Mitford, Alberta

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Mitford is a ghost town in Alberta. Established in 1886, Mitford supported a sawmill, and later a coal mine, before being abandoned by 1898.

Ghost town City depopulated of inhabitants and that stays practically intact

A ghost town is an abandoned village, town, or city, usually one that contains substantial visible remains. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, prolonged droughts, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, pollution, or nuclear disasters. The term can sometimes refer to cities, towns, and neighbourhoods that are still populated, but significantly less so than in past years; for example, those affected by high levels of unemployment and dereliction.

Alberta Province of Canada

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 2015.

Contents

History

In 1885, T.B.H. Cochrane and his wife, Adela, exchanged their lease of 55,000 acres (223 km2; 86 sq mi) near High River for one just west of present-day Cochrane, Alberta. The next year, Cochrane associated himself with the Calgary Lumber Company and built a sawmill three miles west of present-day Cochrane, handling the vast amount of lumber on his lease. Although the Canadian Pacific Railway approached the mill from the east, tension built between Cochrane and the railway, as the railway did not like stopping at the mill due to the steep grades nearby. By 1888 the town contained an office, drug store and bunkhouses. By 1891 it had a school as well, meeting in the saloon. [1] It was named for a friend of Cochrane's wife. [2] [3]

High River Town in Alberta, Canada

High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada with a population of 13,584 (2016). It is 67.7 kilometres (42.1 mi) south of the City of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. High River is located approximately 54 km (34 mi) south of downtown Calgary.

Cochrane, Alberta Town in Alberta, Canada

Cochrane is a town in the Canadian province of Alberta. The town is located 18 km (11 mi) west of the Calgary city limits along Highway 1A. With a population of 26,320 in 2017, Cochrane is the second largest town in Alberta and one of the fastest growing communities in Canada. It is part of Calgary's census metropolitan area and a member community of the Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP). The town is surrounded by Rocky View County.

Sawmill facility where logs are cut into timber

A sawmill or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern saw mills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes. The "portable" saw mill is iconic and of simple operation—the logs lay flat on a steel bed and the motorized saw cuts the log horizontally along the length of the bed, by the operator manually pushing the saw. The most basic kind of saw mill consists of a chainsaw and a customized jig, with similar horizontal operation.

However, the success of the sawmill was limited. Most of the good quality fir to be found in the area was never sold, instead ironically being used to construct a railway designed to transport the lumber to market. [4] In 1888, a coal mine began operation in the area, with the distinct advantage of having the sawmill's railway nearby to transport the coal to market. In 1890, it became obvious that both operations were doomed to fail, closing the same year. In an effort to save the town, T.B.H. Cochrane established a brickyard using material found just north of Mitford. In 1893, that operation was also closed, due to the inferior quality of its product. After the closing of the brickyard, the town fell into decline, before it was abandoned in 1898. Before its desertion, Mitford housed a store, a school, a hotel, a restaurant, a medical practice, and an Anglican church. The steam engine used on Mitford's railway was sold to a British Columbia mill, and the Canadian Pacific Railway ceased making regular stops at the town. [2]

Fir genus of plants

Firs (Abies) are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range. Firs are most closely related to the genus Cedrus (cedar). Douglas firs are not true firs, being of the genus Pseudotsuga.

Brickyard factory for the manufacture of building materials made ​​of baked clay or loam

A brickyard, or brickfield, is a place or yard where the earthen building material called bricks are made, fired, and stored, or sometimes sold or otherwise distributed from. Brick makers work in a brick yard. A brick yard may be constructed near natural sources of clay or on or near a construction site if necessity or design requires the bricks to be made locally.

Anglican Church of Canada church organization in Canada

The Anglican Church of Canada is the province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French-language name is l'Église anglicane du Canada. In 2007, the Anglican Church counted 545,957 members on parish rolls in 2792 congregations, organised into 1676 parishes. The 2011 Canadian Census counted 1,631,845 self-identified Anglicans, making the Anglican Church the third-largest Canadian church after the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of Canada. The Queen of Canada's Canadian Royal Style continues to include the title of Defender of the Faith, and the Canadian Monarch continues her countenance of three Chapels Royal in the Realm.

Today

In 1898 a fire started in the Chinese restaurant, destroying most of the town. In 1899, the town's church was moved to Cochrane, and today all that remains is the town's cemetery, which currently stands on private property. [2] [5]

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References

  1. ↑ Buckley, Evelyn (1976). Chaps and Chinooks : A History west of Calgary. Volume 1. Foothills Historical Society. p. 93.
  2. 1 2 3 Read, Tracey (1983). Acres and empires : a history of the Municipal District of Rocky View no. 44. Irricana: Tall-Taylor Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
  3. ↑ "T.B.H. Cochrane and the "Betsy" Logging Line". Atlas of Alberta Railways. University of Alberta Press. 2005. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
  4. ↑ Read, Tracey (1983). Acres and empires : a history of the Municipal District of Rocky View no. 44. Irricana: Tall-Taylor Publishing Ltd. p. 91. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
  5. ↑ Johnnie Bachusky. "Mitford". GhostTowns.com. Retrieved 2010-02-07.

Coordinates: 51°12′51″N114°33′03″W / 51.21417°N 114.55083°W / 51.21417; -114.55083

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.

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