Beynon, Alberta

Beynon
Beynon
	Unincorporated community
	Beynon
	Coordinates: 51°20′N112°47′W / 51.333°N 112.783°W Coordinates: 51°20′N112°47′W / 51.333°N 112.783°W
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Southern Alberta
Municipal district	Kneehill County

Last updated March 14, 2019

Beynon is an unincorporated community in south east-central Alberta, Canada.

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not governed by a local municipal corporation; similarly an unincorporated community is a settlement that is not governed by its own local municipal corporation, but rather is administered as part of larger administrative divisions, such as a township, parish, borough, county, city, canton, state, province or country. Occasionally, municipalities dissolve or disincorporate, which may happen if they become fiscally insolvent, and services become the responsibility of a higher administration. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. In most other countries of the world, there are either no unincorporated areas at all, or these are very rare; typically remote, outlying, sparsely populated or uninhabited areas.

Alberta is a western province of Canada. With an estimated population of 4,067,175 as of 2016 census, it is Canada's fourth most populous province and the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces. Its area is about 660,000 square kilometres (250,000 sq mi). Alberta and its neighbour Saskatchewan were districts of the Northwest Territories until they were established as provinces on September 1, 1905. The premier has been Rachel Notley since May 2015.

Canada is a country in the northern part of North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9.98 million square kilometres, making it the world's second-largest country by total area. Canada's southern border with the United States is the world's longest bi-national land border. Its capital is Ottawa, and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. As a whole, Canada is sparsely populated, the majority of its land area being dominated by forest and tundra. Consequently, its population is highly urbanized, with over 80 percent of its inhabitants concentrated in large and medium-sized cities, many near the southern border. Canada's climate varies widely across its vast area, ranging from arctic weather in the north, to hot summers in the southern regions, with four distinct seasons.

General description

Beynon is primarily a private 500+ acre ecological preserve. Located within a deeply sculpted portion of the Rosebud River valley, the area is recognized as being regionally significant.^{[ weasel words ]} Due to its topography, valley setting, and relative rarity in terms of biodiversity, Beynon protected its surrounding area by permanently protecting over 400 acres (1.6 km²) from development. This protection was achieved by way of an outright donation of land by Beynons founding family, who still own most of the unincorporated area called Beynon. The Nature Conservancy of Canada were the recipients of the 400-acre (1.6 km²) land donation in 1999.

A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research. Nature reserves may be designated by government institutions in some countries, or by private landowners, such as charities and research institutions, regardless of nationality. Nature reserves fall into different IUCN categories depending on the level of protection afforded by local laws. Normally it is more strictly protected than a nature park.

The Rosebud River is a major tributary of the Red Deer River in Alberta, Canada.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is Canada's leading national land conservation organization. A private, non-profit organization, NCC partners with individuals, corporations, and other non-profit organizations and governments at all levels to protect Canada's most important natural treasures — the natural areas that sustain Canada’s plants and wildlife. Properties are secured through donation, purchase, conservation agreement and the relinquishment of other legal interests in land and managed for the long term.

History

In 1892, Hugh Hesketh "Beynon" Biggs (1875–1941) emigrated from India and England to Canada, joining his friends the Ritchie brothers at the Springfield Ranche in the Rosebud River valley.^[1] At that time, the Springfield Ranche was little more than a sod roofed log cabin with the bare beginnings of a proper Ranch. Soon after Hugh arrived he began importing cattle stock and building a life in the then sparsely populated region. A more suitable log home was erected by 1901, which was later modernized and (as of 2006) still occupied by a family member. In 1912, with a new rail line being constructed through the Rosebud River valley dissecting the Springfield Ranche in the process, a need for a steam engine water supply tank and rail siding changed the setting permanently.

India, also known as the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh largest country by area and with more than 1.3 billion people, it is the second most populous country as well as the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, while its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north-northwest. The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.

A sod roof, or turf roof, is a traditional Scandinavian type of green roof covered with sod on top of several layers of birch bark on gently sloping wooden roof boards. Until the late 19th century, it was the most common roof on rural log houses in Norway and large parts of the rest of Scandinavia. Its distribution roughly corresponds to the distribution of the log building technique in the vernacular architecture of Finland and the Scandinavian peninsula. The load of approximately 250 kg per m² of a sod roof is an advantage because it helps to compress the logs and make the walls more draught-proof. In winter the total load may well increase to 400 or 500 kg per m² because of snow. Sod is also a reasonably efficient insulator in a cold climate. The birch bark underneath ensures that the roof will be waterproof.

Naming the rail siding "Beynon" after one of Hugh's given names began the development of a small village. On Hugh's property sprung up a country general store, blacksmith, school and little post office (both still standing as of 2006), and construction of two prairie style grain elevators on the rail siding. Corrals for the holding of cattle for transport were built, as was a 'Section house' for the rail line maintenance crews. By the late 1920s, Beynon was a small community, all built in the quarter section of property called Beynon, principally within the Springfield Ranch (now without the 'e' at the end).

A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut. Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, grilles, railings, light fixtures, furniture, sculpture, tools, agricultural implements, decorative and religious items, cooking utensils and weapons.

A grain elevator is an agrarian facility complex designed to stockpile or store grain. In grain trade, the term grain elevator also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lower level and deposits it in a silo or other storage facility.

With the increased mobility offered to communities in the region by the automobile, Beynon's future became less certain, and by the end of the 1940s it was clear that Beynon was not going to develop into a larger centre of population.^{[ citation needed ]} In 1955, the general store closed permanently, with the Beynon School having closed in 1949. The post office closed in 1978. The grain elevators were both closed and removed by 1980, leaving only 3 inhabitable houses (all occupied as of 2006).

Meanwhile, one of Hugh Beynon Biggs four daughters, Myrtle Agnes Beynon "Bud" Biggs (1912–1998) had developed into a conservationist and artist. With the reverting of the Beynon area to a more natural state, the establishing of an ecological preserve at Beynon began in earnest in 1968. By posting the Beynon property with "Ecological Preserve" signage, she became one of the regions most outspoken land stewards,^{[ citation needed ]} promoting ecologically sensitive land use practices and sustainable conservation of habitat, by example. Biggs family members still living and still using the Springfield Ranch house at Beynon decided that never-developed property held by the family would be protected from development for all time. This action was taken to ensure that future generations would be able to see at least a small example of the region's unique beauty before development became the norm in the region.^{[ citation needed ]}

Panoramic vista at Beynon. Photographed by Jason Thomas.

Trivia

The Beynon Canyon was featured in the cemetery scene from the 1978 film Superman: The Movie .^[2]

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References

↑ "Alberta History (Summer 1978)". 26 (3). Calgary Historical Society of Alberta: 13–20.
↑ The Making of Superman the Movie, David Michael Petrou, New York:Warner Books, 1978.

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[1] "Alberta History (Summer 1978)". 26 (3). Calgary Historical Society of Alberta: 13–20.

[2] The Making of Superman the Movie, David Michael Petrou, New York:Warner Books, 1978.