Alderson, Alberta

Alderson is a locality in Alberta, Canada within Cypress County.^[2] Now a ghost town, it previously held village status until January 31, 1936,^[3] and was known as the Village of Carlstadt from 1911 to 1916. The name was changed during the First World War when many other settlements in Canada and Australia changed German place names.^[1]

Alderson Carlstadt (1911–1916)
Locality
Motto:  "Star of the Prairies"[1]
Alderson Location of Alderson in Alberta
Coordinates: 50.281°N 111.347°W / 50.281; -111.347
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Southeast Alberta
Census division	1
Municipal district	Cypress County
Founded	1909
Government
• Governing body	Cypress County Council
Elevation	760 m (2,490 ft)
Time zone	UTC−7 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Railways	Canadian Pacific Railway

Alderson is located approximately 15 km (9.3 mi) northwest of Suffield along the Canadian Pacific Railway main line. The City of Brooks is approximately 50 km (31 mi) to the northwest and the City of Medicine Hat is approximately 55 km (34 mi) to the southeast. It has an elevation of 760 metres (2,490 ft).

History

Settlers came to southeast Alberta during the great land rush of the early years of the 20th century. It was formerly a train whistle stop named Langevin and would go on to become the centre of one of Canada's worst agriculture disasters; victim of drought, fires, flies, grasshoppers and marauding rabbits.^[1]

Demographics

Population history
of Alderson

Year	Pop.	±%
1901		—
1906		—
1911	162	—
1916		—
1921	111	—
1926		—
1931	81	—
Source: Statistics Canada[4]

In the 1931 Census, Alderson had a population of 81.^[4]

Further reading

• Empire of dust: Settling and abandoning the Prairie dry belt

See also

• List of communities in Alberta
• List of former urban municipalities in Alberta
• List of ghost towns in Alberta