Humans: Their Demographics, Employment, & Infrastructure Chapter 6 Prepared by David Leonard, Brad Stelfox, and Bob Wynes Summary Points • People have resided in northwest Alberta since the retreat of glacial ice sheets 7–10 thousands years ago. In the 18 th century, the predominant culture of northwest Alberta was the Beaver Nation. To the west were Sekani and to the north were Slavey, all of them Athapascan in origin. • Prior to the mid-1800’s nearly all people in northwest Alberta were aboriginal (primarily Beaver and Cree) and lived a lifestyle characterized by small, dispersed, nomadic communities. In 1899-1900, Treaty 8 was signed by the First Nations of the region, and scrip distributed to the Metis. Aboriginal people are now mainly sedentary and occupy Indian reserves and Metis settlements which vary from small (<100 ha: Jackfish Point Indian Reserve) to very large (>170,000 ha: Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement). Today, many aboriginal people choose to live off reserves. • The fur trade brought vast changes to the life-style of the Beaver, particularly in social organization which was no longer tribal. The Beaver suffered much by way of disease and starvation throughout the 19 th century, and many thought they would not survive as a people. By the turn of the century, there were fewer than 500 Beaver in the Peace River Country. • Euro-Canadian people, initially attracted by fur-trading, prospecting, and agricultural opportunities have increased steadily in number during the last 1.5 centuries and now outnumber aboriginal people by 10–12:1. • Transportation has always been a concern to people in the Peace River Country. The first arteries of the region were the rivers, in particular the Peace River. Initially, land travel had been on foot, but, by the 1820’s, horses were common in the area, and were used by the Indians. During the early fur trade era, york boats were common, but, with their limited carrying capacity, they came to be replaced by scows and barges. In 1882, steamboat traffic began on the Peace east of Fort Vermilion. By the 1880’s, most travelers used the Athabasca Landing Trail from Edmonton, then went up the Athabasca and Lesser Slave Rivers to Lesser Slave Lake, and then, from the west end of the lake, took an old trail to Peace River Crossing. The Peace was then crossed, and the travelers proceeded on land to Dunvegan. • Prior to the mid-1960’s, the Euro-Canadian population of northwest Alberta was largely rural in distribution and dependant on an agricultural lifestyle. While agriculture continues to be an important direct or indirect employer, farms have become progressively fewer and larger, and populations residing in urban settings are now approximately equal to those living on farms or rural settings. • The people of northwest Alberta, in comparison to the rest of Alberta or Canada, are relatively young, have high birth rates, and low death rates. The young population of northwest Alberta is attributed to immigration episodes related to the emergence of the energy and forestry sectors. • In terms of work force size, the larger employers in northwest Alberta are, in declining order: agriculture, retail trade, education services, health services, construction services, and the oil and gas sector. Humans: Their Demographics, Employment, & Infrastructure 6-1 Table of Contents Summary Points.............................................................................................................................................................1 Table of Contents...........................................................................................................................................................2 List of Tables.................................................................................................................................................................3 List of Figures................................................................................................................................................................3 The Human Population..................................................................................................................................................6 The First Nations – A Historical Overview ..............................................................................................................6 Reference Sources..............................................................................................................................................18 Historical Trends in Human Populations................................................................................................................20 Population Size...................................................................................................................................................20 A Transition from Rural to Urban Distribution..................................................................................................20 Towns and Cities................................................................................................................................................21 Indian Reserves and Metis Settlements..............................................................................................................21 Human Resource Values.........................................................................................................................................40 Significant Historic Sites....................................................................................................................................40 Age Class Structure ................................................................................................................................................42 Natality, Mortality, and Rates of Change in Human Populations...........................................................................47 Employment Structures...........................................................................................................................................49 Transportation and Utilities Infrastructure...................................................................................................................52 The History of the Transportation Network in northwest Alberta..........................................................................52 Current Road and Railway Network.......................................................................................................................71 Aviation Network ...................................................................................................................................................77 Electrical Grid Network...............................................................................................................................................79 Communications and Utilities; A Historical Review...................................................................................................81 References ...................................................................................................................................................................88 General Cited References .......................................................................................................................................88 Archival Sources Cited ...........................................................................................................................................88 Reference Sources ..................................................................................................................................................89 General References on Human Populations............................................................................................................90 Humans: Their Demographics, Employment, & Infrastructure 6-2 List of Tables Table 1. Human population trends in Alberta, northwest Alberta, and Indian Reservations between 1921–1997. Data Source: Statistics Canada.............................................................................................................................22 Table 2. Population size of towns and villages in northwest Alberta (1921–1994). Data Source: Statistics Canada..................................................................................................................................................................26 Table 3. Population size of rural municipal districts in northwest Alberta (1921–1994). Data Source: Statistics Canada..................................................................................................................................................................27 Table 4. Distribution of human population in northwest Alberta (1961–1991). Data Source: Statistics Canada........30 Table 5. Trends in urban and rural populations in northwest Alberta. Data Source: Statistics Canada.......................30 Table 6. Trends in urban and rural populations in northwest Alberta. Data Source: Statistics Canada.......................32 Table 7. Location and date of incorporation of communities in northwest Alberta. Data Source: Mackenzie Municipal Services Agency..................................................................................................................................33 Table 8. Area, population, relevant treaty and establishment of Indian reserves and Metis settlements in northwest Alberta. Whereas reserve area only includes that portion north of 56° and west