How old is lethbridge alberta

According to Environment Canada, Lethbridge ranks eighth overall for windiest city. Temperatures in Lethbridge can fluctuate quite dramatically with the effects of the Chinook winds. Lethbridge is not all dry prairie, we get just enough moisture to green the coulees the Oldman River Valley and allow for thick urban forests of poplar, elm and birch to grow. A coulee is a steep-sided v-shaped valley or ravine. What is a Chinook? It is the result of westerly winds from the Pacific Ocean losing their moisture over the Rocky Mountains and descending as warm, dry, gusty winds onto the prairies.

The Lethbridge High Level Bridge, called a viaduct by Canadian Pacific Railway engineers, is the longest-highest bridge of its type in the world.

Recent News. Road Closure — Block of 9 Avenue South. Peenaquim Park fence installation. Remembrance Day Service Level Changes. Structure fire in north Lethbridge. This makes it the second windiest city in Canada. Lethbridge enjoys an unique phenomenon known as the Chinook winds. Characterized by a highly visible "Chinook Arch" in the western sky, warm Pacific winds flow over the Canadian Rocky Mountains onto the Alberta prairies.

These winds can raise the temperature from freezing to melting in a matter of hours, providing welcome relief from the rigors of the Canadian winter. By the late s the traders were also aware of the abundance of coal here. American adventurer and entrepreneur Nicholas Sheran began to mine a coal seam on the west side of the Belly Oldman River, about metres Galt lost no time in advising his father, Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt, of the potential of a mining operation.

The elder Galt was interested in the idea because he knew that a trans-continental railway was to be built on a route across the southern prairies.

The railway and the settlers it would bring would make a profitable market for coal. Sir Alexander Galt hired William Stafford and Captain Nicholas Bryant to examine five possible sites for a large coal mining operation.

Sir Alexander Galt created the company with the participation of English investors. The railway wanted In riverboats were tried as a means of hauling coal to market.

The boats — Alberta, Baroness and Minnow — were plagued by low water and strong currents to the point that they were discarded in favour of construction of a narrow gauge railway.

Sir Alexander Galt received government help to build the narrow gauge line from Lethbridge to Dunmore Junction, and it was officially opened by the Governor General on 24 September Coal was lifted up to the narrow gauge railway from the drift mines by means of an inclined railway.

However, shaft mines were soon started at prairie level. By about men were employed and they mined about Coal production peaked during World War I, when miners in 10 large mines extracted 1,, The coal industry gradually declined after with the development of oil and natural gas resources. The last mine at Lethbridge, Galt No. All the mines in the region extracted only a fraction of the available coal. The seam still lies about Estimates are that about The Lethbridge region formed part of the homeland of the Blackfoot Confederacy, who resisted European penetration of their territory until the s.

European fur traders along the North Saskatchewan River first came into contact with the Blackfoot, and applied their name to the entire Confederacy.

In the American Army outlawed trade in alcohol with Native people in Montana. American traders looked to Canada for new opportunities. John J. Healy and Alfred B.

Hamilton took advantage of the newly created North West Territories, and in December finished Fort Hamilton near the junction of the St. Mary and Belly now Oldman Rivers. The fort was one of a series of posts established on the southern prairies.

The whiskey trade did great harm to Native people and their culture, which flourished for 10, years before the arrival of the whiskey traders. The excesses of the whiskey trade peaked with the massacre of Assiniboine Indians by Americans in the Cypress Hills. The Canadian government resolved to stop the trade. In the Blood people chose the region between the St. Mary and Belly now Oldman Rivers as their reserve. Alberta Family Histories Society.

Alberta Genealogical Society. Sitting on a hillside, the University of Lethbridge is an unique building that appears to emerge out of the coulee hills. Architect Arthur Erickson designed University Hall which has received international acclaim for its architectural originality and functional design. The University Hall opened in Lethbridge Community College opened in as the first public community college in Canada.

On 14 February , the college's executive council voted to change the name of the college to Lethbridge College. Lethbridge College offers preparatory studies, vocational training, and university transfer programs in 50 career fields, leading to one-year certificates, two-year diplomas, apprenticeships, and bachelor's degrees. Lethbridge College provides applied bachelor's degrees while other bachelor's degrees are available in collaboration with the University of Alberta, Athabasca University, University of Calgary, and University of Lethbridge.

Red Crow Community College was founded in under the direction of the Blood Tribe Chief and Council Education Committee as an adult education center, being the first to educate students for post secondary level. Adult upgrading, continuing, and community education remain a critical focus of the curriculum.

It was established in by Mr. Reeves, a professional secretary and instructor. Reeves provides diploma courses in business, education and healthcare. As a mining town, Lethbridge was never wealthy. Tree-shaded streets in residential neighbourhoods dating back to the turn of the 20th century are lined with modest wood-frame houses; brick and stone were rarities as residential construction materials. The city's last coal mine was shut down in ; however, its tipple, water tower and machinery buildings still exist and are a reminder of the city's mining heritage.

In , the university moved to a new campus on the west side of the river. Up until this point the west side of the river had been a sparsely populated rural area.

This major new investment prompted a westward shift in the orientation of the city. With the construction of the university came a new road bridge and many new residential neighbourhoods in West Lethbridge. In , the CPR marshalling yards were relocated outside the city, making a large land parcel in the core of the city available for redevelopment.

Because of this, the downtown saw substantial investment in the s and s, including a diverse mix of commercial, housing and public-sector redevelopment. The Oldman River Valley bisects the city, and a chain of parks runs from south to north through the valley bottom. Galt Gardens, an inner-city park covering four blocks, forms the core of the downtown, while Henderson Lake and Nicholas Sheran parks provide artificial water bodies in suburban areas.

The Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden is a striking feature on the shores of Henderson Lake, drawing attention to the city's Japanese community. Lethbridge has an unusual mix of cultural and ethnic groups. Mormons occupy a prominent place in the economic and social life of the city. Though they live in colonies outside the city, Hutterites are a distinctive part of the downtown scene, especially on Thursdays when they appear in the core area to shop and socialize.

The Blood Reserve, Canada's largest reserve in terms of land area, lies just west of the city, and a growing number of First Nations people have been attracted to Lethbridge's urban lifestyle and its employment opportunities. A number of Mennonite churches and Buddhist temples, as well as a Muslim centre add further variety to Lethbridge's cultural life.

Recreational sports are accommodated in ice arenas, indoor pools, baseball and softball diamonds, and an indoor soccer complex. The award-winning Southern Alberta Art Gallery hosts a variety of travelling exhibitions in the downtown area while the University of Lethbridge has one of the largest art collections of any university in Canada. Casa, an interdisciplinary arts centre, accommodates an exhibition gallery, classrooms and studios for visual and performing arts.

Overlooking the river valley, the Sir Alexander Galt Museum and Archives houses permanent and travelling exhibitions depicting the history of the region. Located in a nature reserve, the Helen Schuler Coulee Centre offers opportunities to explore the natural history and ecosystem of the Oldman River Valley. Lethbridge The website for the City of Lethbridge, Alberta. Search The Canadian Encyclopedia.