Carstairs, Alberta

Carstairs
Town
Town of Carstairs
Main street in Carstairs
Flag Coat of arms
Carstairs Location of Carstairs in Alberta
Coordinates: 51°33′43″N 114°05′43″W / 51.56194°N 114.09528°WCoordinates: 51°33′43″N 114°05′43″W / 51.56194°N 114.09528°W
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Calgary Region
Census division	6
Municipal district	Mountain View County
Incorporated[1]
• Village	May 15, 1903
• Town	September 1, 1966
Government[2]
• Mayor	Lance Colby
• Governing body	Carstairs Town Council
• CAO	Carl McDonnell
• MP	Earl Dreeshen, Red Deer-Mountain View
• MLA	Nathan Cooper
Area (2011)[3]
• Total	11.53 km^2 (4.45 sq mi)
Elevation[4]	1,060 m (3,480 ft)
Population (2011)[3]
• Total	3,442
• Density	298.4/km^2 (773/sq mi)
Time zone	MST (UTC-7)
Postal code	T0M 0N0
Area code(s)	+1-403
Highways	Highway 2A
Website	Official website

Carstairs is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located on Highway 2A, 241 kilometres (150 mi) south of the provincial capital, Edmonton, and 48 kilometres (30 mi) north of Calgary, the nearest major city. The closest neighbouring communities are the towns of Didsbury and Crossfield. Carstairs is located entirely within the rural Mountain View County.

Named after Carstairs, Scotland, Carstairs began life as a loading platform on the railway connecting Calgary to Edmonton. The first post office opened in 1900.^[5] The first school district was established in 1901.^[6]

Demographics

In the 2011 Census, the Town of Carstairs had a population of 3,442 living in 1,311 of its 1,397 total dwellings, a 27.5% change from its 2006 adjusted population of 2,699. With a land area of 11.53 km² (4.45 sq mi), it had a population density of 298.5/km² (773.2/sq mi) in 2011.^[3]

In 2006, Carstairs had a population of 2,656 living in 1,019 dwellings, a 17.8% increase from 2001. The town has a land area of 5.00 km² (1.93 sq mi) and a population density of 531.2/km² (1,376/sq mi).^[7]

Transportation

First Student Canada provides commuter bus service to Calgary from Didsbury and Carstairs.^[8] The service loads commuters at the Carstairs Curling Club.^[9]

Amenities

Old Dominion Hotel

Carstairs is home to an 18-hole golf course, a Memorial Complex with abundant parks and playgrounds, and Tourist Information Center. Just west of town is the Silver Willow 9-hole golf course. Carstairs has historically been an agricultural community, as it once had seven grain elevators. It celebrates each year with the Ranch Rodeo in June, Beef & Barley Days and the annual rodeo in July, the High School Rodeo in September, 4-H Calf Show and Sale, Bull-A-Rama, Horticultural Show, and Pumpkin Festival.

There are seven churches in the town, including the Carstairs Church of God, St. Agnes Catholic Church, and the Carstairs Bancroft United Church. One of the churches is being used as a museum that often has religious services.

History of Carstairs

The origins of the Town of Carstairs dates back centuries to a network of trails collectively known as the Ancient Trail (also referred to as The Old North Trail and the Wolf Track). This important transportation corridor passed through the Carstairs area. Several prominent rock formations along river and creek beds were found in the district, and these were known resting and stopping sites for First Nations people as they moved up-and-down this corridor.^[10]

As the fur trade developed and settlement grew, the newcomers to the region adopted the same network of trails that had been used for centuries. In 1883, one of those newcomers, Sam Scarlett, setup a Stopping House at one of the prominent rock formations along the Rosebud River.^[11] “Scarlett’s” became an important and popular stop along the Calgary Edmonton Trail - frequented by freighters, the NWMP, military and the various stage coach lines.^[12]

When the Calgary & Edmonton Railway arrived in 1890, the surveyors made an allotment for a siding, station house, and townsite to be built in relative proximity to Scarlett’s Stopping House. However, to avoid crossing the Rosebud River at that point, the rail line was laid approximately 4 km west of Scarlett’s.^[13]

Named ‘Carstairs’ the new townsite’s development started-off slowly, but by the turn of the 20th Century, the area began a steady growth pattern that allowed it to be official recognized as Carstairs, NWT on May 15, 1903. The name changed to Carstairs, Alta in 1905 when Alberta received official Provincial status.^[14]

Over 100 years later, Carstairs still continues to grow and remains a vital piece of the transportation corridor that defines our region. For more information on the history of Carstairs, visit the Carstairs Heritage Centre

See also

• List of communities in Alberta
• List of towns in Alberta

References

1. "Location and History Profile: Town of Carstairs" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. October 7, 2016. p. 127. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
2. "Municipal Officials Search". Alberta Municipal Affairs. 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
3. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
4. "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). Retrieved October 8, 2013.
5. Carstairs History Book Committee (1995). Beyond our Prairie Trails, V. 1 Community history. p. 47. ISBN 1-55056-249-5.
6. Francis, Alyce (c. 1976). Carstairs School Days. p. 9.
7. Statistics Canada. "Canada 2006 Census: Carstairs - Community Profile". Retrieved 2007-06-10.
8. "Didsbury/Carstairs Commuter" (PDF). First Student Canada. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
9. "Transportation". Town of Carstairs. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
10. McCLINTOCK, WALTER (1910). THE OLD NORTH TRAIL. http://sacred-texts.com/nam/pla/ont/index.htm: London: Macmillan and Co. ISBN 0-8032-8258-3.
11. "Edmonton Bulletin". December 8, 1883.
12. "Edmonton Bulletin". 1883.
13. "Calgary Herald". August 27, 1890.
14. "Alberta Gazette". June 15, 1903.

External links

• Official website