Fort Macleod
Fort Macleod
Macleod (1884–1952) | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Town of Fort Macleod | |
![The NWMP fort in Fort Macleod, which is now a museum[1]](/translate/en.wikipedia.org?u=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FFile%3AFort_Macleod.JPG&t=hv) | |
  Fort Macleod Location of Fort Macleod inAlberta | |
| Coordinates:49°43′32″N113°23′51″W/ 49.72556°N 113.39750°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Region | Southern Alberta |
| Census division | 3 |
| Municipal district | Municipal District of Willow Creek No. 26 |
| Incorporated[2] | |
| •Town | December 31, 1892 (as Macleod) |
| • Name change | April 1, 1952 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Brent Feyter |
| • Governing body | Fort Macleod Town Council |
| • Manager | Anthony Burdett |
| •MP | John Barlow(Foothills) |
| •MLA | Chelsae Petrovic(Livingstone-Macleod) |
| Area (2021)[4] | |
| • Land | 22.54 km2(8.70 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 945 m (3,100 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 3,297 |
| • Density | 146.2/km2(379/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−7(MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6(MDT) |
| Postal code span | |
| Area code | +1-403 |
| Website | Official website |
Fort Macleod(/məˈklaʊd/mə-KLOWD) is a town insouthern Alberta,Canada. It was originally namedMacleodto distinguish it from theNorth-West Mounted Policebarracks (Fort Macleod, built 1874) it had grown around. The fort was named in honour of the thenCommissioner of the North-West Mounted Police,ColonelJames Macleod.Founded as the Municipality of the Town of Macleod in 1892, the name was officially changed to the already commonly used Fort Macleod in 1952.[7]
History
[edit]
The fort was built as a 70 by 70 metres (230 ft × 230 ft) square on October 18, 1874. The east side held the men's quarters and the west side held those of the Mounties. Buildings such as hospitals, stores and guardrooms were in the south end. Stables and the blacksmith's shop were in the north end.
The town grew on the location of the Fort MacleodNorth-West Mounted Police(NWMP) Barracks, the second headquarters of the NWMP afterFort Livingstonewas abandoned in 1876.[8]Fort Macleod was originally established in 1874 on a peninsula along theOldman River,then moved in 1884 to the present town location.[9]TheMuseum of the North-West Mounted Policeis located in Fort Macleod.[1]
Once agricultural settlement and the railway came to the region, Macleod boomed. The town became adivisional pointfor theCanadian Pacific Railwayand frontier wood construction began to be replaced by brick and sandstone. In 1906 a fire devastated the downtown and destroyed most of the wooden buildings. From 1906 to 1912 Macleod had its greatest period of growth, as more new brick and stone building replaced the destroyed wooden ones. Then in 1912 the CPR moved the divisional point and 200 jobs toLethbridge,devastating the local economy. Fort Macleod ceased to grow, and in 1924 was forced to declare bankruptcy. Until the 1970s, the town's economy stagnated and the buildings from the turn-of-the-century remained untouched.[10]
In 1978Alberta Culturestarted to inventory the downtown buildings, and in 1982 the downtown became Alberta's first "Provincial Historic Area". As well,Heritage Canadastarted a Main Street Restoration Project in 1982, aiming to preserve the sandstone and brick buildings, some dating back to 1878.[10][11]
Demographics
[edit]In the2021 Census of Populationconducted byStatistics Canada,the Town of Fort Macleod had a population of 3,297 living in 1,342 of its 1,440 total private dwellings, a change of11.1% from its 2016 population of 2,967. With a land area of 22.54 km2(8.70 sq mi), it had a population density of146.3/km2(378.8/sq mi) in 2021.[4]
In the2016 Census of Populationconducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Fort Macleod recorded a population of 2,967 living in 1,226 of its 1,426 total private dwellings, a-4.8% change from its 2011 population of 3,117. With a land area of 23.41 km2(9.04 sq mi), it had a population density of126.7/km2(328.3/sq mi) in 2016.[12]
Geography
[edit]The town is located in theMunicipal District of Willow Creek No. 26,at the intersection ofHighway 2andHighway 3,on theOldman River.It lies west of the larger community ofLethbridge,near thereservesof thePeiganandKainaiFirst Nations.It is also located close to theWaterton Lakes National Park.
The town is located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) north of the McBride LakeWind Farm,one of the largest wind farms in Alberta. The wind farm has a capacity of 75megawattsof electricity.
Climate
[edit]Fort Macleod experiences ahumid continental climate(Köppen climate classificationDfb).
The community enjoys frequent breaks from cold spells in winter when theChinook windblows down-slope from theRocky Mountains.A Chinook on 27 February 1992 caused the temperature to rise to 26.5 °C (80 °F).[13]
The highest temperature ever recorded at Fort Macleod was 102 °F (38.9 °C) on 7 July 1896, 18 July 1910, and 17 July 1919.[14][15][16][a]The coldest temperature ever recorded was −49 °F (−45.0 °C) on 2 February 1905, 17 December 1924, and 28 January 1929.[17]
| Climate data for Fort Macleod, 1971–2000 normals, extremes 1876–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 19.8 (67.6) |
26.5 (79.7) |
27.8 (82.0) |
32.2 (90.0) |
34.5 (94.1) |
38.3 (100.9) |
38.9 (102.0) |
37.2 (99.0) |
36.7 (98.1) |
31.0 (87.8) |
26.1 (79.0) |
25.0 (77.0) |
38.9 (102.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −1.3 (29.7) |
1.9 (35.4) |
6.7 (44.1) |
12.7 (54.9) |
18.0 (64.4) |
22.4 (72.3) |
25.6 (78.1) |
24.8 (76.6) |
19.1 (66.4) |
14.3 (57.7) |
4.2 (39.6) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
12.4 (54.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −7.1 (19.2) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
0.4 (32.7) |
6.0 (42.8) |
11.1 (52.0) |
15.4 (59.7) |
18.0 (64.4) |
17.2 (63.0) |
11.8 (53.2) |
7.2 (45.0) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
−5.8 (21.6) |
5.7 (42.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −13 (9) |
−10.4 (13.3) |
−5.9 (21.4) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
4.1 (39.4) |
8.3 (46.9) |
10.4 (50.7) |
9.5 (49.1) |
4.4 (39.9) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
−11.5 (11.3) |
−1 (30) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −45 (−49) |
−45 (−49) |
−36.7 (−34.1) |
−23.3 (−9.9) |
−15 (5) |
−10 (14) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
−17.8 (0.0) |
−28 (−18) |
−38.9 (−38.0) |
−45 (−49) |
−45 (−49) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 21.0 (0.83) |
17.8 (0.70) |
27.5 (1.08) |
37.7 (1.48) |
57.2 (2.25) |
61.2 (2.41) |
46.5 (1.83) |
50.0 (1.97) |
46.2 (1.82) |
18.9 (0.74) |
20.2 (0.80) |
20.9 (0.82) |
425.0 (16.73) |
| Source:Environment Canada[17][18][19][20] | |||||||||||||
Sports
[edit]
The town is home to theFort Macleod Mustangs,Senior AA men'shockeyteam of the Ranchland Hockey League.[21]
Media
[edit]Fort Macleod's local weekly newspaper is theFort Macleod Gazette.[22]
- Historical newspapers[23]
- Macleod Advertiser— published May 25, 1909, through September 11, 1913
- Macleod Chronicle— in print approximately July 1908 through June 1909
- Macleod Gazette— early issues were entitledThe Macleod Gazette and Alberta Stock Record
- Macleod News— ran from November 2, 1916, through to June 1919
- Macleod Spectator— lasted from April 30, 1912, until October 26, 1916
A selection of historical newspapers from Fort Macleod have been digitized from microfilm and are available in theSouthern Alberta Newspaper Collectionfrom theUniversity of LethbridgeLibrary digitized collections. Included are:Macleod Advertiser(1908–1913),Macleod Chronicle(1908–1909),Macleod Gazette(1897–1907),Macleod News(1916–1919), &Macleod Spectator(1912–1916).
Notable people
[edit]- Henrietta Muir Edwards(1849–1931), women's rights activist
- Frederick Maurice Watson Harvey(1888–1980), Irish-Canadian soldier andrugby unionathlete
- Sir Frederick Haultain(1857–1942), formerpremierof theNorth-West Territories
- Joni Mitchell(born 1943), musician
- Ryland Moranz(born 1986), musician
- Constantine Scollen(1841–1902), missionary
- John Wort Hannam(born 1968), musician
Film
[edit] | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(April 2021) |
The 2005romanticdrama filmBrokeback Mountainwas filmed in part in Fort Macleod. The laundry apartment is located at 2422 Third Avenue, where a sign is posted marking the "passionate reunion" of Jack and Ennis.Passchendaelewas also filmed in Fort Macleod's historic downtown, which acted as a stand-in forCalgarycirca 1915. Scenes involving the dust storm andMatthew McConaughey's character were also filmed in Fort Macleod inChristopher Nolan's 2014 filmInterstellar,where the giant dust clouds were created on location using large fans to blow cellulose-based synthetic dust through the air.[24]Francesco Lucente's motion picture dramaBadlandwas filmed mostly in Fort Macleod. Francesco Lucente lived in Fort Macleod from 1974 to 1978. His father Salvatore Lucente owned the American and Queens Hotels during that time.
The downtown historic buildings were also used in the 2021 filmGhostbusters: Afterlife.
This site was also used as a filming location for 2023 TV SeriesThe Last of Us.
See also
[edit]- Fort Macleod Airport
- List of communities in Alberta
- List of towns in Alberta
- RCAF Station Fort Macleod
References
[edit]- ^abMuseum of the North-West Mounted Police
- ^"Location and History Profile: Town of Fort Macleod"(PDF).Alberta Municipal Affairs.October 7, 2016. p. 463.RetrievedOctober 13,2016.
- ^"Municipal Officials Search".Alberta Municipal Affairs.May 9, 2019.RetrievedOctober 1,2021.
- ^abc"Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities)".Statistics Canada.February 9, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 9,2022.
- ^"Alberta Private Sewage Systems 2009 Standard of Practice Handbook: Appendix A.3 Alberta Design Data (A.3.A. Alberta Climate Design Data by Town)"(PDF)(PDF). Safety Codes Council. January 2012. pp. 212–215 (PDF pages 226–229). Archived fromthe original(PDF)on October 16, 2013.RetrievedOctober 8,2013.
- ^"Population and dwelling counts: Canada and population centres".Statistics Canada.February 9, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 13,2022.
- ^"Location and History Profile: Town of Fort Macleod".Alberta Municipal Affairs.June 14, 2013.RetrievedJune 17,2013.
April 01, 1952... Name changed to the Town of Fort Macleod
- ^Historic Fort LivingstoneArchivedMarch 12, 2007, at theWayback Machine
- ^Fort Macleod historyArchived2006-06-25 at theWayback Machine
- ^ab"Main Street History".Archived fromthe originalon 2006-06-25.Retrieved2006-06-23.
- ^Alberta First.Fort Macleod OverviewArchived2010-08-01 at theWayback Machine
- ^"Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta)".Statistics Canada.February 8, 2017.RetrievedFebruary 8,2017.
- ^Environment Canada—Canadian Climate Data,accessed 2 August 2016
- ^Environment Canada—Canadian Climate Data,accessed 2 August 2016
- ^Environment Canada—Canadian Climate Data,accessed 2 August 2016
- ^Environment Canada—Canadian Climate Data,accessed 2 August 2016
- ^abEnvironment Canada—Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000Archived2013-11-30 atarchive.today,accessed 3 April 2010
- ^Environment Canada—Canadian Climate Data,accessed 2 August 2016
- ^Environment Canada—Canadian Climate Data,accessed 2 August 2016
- ^Environment Canada—Canadian Climate Data,accessed 23 April 2022
- ^"RHL – About Us".Ranchland Hockey League. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-03-04.Retrieved2011-03-09.
- ^Fort Macleod Gazette
- ^Strathern, Gloria M. (1988).Alberta Newspapers, 1880-1982: An Historical Directory.University of Alberta Press. pp. 125–126.ISBN0-88864-137-0.
- ^Frank McTighe (August 28, 2013)."Hollywood star Matthew McConaughey in Fort Macleod to film scene from 'Interstellar'".Macleod Gazette.RetrievedJanuary 9,2015.
- Famous Five Foundation biography of Henrietta Muir Edwards
- http://www.usask.ca/history/buffalo/About%20Buffalo.htmArchived2020-11-11 at theWayback Machine
- ^A temperature of 109 °F (42.8 °C) was recorded on 21 July 1877, but this value appears to be incorrect given the elevation of Fort Macleod and the irregularity of observations in that year.
External links
[edit]
Places adjacent to Fort Macleod | ||||||||||||||||
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49°43′32.1″N113°23′51.1″W/ 49.725583°N 113.397528°W
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
- 1892 establishments in the Northwest Territories
- Forts or trading posts on the National Historic Sites of Canada register
- Hudson's Bay Company forts
- Municipal District of Willow Creek No. 26
- National Historic Sites in Alberta
- North-West Mounted Police forts
- Provincial Historic Areas of Alberta
- Towns in Alberta
- 1892 establishments in Alberta