Alberta

ALBERTA, the most westerly of the three prairie provinces of Canada and the most recently developed, is bounded on the south by the U.S. along the 49° N. lat., on the east by Saskatch ewan along the IIo° W. long., on the north by lat. 6o° and on the west by British Columbia along the Rocky mountains water parting to lat. 54° and thence long. 120° W. It contains portions of three physiographical provinces, viz., that of the Rocky moun tains and foothill region, where the country is mountainous and rugged, and the strata much disturbed; that of the great plains, where the land forms are tabular and lower, and the strata are usually flat lying; and lastly, a small area of the Laurentian shield in the extreme north-east about Lake Athabasca. The true foothill country occupies a narrow belt in the south-west wholly more than 4,5ooft. above sea-level, and characterized by sharp, parallel north-west to south-east ridges from 5,00o to 7,000f t. in height. The front range of the Rockies in Alberta has an average height of 8,000 to 9,000f t., with many peaks over i o,000 feet. All the rest of Alberta is a land of plains and plateaux. In general this land sinks to the north and east from a general level in the south west of about 3, 5oof t. to 600ft. about the Slave river in the extreme north-east. This descent is not gradual, however, but takes place chiefly between a high plateau developed on Creta ceous and Tertiary rocks (2,00o to 3,000f t. ), which cover most of the province, and a lowland (600ft.) developed on Palaeozoic and Archaean rocks, in the extreme north-east. The zone of rapid descent runs diagonally from about Fort MacMurray on the Slave river, lat. 56° 45', to about where the Hay river leaves the prov ince in the north. The Athabasca and Peace rivers make great embayments into this upland, the flanks of which are known as the Cutknife (2,400f t. ), Caribou (3,3oof t.) and Birch (2, 5oof t. ) mountains (i.e., plateaux). Near the head of these embayments the Hay, Peace and Athabasca rivers are interrupted by rapids. South of this scarp line of the extreme north, the general surface level of the rest of Alberta is about 2,000 to 2,5ooft. but is studded with residual plateaux a few hundred feet higher, devel oped on Tertiary rocks. Such are the Swan hills and Hand hills, and in the extreme south, the Milk River ridge and Cypress hills —the last mentioned rising to 4,5ooft. with particularly rough topography. The developed prairie portion of the province lying between Edmonton and Lethbridge drains eastward by the north and south Saskatchewan river system. The larger, forested and undeveloped northern portion drains north by the Athabasca and Peace river systems. On the main plateaux, the river flood-plains are enclosed by precipitous walls, often several hundred feet high. Apart from the dissected edges of the residual plateaux, and the sharp trenches of the rivers, the prevailing relief is flat to gently rolling. In the drier southern parts of the province the plateaux and river scarps develop a bad-land topography.

The larger part of Alberta is forested, chiefly with conifers, but most settlement has taken place in the southern prairie area. The forest line runs west. of the Edmonton-Calgary-Macleod line, and the northern boundary is about the line of the North Saskatchewan eastward from Edmonton. On the inner side of these limits the prairie is invaded by a varying width of grove country, with scattered and usually small wood belts, chiefly of poplar and birch. Within this again lies the true prairie. Prairie and grove form less than one quarter of the province, but they are the scene of most of its development.

Climate.

The extreme continental type prevails. The win ters are very severe, but weeks of very low temperature are frequently interrupted by startling increases. This is due some times to warm southerly winds; sometimes to a Chinook effect with westerly winds. The summers show rather higher average shade temperatures than those obtaining in the same latitudes of western Europe. Actually the air is clearer, the sun temperature higher, the daily range greater, and the tendency to heat wave greater. The precipitation is everywhere small but rises to over 2oin. at the borders of the foothills. Elsewhere it varies from I t in. to i6in. over most of the province, the driest areas occurring in a broad belt of prairie land to the east of Calgary and Leth bridge. This is also in general the area of highest summer temper ature and longest growing seasons. Fortunately more than 65% of the precipitation is between May and September. Snowfall is light and is frequently rapidly cleared by the Chinook in the south.

Topography.

The whole of Alberta was glaciated, with the usual results of a rearranged river system, a ground-till ihinning out somewhat on the plateau levels, some areas of rough morainal topography, and many irregularly scattered lakes. Of these last some in the south-eastern dry belt are alkaline. The soils devel oped on the glacial till over most of the prairie area, under the influence of the climate and natural vegetation, are dark brown loams of great fertility. There are scattered areas of poor land, especially in the rough topography of the Milk River ridge and Cypress hills, and in the south, about the borders of Sas katchewan ; but the greater part of the prairie and grove areas is exceedingly fertile. The Porcupine hills and Bow river plateaux just east of the foothills, together with some of the Milk river plateau, are important ranch lands. The grass sun-cures in situ, but to ensure good results some winter feed in addition must be forthcoming. This (among other crops) is provided by the great Alberta irrigation works which have been made in the dry belt east of Calgary and Lethbridge. These works tap the Bow, Old Man, and St. Mary rivers where they emerge from the foothills (and at additional points lower down) and render irrigable an enormous area in a district where the average rainfall is less than iztin. and very variable. About 2o% only of the land which existing works have rendered irrigable is actually irrigated. The percentage is highest in the Lethbridge area, where there is a long growing season and diversified irrigated crops. The western Cana dian Pacific railway irrigation system is only on the verge of the arid belt, and the farmers, if conditions look promising, frequently do not irrigate but trust to the rainfall for their wheat crop. In the northern grove belt, and in the area of cleared bush, north and west of Edmonton, mixed farming predominates. In the centre and south of the developed area purely wheat farming is still the rule. Alberta, the last of the prairie provinces to be developed, has made enormous strides in the last few years in farm produc tion. On the middle Peace river in northern Alberta some rich open prairie forms a kind of oasis in the surrounding forests. The growing season, too, is longer (12o days) than in surrounding areas, and the soils are good. Recent settlement has been attracted to this country, which is now connected up by rail with Edmonton. This is the most northerly area (lat. 56°) of considerable farming settlement on the continent. Excellent grain and dairy produce is obtained. An outlet is to be sought across the Rockies to join the Prince Rupert line. There is a growing tendency for wheat shipment to take place via Vancouver instead of Winnipeg.

At three horizons in the Cretaceous sands and shales, coal-bear ing formations occur ; viz., in the Edmonton, Belly river, and Kootenay formations. The Kootenay (lower Cretaceous coals) are accessible only when brought to the surface in the Rocky mountains and foothill belt in elongated, detached basins, which run parallel to the Rockies. These coals are bituminous and some times anthracitic. The structure however is disturbed and the topography difficult. Eastward of the Rockies the rocks are little disturbed, though a major syncline and anticline determine the accessibility of coal seams in the Belly river and Edmonton for mations. The seams are thick and persistent over large areas, and little disturbed. The coals pass from sub-bituminous in the west to lignite in the east. Along the belts of accessible coal, mining occurs where there are railway connections. The reserves are enormous, and the present market is for the railways, for power stations in the larger towns, and for domestic fuel. Coal is sent over the border to Saskatchewan, and if freights can be brought low enough may eventually come into competition vvith American coals in populous southern Ontario. The chief mining areas at present are the Crow's Nest, Drumheller, Lethbridge, Edmonton and Mountain Park fields. Nearly six million tons were mined in 1925. Natural gas is piped to Edmonton, Calgary and Medicine Hat from the Viking, Bow Island, and Medicine Hat fields respectively. There are promising oil developments in the Turner Valley field in the foothills south-west of Calgary. Alberta has 475,000h.p. water power resources (calculated at ordinary minimum flow) of which 34,000h.p. is developed.

Transport.

There is an extensive development of railway now in the prairie and grove region, and the Rockies are crossed at three points, viz., the Yellow Head pass (C.N.R.), Kicking Horse pass (C.P.R.) and Crow's Nest (C.P.R.). The first two are through routes to Vancouver, and have, in addition to their normal traffic, a heavy summer tourist traffic. The last leads, by combined lake and rail routes, to the British Columbia southern mining and fruit growing valleys. Population, 1931, 731,6°5. The chief cities are Edmonton (capital, pop., 79,197) ; Calgary (83,761) ; Leth bridge (13,489) and Medicine Hat ( io,3oo).

History.

Alberta was administered as a part of the North west Territories after 187o and received provincial status in 19o5. Until the coming of the railway in 1883 there was little settlement, though the neighbourhood of Edmonton had acquired some importance from the collecting and furnishing of fur company stores situated on the navigable Saskatchewan near this point.

Administration.

Alberta sends a quota of senators (six nominated for life) and 17 members of the House of Commons, to the Dominion Government ; but has as well, like the other prov inces, a lieutenant governor appointed by the governor general, a legislative assembly with 6o members and an executive council. Woman suffrage is established in the province. Edmonton is the seat of government. Primary and secondary education is free and non-sectarian. There is a university at Edmonton.

In August 1935, William Aberhart, a former schoolteacher, was swept into power as Premier, on a programme based on theories of social credit propounded in London by Major C. H. Douglas. The be lief is that under-consumption restricts production. Premier Aber hart promised a "basic dividend" of $25 a month to every adult, at an approximate annual cost of $144,000,000. In April 1936 Al berta became the first Canadian province to default on repayment of bonds. The maturing issues totalled $3,200,000. (L. R. J.) See John Blue, Alberta (1924) .