Midlandvale, Alberta
Midlandvale
Midland | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Mining in the early days of Midlandvale | |
  Location of Midlandvale in Alberta | |
| Coordinates: 51°28′08″N 112°44′49″W / 51.469°N 112.747°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Census division | No. 5 |
| Municipality | Town of Drumheller |
| Annexed | 1972[1] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Heather Colberg |
| • Governing body | Drumheller Town Council
|
| Time zone | UTC−7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Area code(s) | 403, 587, 825 |
Midlandvale is a community within the Town of Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. It was previously a hamlet within the former Municipal District of Badlands No. 7 (then Improvement District No. 7) prior to being annexed by Drumheller in 1972.[1] Now referred to as Midland by the Town of Drumheller, the community is located within the Red Deer River valley on North Dinosaur Trail (Highway 838),[3] approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) west of Drumheller's main townsite.
History
[edit]| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | 536 | — |
| 1961 | 449 | −16.2% |
| 1966 | 431 | −4.0% |
| 1971 | 392 | −9.0% |
| Source: Statistics Canada[4][5][6][7] | ||
Midlandvale once served as host to a community of mine workers from Midland No. 1, Midland No. 2, Western Gem and Brilliant Mines. The community's population was well over 600 people, and 400 worked in the mines. Midlandvale had a thriving community culture, featuring frequent games of baseball and soccer in the summer, and hockey in the winter. Sport was utilised by various members of the community to further their aims. Mine operators used sports games to promote their products, whilst unions believed that team sports promoted the ideal that a band of miners could fight for better working conditions than individual miners.[8]
During the Spanish influenza epidemic of 1919–20, sufferers were isolated in areas such as the basement of the Drumheller -People's Bakery. In this particular isolation unit, only three of the eleven sufferers survived. It is known that the mines continued operation until the late 1950s, although the crippling Great Depression slowed trade. In one year during the 1930s, the coal mine at Midlandvale only operated for 52 days during the year.[9]
Today
[edit]Today, evidence of the sporting fields and hockey rinks that once stood are all now but gone. In 1974, the Midland Mining Company, through its president, Sidney McMullen, donated 595 hectares of land to the provincial government. The area has now been converted into a historical site, complete with trails and exhibits.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Town of Drumheller Municipal Development Plan: Volume 1 Background Study" (PDF). Town of Drumheller and Palliser Regional Municipal Services. April 21, 2008. p. 7. Archived from the original on April 20, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
- ^ "Municipal Officials Search". Alberta Municipal Affairs. May 9, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- ^ "Town of Drumheller maps" (PDF) (PDF). Town of Drumheller. January 2006. p. 2. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
- ^ Census of Canada, 1956 (PDF). Vol. Population of unincorporated villages and settlements. Dominion Bureau of Statistics. October 25, 1957. pp. 56–59. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ "Population of unincorporated places of 50 persons and over, Alberta, 1961 and 1956". 1961 Census of Canada: Population (PDF). Series SP: Unincorporated Villages. Vol. Bulletin SP—4. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. April 18, 1963. pp. 63–67. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ "Population of unincorporated places of 50 persons and over, 1966 and 1961 (Alberta)". Census of Canada 1966: Population (PDF). Special Bulletin: Unincorporated Places. Vol. Bulletin S–3. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. August 1968. pp. 184–187. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ "Population of Unincorporated Places of 50 persons and over, 1971 and 1966 (Alberta)". 1971 Census of Canada: Population (PDF). Special Bulletin: Unincorporated Settlements. Vol. Bulletin SP—1. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. March 1973. pp. 204–207. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
- ^ a b "Drumheller Valley: Midlandvale". Alberta Online Encyclopedia. Heritage Community Foundation. Archived from the original on 2009-12-10. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
- ^ Cameron, John. Hills of Home: Drumheller Valley. Drumheller: Drumheller Valley History Association. p. 462. Retrieved 2010-02-01.