Stirling, Alberta
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Village of Stirling | |||
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| Motto: Experience The History | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country |  Canada |
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| Province |  Alberta |
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| Region | Southern Alberta | ||
| Census division | 2 | ||
| County | Warner | ||
| Founder | Theodore Brandley | ||
| Founded | 1899 | ||
| Incorporated | September 3, 1901 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Larry Nilsson (Past mayors) |
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| - Village Manager | Scott Barton | ||
| - Governing body | Stirling Village Council | ||
| - MP | Rick Casson | ||
| - MLA | Broyce Jacobs | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 2.64 km² (1 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 935 m (3,068 ft) | ||
| Population (2006)[1] | |||
| - Total | 921 | ||
| - Density | 349.5/km² (905.2/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) | ||
| Postal code span | TOK 2EO | ||
| Area code(s) | +1-403 | ||
| Highways | Highway 4 Highway 61 Highway 846 |
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| Waterways | Etzikom Coulee Kipp Coulee Stirling Lake Milk River Ridge Reservoir |
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| Historic Sites | Galt Historic Railway Park Michelsen Farmstead |
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| Website: Village of Stirling Pictures Of Stirling |
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Stirling is a village in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located on Highway 4 31 km (19 mi) southeast of Lethbridge and 72 km (45 mi) northwest of the United States-Canada border.
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[edit] History
Stirling was founded on May 5, 1899 by Theodore Brandley. The town was one of two communities that owed its existence to a partnership between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Charles A. Magrath of the North Western Coal and Navigation Company, and is one of only three communities designated as a National Historic Site of Canada. Stirling was named after James Stirling, Managing Director of The Trusts, Executors and Securities Corporation of London, which owned shares in the Alberta Coal and Railway Company.[citation needed]
Theodore Brandley planned Stirling as one square mile, 640 acres. It was divided into lots of 10 acres; each had a surveyed road around the entire area with a lane running north and south, dividing it into two parcels. The parcels were then again divided, east and west, making four lots, each 2.5 acres, giving the residents room to build homes, barns and shelters for animals, and large gardens. The townsite was patterned after the Plat of Zion[2], which Stirling still follows today. It is recognized as the most well-preserved, Canadian example of the Plat of Zion. For this reason, Stirling is known as Stirling Agricultural Village[3]
[edit] New Stirling
After the first LDS settlers arrived on May 5, 1899, led by Theodore brandley, they helped plan the formal townsite of Stirling, with some help from Charles Ora Card. In 1912, the Alberta Rail and Irrigation lay a narrow gauge line diagonally from Lethbridge to Coutts that ran by Stirling. The Canadian Pacific Railway[4] bought the rail line and needed extra space for a junction point for the line between Raymond and Foremost. This junction was named New Stirling. In 1913, New Stirling’s name was changed to Maybutt, after Mr. William Fisher’s wife, May Butt. Mr. Fisher, was the original owner and planer of the town site of Maybutt and the first owner of the Prairie Queen Hotel.
[edit] Geography and climate
Stirling is in the municipal district of Warner, at the junction of Highway 4 and Highway 846, just north of the Milk River Ridge. It lies 31 km (19 mi) south-east of Lethbridge.
| Coordinates: | |
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| Elevation | 935 m (3,068 ft) |
| Land Area (square kilometre) | 2.64 km² (1 sq mi) |
[edit] Climate
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (May 2008) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
Stirling is subject to chinooks, which bring temperatures in mid-winter above 10 °C (50 °F). Chinooks bring more than 200 days of wind a year.
[edit] Economy
Throughout history, Stirling's economy has relied mainly on agriculture as a main industry. Stirling's location and rich history makes tourism another main industry. Stirling has a convenience store, a creamery, a large concrete Terminal grain elevator[5], a wooden grain elevator that is now used as a hemp plant, a pool, a community-owned campground, and a community park known as Centennial Park.
[edit] Demographics
In 2006, Stirling had a population of 921 living in 299 dwellings, a 5.0% increase from 2001. The village has a land area of 2.64 km² (1 sq mi) and a population density of 349.5/km² (905.2/sq mi).[1] The 2007 municipal census reported Stirling had grown to 951.[citation needed]
According to the 2001 Canadian census[6], of those respondents who indicated religious affiliation, all but 13% considered themselves Christian.
- Protestant: 78%
- Catholic: 9%
- No religious affiliation: 13%
- Christian Orthodox: 0%
- Christian (unspecified denomination): 0%
[edit] Attractions
Stirling's recreational facilities include ball parks, a swimming pool, a tennis court, a community centre, a picnic area and playgrounds.[7] The Milk River Ridge Reservoir south of Stirling supports water recreation in the summer months, and Stirling Lake, also known as Michelsen Marsh, north of Stirling supports bird watchers year-round.
[edit] Local attractions
- Stirling Settler Days
- See also: Stirling Settler Days and Stirling Agricultural Village
After Stirling's founding on May 5, 1899, the 24th of July, known as "Pioneer Day", now called Stirling Settler Days, was celebrated to mark the Mormon pioneers' arrival in the Salt Lake Valley.
- Michelsen Farmstead
- The Michelsen Farmstead[8] is a typical farmstead of the 1800s era, located in Stirling. It was declared a Provincial Historic Site of Alberta in 2001, and has been restored back to its original 19th century Victorian style.
- Galt Historic Railway Park
- The Galt Historic Railway Park[9] has displays of life and travel in the 1880s in the restored 1890 North West Territories International Train Station from Coutts, Alberta, Canada and Sweetgrass, Montana, USA. The station was moved to the current location just outside Stirling, in 2000.
- William T. Ogden House
- The William T. Ogden House is a Neo-Classical style house that is declared as a Provincial historic Site of Alberta located in Stirling. Every year around Halloween the owners of the home decorate the 7000sq ft house as a live haunted house, making it the largest haunted house in Southern Alberta.[10]
- Lost Frontier Mini-Railway
- The Lost Frontier Mini-Railway[11] is a small train park open by booking from May to October and is a very popular local attraction. Located on the grounds of the William T. Ogden Home, the park also has a petting zoo.
[edit] Regional attractions
- Devil's Coulee Dinosaur Heritage Museum
The Devil's Coulee Dinosaur Heritage Museum[12] features a Hadrosaur (duck-billed dinosaur) nest and embryo, ancient fossils, dinosaur models, located in the Village of Warner .
- Remington Carriage Museum
The Remington Carriage Museum houses the largest collection of horse-drawn vehicles in North America, with over 250 carriages, wagons and sleighs. International travelers acknowledge the display as one of the finest in the world. The 63,000 square foot facility features video displays, a fire hall, a carriage factory, a restoration shop, a working stable, carriage rides, carriage rentals, a restaurant and a gift shop. Guided facility tours are offered at no additional charge. The museum was briefly mentioned as a destination of Selma and Patty's vacation during the Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore episode of The Simpsons, much to the delight of the museum staff.
- Waterton Lakes National Park
Waterton Lakes National Park is a national park located in the extreme southwest corner of Alberta, Canada, 40 km west of Cardston, and borders Glacier National Park in Montana, USA. Waterton Lakes was Canada's fourth national park formed in 1895. The Rocky Mountains rise suddenly out of the rolling prairies in the park. Amid the peaks are the three Waterton Lakes, carved out of the rock by ancient glaciers.
- Writing On Stone Provincial Park
Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, 125 km east of Cardston, is one of the largest areas of protected prairie in the Alberta park system, and serves as both a nature preserve and protection for the largest concentration of rock art, created by Plains People. There are over 50 rock art sites, with thousands of figures, as well as numerous archeological sites.
[edit] Education
Stirling has one school that covers Kindergarten through grade 12 in the Westwind School Division. Enrollment for Stirling School[13] was 322 in 2006.
Stirling School is home to a few athletic teams, from volleyball to badminton, even golf, but is known for its undefeated Stirling Lakers.[citation needed]
[edit] Sports
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (May 2008) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
The high school girls basketball team won the 1A girls basketball provincial championships in 1997–1999. They placed in three other provincial championships between 1996 and 2006. The Lakettes won or placed second for 6 straight years between 1996–2003.
The high school boys basketball team won the 1A boys basketball provincial championships in 2001, 2003 and 2006. They placed second in three other provincial championships between 1996 and 2006. The Lakers have played in 6 of the last 10 championships.[14]
In 2006 the final game was a decisive 98-68 victory over the third-ranked Youngstown Falcons. Besides the provincial title, the Stirling Lakers recorded a season of 30 wins, 9 losses, and 3 other tournament champion titles, including the 1A South Zone Title, the Picture Butte Sugar King Invitational, and the Mccoy Invitational.
The Stirling Lakers followed up their 2006 season with another provincial title in 2007. The Lakers were victorious in the championship game over their rivals from Foremost. On their way to provincials, the Lakers were also crowned South Zone champions.
In 2008, Stirling hosted provincials and ended up winning their third provincial title in a row.
[edit] Media
Stirling has many different types of news papers such as Westwind Weekly, Lethbridge Herald, and Prairie Post. At one time, Stirling had a newspaper of its own called the Striling Star.[15]
- Lethbridge Herald, the most read newspaper in Lethbridge and Southern Alberta.[citation needed]
- Prairie Post, a news paper focused on Alberta and the southwest region of Saskatchewan.
- Stirling Star was Stirling's newspaper printed in New Stirling until the late 1930s.
- Westwind Weekly, a weekly newspaper featuring news from Stirling and surrounding communities.
[edit] Notable people
- Grant L. Spackman, member of the Royal Canadian Air Force for 5 years and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross medal from King George VI.[citation needed]
- Reg Kesler, a rodeo stock contractor who raised first class Bucking bronco bulls and resided on a ranch near Stirling.[citation needed]
- Theodore Brandley, one of the first missionaries called to Canada from his former home in Richfield, Utah; one of his missions was to helped colonize Stirling.[16]
[edit] See also
- Scottish place names in Canada
- List of national historic sites of Canada
- List of provincial historic sites of Alberta
- List of communities in Alberta
- Villages of Alberta
[edit] References
- ^ a b Statistics Canada (Census 2006). Stirling - Community Profile. Retrieved on 2007-06-09.
- ^ http://www.library.cornell.edu/Reps/DOCS/smith.htm Plat of the city of Zion, by Joseph Smith, Jr.
- ^ Parks Canada Village of Stirling National Historic Site of Canada, Parks Canada, accessed 2008-02-26.
- ^ History of the Canadian Pacific Railway http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0001322
- ^ Stirling Elevator http://waltonfeed.com/elevator/stirling.html
- ^ 2001 Community Profiles
- ^ Stirling's recreational facilities http://www.villageofstirling.com/Visit/Reunion%20Centre.htm
- ^ Michelsen Farmstead http://www.villageofstirling.com/Visit/Michelsen.htm
- ^ Galt Historic Railway Park http://www.villageofstirling.com/Visit/Galt.htm
- ^ http://www.freewebs.com/hauntedmansionstirling/index.htm Stirling's Haunted Mansion
- ^ Lost Frontier Mini-Railway http://www.freewebs.com/lostfrontierminirailroad/index.htm
- ^ Devil's Coulee Dinosaur Heritage Museum http://www.devilscoulee.com/Main.html
- ^ Stirling School http://www.westwind.ab.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=53&Itemid=88
- ^ Alberta Schools' Athletic Association website
- ^ Stirling Star http://www.telusplanet.net/public/vilstir/star.htm
- ^ Biography of Theodore Brandley http://waltonfeed.com/stirling/history/people/tbrandle.html
[edit] External links
- Stirling's National Historic Site Designation Ceremony
- Pictures Of Stirling
- Village of Stirling
- Flag of Stirling
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Lethbridge | Coaldale | Taber |
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| Magrath | New Dayton | Warner |
