Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada Lethbridge, Alberta Canada Where is Lethbridge? A few facts Canada • Land mass of 9.985 million km² (3.8 million miles2) • Population 37.59 million Alberta • Land Mass of 661,848 km² (255,541 miles2) • Population 4,421,876 Lethbridge • Land mass of 122 km² (49 miles2) • Population 101,482 • Third largest city in Alberta • The commercial, financial, transportation and industrial centre of southern Alberta. • Approximately 2 hours drive to Calgary, 5 hour drive to Edmonton, 1and ½ hour drive to Medicine Hat and 1 hour drive to the Rocky Mountains Lethbridge Friendship Force • The Friendship Force Club of Lethbridge club is proud to be the first in Canada, celebrating it’s 25th anniversary in 2019 • We have 30 members, some who have been in the club for years • Our program normally includes a welcome reception, visits to local attractions, or taking day trips to Waterton National Park or other nearby attractions, a farm/country beef barbecue, hosted suppers and a farewell dinner • Our entire membership participates by taking part in receptions and dinners, and there is opportunity to meet most of our members Alberta Friendship Force Clubs Edmonton Calgary Medicine Hat Lethbridge Lethbridge History • Before the 19th century, the Lethbridge area was populated by several groups of First Nations • In 1869 a whiskey trading post was established near the future site of Lethbridge. The post's nickname became Fort Whoop-Up British & Colonial Photo Co (Publisher) . Old Fort-Whoop Up 1874 near Lethbridge, Alta.. Lethbridge: British & Colonial Photo Co., Lethbridge, Alta, c1909. • In 1874 drift mining (a near-horizontal passageway in a mine) for coal started in the area • By the start of the 20th Century, the mines employed about 150 men and produced about 300 tonnes of coal each day • After WWI, an increase in oil and natural gas production caused a decline in coal production, and the last mine in Lethbridge closed in 1957 • The Lethbridge Research and Development Centre was established in 1906 and is the second largest facilities within the Government of Canada’ s Agriculture and Agri-Food research network, conducting research in seven sector strategies: Argo- ecosystem Resilience, Cereals, Dairy, Pork, Poultry and Other Livestock, Forages and Beef, Horticulture, Oilseeds and Pulses • During the 1920s, rapid development of agriculture begin in southern Alberta with the widespread introduction of irrigation • Today there are 13 irrigation districts in southern Alberta covering approximately 525,000 hectares (1.3 million acres). There are approx. 2,500km (1500 miles) of irrigation canals in Southern Alberta . Alberta is the capital of irrigation in Canada . • Primary crops in this region include canola, corn, potatoes, sugar beets and pulses in addition to significant livestock and dairy production • To learn more about Sugar Beets (Click here) • There are more than 120 agri-food processing business in the region producing food and/or feed for local consumption and export • In 1993 one of the first commercial Canadian wind farms was installed on Cowley Ridge in southern Alberta. Currently there are 27 wind farms in Southern Alberta with approximately 1000 turbines and more being built • Lethbridge has become the commercial, financial, transportation and industrial center of southern Alberta Unique attractions Fort Whoop-Up • The Fort is a replica of an original fur trading fort built in the late 1800s. The Fort tells the story of this region and the people here from the mid-1860s to the early 1890s. It is a complex story that includes the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), other First Nations, Métis, Canadians, Americans and British High Level Bridge • The Canadian Pacific Railway’s massive Lethbridge Viaduct, or High Level Bridge as it’s often called, is over a century old and it’s the highest and longest steel railway trestle bridge in North America Indian Battle Park • The park is home to Fort Whoop-up and the High Level Bridge • The park was developed in 1960 and commemorates the Battle of the Belly River held in the area on 24 October 1870 between the Blackfoot and the Cree. A formal peace treaty between the two nations was reached in 1871 Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden • The Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden combines the beauty of nature in a serene setting. It was established to recognize contributions made by citizens of Japanese ancestry to the multi-cultural community of Lethbridge and is a symbol of international friendship Arts and Culture • Galt Museum and Archives • Lethbridge Symphony • Lethbridge Military Museum • Southern Alberta Art Gallery • Casa Community Arts Centre, Yates and Sterndale Bennett Theatres Parks Lethbridge is home to: • 130 parks and natural areas • 240 km of walking and running trails, playgrounds and sports fields throughout the city. • Helen Schuler Nature Centre Education • Lethbridge has 35 public, catholic and private schools – 22 elementary schools (K – 5) – 7 middle schools (6 - 8) – 6 high schools (9 – 12) • Lethbridge College offers over 60 career-training programs, applied degrees and apprenticeships, (including wind turbine Technician to support our wind farms) many of which are nationally recognized and nationally accredited. • University of Lethbridge is one of Canada's top- ranked universities and leading research institutions Recreation • Lethbridge has: – 6 ice arena’s – 5 indoor pools and 3 outdoor pools or spray parks – 140 sports fields • Lethbridge has hosted many provincial, national and world events in some of these recreation facilities Cultural Groups near Lethbridge Indigenous peoples • Blood Indian Reserve 148 (known as Kainai Nation) is a First Nations reserve which borders on the communities of Lethbridge, Fort Macleod and Cardston • It is inhabited by the Blood First Nation and was established under Treaty 7 • Largest reserve in Canada (land mass) and third most populated reserve with a population of 4,000 + Hutterite Brethren • Also called Hutterites, are an ethnoreligious group that is a communal branch of Anabaptists • Hutterites practice a near-total community of goods: all property is owned by the colony • Colonies often own large tracts of land for farming or run industrial hog, dairy, turkey, chicken and egg production operations. • Hutterites do not shun modern technology, but may limit some uses of it • Each colony may consist of about 10 to 20 families with a population of around 60 to 150. • There are 180 colonies in Alberta with 25 in the Lethbridge area Ethnicity • Lethbridge was 12.9% visible minorities and 7.1% aboriginal • The city is also the home of the largest Bhutanese community in Canada. • 87 percent of residents speak English as a first language (2011 Census) • Other languages include German, Spanish, Dutch, French, Chinese (unspecified), Tagalog, Polish, Hungarian, Japanese, Italian, Ukrainian, Nepali, Cantonese and Vietnamese Near by Attractions Waterton National Park • The prairies of Alberta meet the peaks of the Rocky Mountains in Waterton Lakes National Park. Clear lakes, thundering waterfalls, rainbow-coloured streams, colourful rocks and mountain vistas await hikers and sightseers Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump • An interpretive UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site that preserves and interprets over 6,000 years of the Plains Buffalo culture. Through vast landscapes, exhibits, and diverse programming, learn about the cultural significance of this cliff to the Plains Indigenous People Remington Carriage Museum • The museum tells the story of horse-drawn transportation in North America. The museum features interactive displays, horses, a working restoration shop, carriages, wagons, sleighs and fun activities for the whole family Frank Slide • On April 29, 1903, 110 million tonnes of rock crashed down on the town of Frank • It was one of the largest landslides in Canadian history and remains the deadliest, as between 70 and 90 of the town's residents were killed, most of whom remain buried in the rubble The Alberta Birds of Prey Centre • This is Canada’s largest birds of prey facility. • Situated on a 70-acre wetland area site the centre is a celebration of nature featuring the hawks, falcons, eagles and owls of Alberta Coyote Flats Pioneer Village • The Village is an assembly of buildings used by the people who shaped our history. Through the collection of buildings, artifacts and stories, the history of the region’s early settlers lives on There is much more to Lethbridge that is shown here. For more information: • City of Lethbridge https://www.lethbridge.ca/Pages/default.aspx • Tourism Lethbridge https://tourismlethbridge.com/ Sugar Beets video link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&fbclid=IwAR074xZm94_FVCdLw c1iOE2_9kcyuOwszyZ3YfCpokibTtfqg3ceucjNcS8&v=k9rg98Qao7w&feature=yout u.be.