Carseland Explained

Carseland
Settlement Type:Hamlet
Pushpin Relief:yes
Pushpin Map:Canada Alberta#Canada
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Carseland
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Canada
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Alberta
Subdivision Type2:Region
Subdivision Name2:Southern Alberta
Subdivision Type3:Census division
Subdivision Name3:5
Subdivision Type4:Municipal district
Subdivision Name4:Wheatland County, Alberta
Government Type:Unincorporated
Leader Title1:Governing body
Leader Name1:Wheatland County, Alberta Council
Established Title:Established
Area Footnotes: (2021)
Area Land Km2:0.56
Population As Of:2021
Population Total:542
Population Density Km2:963.2
Timezone:MST
Utc Offset:−07:00
Timezone Dst:MDT
Utc Offset Dst:−06:00
Coordinates:50.852°N -113.47°W
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Area Code:403, 587, 825
Blank Name:Highways
Blank1 Name:Waterways

Carseland is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada within Wheatland County. It is located on Highway 24, approximately 23km (14miles) south of Cheadle and 26km (16miles) south of Strathmore.

It is within Census Division No. 5.

History

The advent of the cattlemen in the late 1800s to the Bow River country west of the Blackfoot Indian Reserve brought men like: Major General Thomas Bland Strange (1881), Charlie Hawks, Colonel Arthur Goldfinch, Felix McHugh (1886) and Colonel Arthur Wyndham (1887) to the Carseland area.

When the Military Colonization Company, which Strange had founded ceased to exist, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) permitted free grazing on their 3000000acres on the north side of the Bow and it attracted many new settlers to the area.

The Addemans, Moffats and McGregors purchased the Horsetrack from the Goldfinchs and started the Horsetrack Cattle Company in 1901. Others such as Groves, Moorhouse, Brown, McHughes, McKinnon and Newbolts soon followed.

When the open range came to an end most of the areas cattlemen became the first grain farmers of the district.

In 1903, the CPR brought irrigation to its large land acquisitions in the Carseland area.

As the land prospered and more product was being shipped by rail to market, the CPR began construction of the Gleichen/Shepard cut-off in 1913. These rails carried troops to the First World War in 1914.

Due to its proximity to the river crossing and railway, Carseland grew rapidly into a prosperous community during the 1920s through 1940s. It boasted six grain elevators, a railway station, school, general store, barber shop and pool-room, post office, restaurant, garage and Ford car dealer, well house, lumber yard, hardware store, meat market, bank, stock yards, two churches, hotel and community centre. Only three original buildings still standing on Railway Avenue are the hotel, the post office was formerly the Carseland Meat Market owned by the Bonitz family (and is now in the one strip mall) and the former hardware store - all of which were built in 1916.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Carseland had a population of 542 living in 218 of its 224 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 525. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2021.[1]

As a designated place in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Carseland had a population of 525 living in 215 of its 228 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 568. With a land area of 0.57km2, it had a population density of in 2016.[2]

Economy

Carseland's main employers include Nutrien, Orica and Stella-Jones.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Population and dwelling counts: Canada and designated places . . February 9, 2022 . February 10, 2022.
  2. Web site: Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta) . . February 8, 2017 . February 13, 2017.