Three transcontinental railway lines traverse Alberta from east to west. The pioneer line, the Canadian Pacific, crosses the province in the southerly section. The main line running through Medicine Hat and Calgary ascends the valley of the Bow and threads the Kicking Horse Pass on its way to the Pacific coast. Leaving the main line at Medicine Hat, the Canadian Pacific Company also operates a line connecting Medicine Hat with Lethbridge, and crossing the mountains by way of the Crowsnest Pass, proceeds to, ward tidewater. Besides these through lines the company has constructed a complex system of branch lines. The chief of these are the line running north and south and connecting Edmonton with Calgary and that running east from Edmonton and giving the latter city direct touch with Winnipeg. The Canadian Pacific continues steadily its policy of expansion and during the decennial period, 1905-15, this com pany's mileage in Alberta increased from 1,060 to 1,909. In 1906 a rival railway, the Canadian Northern, appeared on the scene, laying down that year 178 miles of steel. In 1909 and the following years, encouraged by liberal finan cial support from the provincial legislature, the Canadian Northern carried out an ambi tious program of construction. In 1915 the company's mileage in Alberta had risen to 1,247. In this same year the Canadian Northern Rail way transcontinental line following the valley of the North Saskatchewan, and connecting Edmonton via the Yellowhead Pass with Van couver, was also put into operation. In 1908 the Grand Trunk Pacific, in course of construc tion as a transcontinental, began to build in Alberta. With assistance from both the Do minion and provincial governments, this com pany's system steadily grew. In 1914 the main line connecting Winnipeg, Edmonton and Prince Rupert, was opened to traffic. At the close of 1915 the Grand Trunk Pacific Com pany was operating 707 miles of railway in the province. Apart, however, from the line run ning north from Edmonton some 90 miles to Athabasca, the northerly half of the province— a hinterland known to be rich in resources and into which settlers were pouring — was with out railway communication. In 1912, as a re sult of contracts entered into between the pro vincial government and a group of capitalists, construction was commenced on the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway run ning in a northwesterly direction from Edmon ton to the Peace River Valley. This line is now in operation to Peace River, there coming in touch with the vast system of northern nav igable waterways. Under the name of the Al berta and Great Waterways, this group is also engaged in the building of a line in a north easterly direction from Edmonton to McMur ray on the Athabasca River. At this point great mineral resources will be made available and connection given also via the Athabasca River with navigable streams and lakes lead ing to the Mackenzie and thence to the Polar seas. The total mileage of railways in the province of Alberta at the close of 1915 was 4,423 miles — showing an average annual in crease for the decennial period of 332.3 miles.
The population of the prov ince has in late years shown rapid growth. Ac cording to the Dominion census of 1901 it to talled 73,022. In 1911 official figures gave a return of 374,663. The population according to census of 1916 is 496,525. In recent years heavy immigration has taken place, especially from the British Isles and the United States. Settlers in considerable num bers have also come into the province from Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Scandina vian countries. The census of 1911 shows the chief religions to be represented as follows: 66,351 Presbyterians, 62,193 Roman Catholics, 61,844 Methodists, 55,628 Anglicans, 43,311 Lutherans, 19,491 Baptists, 18,149 Greek Church, 2,628 Congregationalists, 1,524 Mennonites, 1,207 Jews. Numerous minor varieties of re ligious faith are also represented.
Education is by law free and compulsory. Owing, however, to difficulties arising from rapid settlement and imperfect transportation, it has proved neither always wise nor always possible rigidly to enforce compulsory attendance at school. Any section
of the province may be erected into a school district provided (1) it does not exceed four miles in length or breadth; (2) it contains four persons liable to assessment and eight children between the ages of 5 and 16. The number of schools down to the close of the year 1914 was 2,027 and the number of children enrolled 89, 910. All schools are subjected to regular in spection by government officials and the annual examinations in the upper grades are conducted directly by the provincial department of educa tion. Tile school system is supported by and by grants in aid made by the pro vincial government. By the terms of the British North America Act, a certain percentage of the Crown lands was set apart for the endow ment of public education. In Alberta, sections 11 and 29 in every township are designated for this purpose. The money accruing from the sale of these lands is held by the Dominion government in trust for Alberta and the in come paid to the province for the support of the school system. For the training of teachers two normal schools have been established one at Calgary and one at Camrose. Instruc tion in manual arts, domestic science and vo cational training generally is provided for in the Institute of Technology and Manual Arts in Calgary. In 1908 the University of Al berta was founded. This is a state institution and occupies a site of 258 acres fronting the Saskatchewan in the city of Edmonton. It is well equipped with buildings and There are in operation faculties of arts and sciences, applied science, medicine, law and agriculture, and schools of pharmacy, account ancy and dentistry. The enrolment of students in 1915-16 was 418. Nowhere perhaps in Amer ica has professional education been brought so completely under direct and central public con trol as in Alberta. This has been accomplished by making the University of Alberta on behalf of the province responsible for the conduct of the licensing examinations of practically ail the professional societies.
History and The history of Alberta may be summarized in a word or two. It has consisted largely in the efforts of the government to keep pace in the provision of educational and transportation facilities with the tide of settlement pouring into a new coun try. Schools, roads, bridges, necessary public buildings, the encouragement of methods of farming suited to the province, the organiza tion of the country generally—in the record of these efforts consists the history of Alberta since the province came into being. The gov ernmental system of Alberta resembles that of most of the Canadian provinces. Representing the Crown there is a lieutenant-governor ap pointed from Ottawa, a single popular chant ber, known as the legislative assembly, of 53 members elected on a suffrage equally shared by men and women. Executive power lies in the hands of a cabinet of seven members, who must hold seats in the legislature and are re sponsible to it. The Liberal party has been in power since the Autonomy Act of 1905. The first premier was the Hon. A. C. Rutherford, who as the result of a political crisis was suc ceeded in 1910 by the Hon. A. L. Sif ton.
Chief Cities and Towns.— Edmonton, the provincial capital and seat of the provincial university, is picturesquely situated on both banks of the North Saskatchewan. The city has handsome public buildings, is a very im portant railway centre and has a population of 53,846. Calgary is a substantial and prosperous manufacturing and commercial city located at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers and commanding a beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains. The population is 56,514. Leth bridge, population 9,436, and Medicine Hat, population 9272, are busy industrial com munities. Other important towns are Red Deer, Wetaskiwin, Lacombe, Macleod, Cam rose, Stettler, Olds, Cardston, Vegreville, Ver milion and Peace River.