or the Palliser Triangle, is a largely semi-arid steppe region in the Prairie Provinces of Western Canada that was determined to be unsuitable for agriculture because of its unfavourable climate. The soil in this area is dark brown or black in color and is very nutrient-rich....

.

Endiang's closest neighbor is the small hamlet of Byemoor, located about 8 miles (12.9 km) to the west. Together the two communities are commonly referred to as "Endmoor".

Demographics

As of 2006, Endiang had a total population of 35 living in 14 dwellings. With a land area of 0.7 km² (0.270271511014775 sq mi), it has a population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 of 50.2 /km2.

Flora and fauna

Endiang, and the surrounding area is notable for its wide variety of wildlife: the characteristic native flora are prairie

Prairie

Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...

 plants, interspersed with stands of aspen

Aspen

Populus section Populus, of the Populus genus, includes the aspen trees and the white poplar Populus alba. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high altitudes in the mountains. The White Poplar, by...

, willow

Willow

Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...

 (including silver willow), and other shrubs, such as saskatoon berry

Saskatoon berry

Amelanchier alnifolia, the saskatoon, saskatoon berry, serviceberry, sarvisberry or juneberry is a shrub with edible berry-like fruit, native to North America from Alaska across most of western Canada and in the western and north central United States. Historically it was also called "pigeon berry"...

.

Characteristic native fauna include such prairie animals as Pronghorn

Pronghorn

The pronghorn is a species of artiodactyl mammal endemic to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is often known colloquially in North America as the prong buck, pronghorn antelope, or simply antelope, as it closely resembles the true antelopes of the Old World and...

, Richardson's Ground Squirrel

Richardson's Ground Squirrel

Richardson's ground squirrel , or the flickertail, is a North American ground squirrel in the genus Urocitellus...

, Coyote

Coyote

The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...

, Garter Snake

Garter snake

The Garter snake is a Colubrid snake genus common across North America, ranging from Alaska and Canada to Central America. It is the single most widely distributed genus of reptile in North America. The garter snake is also the Massachusettsstate reptile.There is no real consensus on the...

s, and numerous species of birds, amphibians, and rodents. Many species common to similar parkland environments can also be found around Endiang, such as Moose

Moose

The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...

, Whitetailed Deer and Mule Deer

Mule Deer

The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...

.

Hunting

Endiang has long been known for its excellent hunting

Hunting

Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...

 grounds, especially rich in fall-migrating

Bird migration

Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...

 waterfowl

Waterfowl

Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....

, which feed on the harvest residue

Crop residue

There are two types of agricultural crop residues:Field residues are materials left in an agricultural field or orchard after the crop has been harvested. These residues include stalks and stubble , leaves, and seed pods...

 in the farm fields surrounding Sullivan Lake. Large flocks of Ross's Geese

Ross's Goose

The Ross's Goose is a North American species of goose.The American Ornithologists' Union places this species and the other two "white" geese in the genus Chen rather than the more traditional "grey" goose genus Anser.This goose breeds in northern Canada, mainly in the Queen Maud Gulf Migratory...

 and Snow Geese

Snow Goose

The Snow Goose , also known as the Blue Goose, is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The genus of this bird is disputed...

 are common visitors, as are Canada Geese, and numerous types of duck.

Deer and moose have also become popular in recent years.