Alberton is a Canadian town located in Prince County,

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

. It is situated in the western part of the county in the township of Lot 5. Alberton is a service centre for local fishing and farming communities, and is adjacent to the community and harbour of Northport.

History

The area was long settled by the

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the northe ...

Nation. Europeans first ventured to the area in 1534 when French explorer

Jacques Cartier Jacques Cartier ( , also , , ; br, Jakez Karter; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French-Breton maritime explorer for France. Jacques Cartier was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of th ...

recorded making landfall at nearby Cape Kildare during his journey of discovery in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...

Acadians The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the des ...

settled on the island in small numbers through the 17th and 18th centuries but only moved in greater numbers to the western part of ''Ile-Saint-Jean'' and specifically north of present-day Alberton to the Tignish area following their

expulsion Expulsion or expelled may refer to: General * Deportation * Ejection (sports) * Eviction * Exile * Expeller pressing * Expulsion (education) * Expulsion from the United States Congress * Extradition * Forced migration * Ostracism * Persona non ...

by British military forces in the late 1750s. Following British victory over France, the island's sovereignty passed to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

in 1763. In 1765, Captain Samuel Holland surveyed the island and the British government instituted a

feudal system Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...

of land ownership. The township of Lot 5, which contains present-day Alberton, was granted to Edward Lewis, a British

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

in the 1767 land lottery. Northport, located near present-day Alberton began to be settled in the 1780s after Lewis made plans for a small trading town called "Lewis Town". Located at Bury Head in Northport, it was established in June 1788 and was first populated by local Acadians who had escaped expulsion three decades before British settlements. Scottish and

Devonshire Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is a ...

settlers were brought in by Lewis to settle his township. A local

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...

industry and lumber trade at Northport brought prosperity to the area throughout the 1800s, although this went into decline as more forested areas were lost to agriculture, on account of the excellent soils in the area. Alberton started to take shape in the 1840s and underwent several name changes including Cross Roads, The Cross, and Stump Town. The nearby shipbuilding, lumber and shipping industries had resulted in developing a sustainable community which was a major trade centre in western Prince County. In 1862, it was named in honour of Albert Edward, the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

, who later became King Edward VII and who had visited Prince Edward Island in 1860. The community was named Alberton on 27 June 1862.

Railways and other constructions

In 1872, the

Prince Edward Island Railway The Prince Edward Island Railway (PEIR) was a historic Canadian railway in Prince Edward Island (PEI). The railway ran tip-to-tip on the island, from Tignish in the west to Elmira in the east, with major spurs serving Borden-Carleton's train fer ...

was constructed, making the port at Northport, adjacent to Alberton, its western terminus. It connected Alberton with communities to the east such as

O'Leary History Ancient The Uí Laoghaire clan, today associated with the Uibh Laoghaire parish in County Cork, is considered by scholars to have originated in the early Middle Ages on the south-west coast, in the area of Ros Ó gCairbre (Rosscarbery), ...

, Summerside,

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city in ...

, Georgetown and Souris. The western terminus was subsequently extended further from Alberton to

Tignish Tignish is a Canadian town located in Prince County, Prince Edward Island. It is located approximately northwest of the city of Summerside, and northwest of the city of Charlottetown. It has a population of 719. The name "Tignish" is derive ...

in a sharp diversion just east of the Alberton passenger station, where a wye was constructed and a small railway yard, leading to the spur to Northport. Alberton went into its own terminus during this period, with various mills, manufacturing businesses, stores and services. The community became a village in 1878, and became home to a court house and justice centre for western Prince County that year. Alberton became the centre of the worldwide silver fox industry when

Charles Dalton Charles Dalton (June 9, 1850 – December 9, 1933) was a Canadian businessman, politician and philanthropist on Prince Edward Island. Biography Charles Dalton was born at Tignish, Prince Edward Island, the son of Patrick Dalton and Margaret Mc ...

and Robert Oulton began farming the fur-bearing animals on an island in the harbour at Northport in 1894, bringing tremendous prosperity to area residents and business owners. Despite a fire that devastated part of the town the following year, Alberton quickly reflected its growing economic importance of the village. The railway constructed a new passenger station designed by architect Charles Benjamin Chappell for Alberton in the early 1900s entirely out of stone, one of only two such stations on the island (the other being in

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

). The fox farming industry brought increased growth in the population and tax base for the community, which resulted in an upgrade from village status, becoming an incorporated town in May 1913. Silver fox farming remained profitable through the 1940s. Many distinctive houses in the community are a reminder of the fortunes that were made during this period. The Western Hospital was constructed in 1945 and was the first hospital built west of Summerside. The public library opened in 1951, followed by the federal government building in 1962 and the Jacques Cartier Arena and a community museum in 1964. The Maplewood Manor nursing home opened in 1967.

Geography

Alberton is roughly halfway between

and

, and is situated along the north shore of the island, fronting the open Gulf of St. Lawrence. It has a land area of approximately . *90 km :

Confederation Bridge The Confederation Bridge (french: Pont de la Confédération) is a box girder bridge carrying the Trans-Canada Highway across the Abegweit Passage of the Northumberland Strait, linking the province of Prince Edward Island with the province of Ne ...

(to

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

) * 120 km :

* 66 km : Summerside *176 km :

Wood Islands ferry Northumberland Ferries Limited (NFL) is a ferry company operating in eastern Canada and headquartered in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. NFL is also the owner of subsidiary Bay Ferries Limited (which used to include the Bay Ferries Great La ...

(to

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

)

Climate

Alberton experiences a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Dfb'') similar to that of coastal

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

, being somewhat less extreme due to the island condition and being surrounded by the Gulf of St Lawrence. The amount of rain recorded on a single day was 102 mm on 5 August 1989 and the daily record of snowfall was 56.1 cm on 15 December 2003. Although the odors associated with fishing and shipping, according to one 2008 report air quality agrees the criteria of regulatory projects of the same.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, Alberton had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Economy

The majority of the Alberton work force is employed in the service sector, serving a surrounding population of 5000 residents in western Prince County.

Fishing

The fishing industry in the adjacent community of Northport is a significant economic activity, with landings by fishing boats totalling 3 million kilograms of species such as

American lobster The American lobster (''Homarus americanus'') is a species of lobster found on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of North America, chiefly from Labrador to New Jersey. It is also known as Atlantic lobster, Canadian lobster, true lobster, norther ...

mussel Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and Freshwater bivalve, freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other ...

snow crab ''Chionoecetes'' is a genus of crabs that live in the northern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The genus ''Chionoecetes'' currently contains seven distinct species. Other names for crabs in this genus include "queen crab" (in Canada) and "spider ...

soft-shell clam Soft-shell clams (American English) or sand gaper (British English/Europe), scientific name ''Mya arenaria'', popularly called "steamers", "softshells", "piss clams", "Ipswich clams", or "Essex clams" are a species of edible saltwater clam, a ...

cod Cod is the common name for the demersal fish genus '' Gadus'', belonging to the family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gadus'' is commonly not call ...

herring Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae. Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, i ...

American plaice The American plaice, American sole or long rough dab (''Hippoglossoides platessoides'') is a North Atlantic flatfish that belongs, along with other right-eyed flounders, to the family Pleuronectidae. In the northwest Atlantic (''H. p. platessoide ...

mackerel Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment. ...

, sea scallop, yellowtail,

eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

winter flounder The winter flounder (''Pseudopleuronectes americanus''), also known as the black back, is a right-eyed ("dextral") flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is native to coastal waters of the western north Atlantic coast, from Labrador, Canada to ...

smelt Smelt may refer to: * Smelting, chemical process * The common name of various fish: ** Smelt (fish), a family of small fish, Osmeridae ** Australian smelt in the family Retropinnidae and species ''Retropinna semoni'' ** Big-scale sand smelt ''At ...

, rock crab,

tomcod ''Microgadus tomcod'', also commonly known as frostfish, Atlantic tomcod or winter cod, is a type of cod found in North American coastal waters from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, St. Lawrence River and northern Newfoundland, south to Virginia. Th ...

, silversides,

porbeagle The porbeagle (''Lamna nasus'') is a species of mackerel shark in the family Lamnidae, distributed widely in the cold and temperate marine waters of the North Atlantic and Southern Hemisphere. In the North Pacific, its ecological equivalent is ...

, and

blue shark The blue shark (''Prionace glauca''), also known as the great blue shark, is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae, which inhabits deep waters in the world's temperate and tropical oceans. Averaging around and preferring co ...

. Source: 1996, DFO

Agriculture

The agriculture industry in areas surrounding Alberton is dominated by farmers growing potatoes that are used for table stock, French fries, potato chips or cooking, although a significant number of seed growers are in the area as well.

Education

In 2011 Holland College West Prince Campus opened the doors in a beautiful new facility located in the centre of Alberton. The town has private day care and publicly funded kindergarten facilities, as well as

Alberton Elementary School Alberton may refer to: Australia * Alberton, Queensland, a rural locality in the City of Gold Coast * Alberton, South Australia * Alberton, Tasmania * Alberton, Victoria Canada * Alberton, Ontario * Alberton, Prince Edward Island New Zealand * ...

(gr.1-6, 234 students). Students are also transported by bus to the more centrally located M.E. Callaghan School (gr. 7–9, 378 students) and

Westisle Composite High School Westisle Composite High School is a Canadian secondary school in, Rosebank, Prince County, Prince Edward Island. Established in 1979, Westisle provides education for 10th to 12th grade students in the western part of the county. The school is ...

(gr. 10–12, 748 students), both being located in nearby communities.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Alberton is located on Route 12, which is part of the North Cape Coastal Drive. The town is several kilometers northeast of

Route 2 The following highways are numbered 2. For roads numbered A2, see list of A2 roads. For roads numbered B2, see list of B2 roads. For roads numbered M2, see list of M2 roads. For roads numbered N2, see list of N2 roads. International * AH2, As ...

, the main provincial east–west secondary highway. Alberton Harbor in Northport is administered by the small craft harbors division of the federal

Department of Fisheries and Oceans Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO; french: Pêches et Océans Canada, MPO), is a department of the Government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and sc ...

Health care

Alberton is home to the Western Hospital which serves the area with 25 acute care beds and 2 palliative care beds. There is a pharmacy, and a 24-hour medical clinic located at the hospital. In addition, there is Maplewood Manor which is a long-term care facility, and the new Rev W.J. Phillips Residence which offers 25 units of enriched residential care.

Amenities

The town is in close proximity to three provincial parks:

Mill River Provincial Park Mill River Provincial Park was a provincial park in Prince Edward Island, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the ...

, Bloomfield Provincial Park, and

Jacques Cartier Provincial Park Jacques Cartier Provincial Park is a provincial park in northwestern Prince Edward Island, Canada, approximately 6 km northeast of Alberton. The park is named for Jacques Cartier Jacques Cartier ( , also , , ; br, Jakez Karter; 31 De ...

. It is also located on the

Confederation Trail Confederation Trail is the name for a 470 kilometre recreational rail trail system in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. It was developed in the 1990s, following the December 31, 1989, abandonment of all railway lines in the province b ...

for walking, running and bicycling in the summer. The area offers opportunities for recreational fishing at Gallant's Pond, Arsenault's Pond, Blanchard's Pond, Gordon's Pond, Warren's Pond, Black Pond, Leard's Pond, MacAusland's Pond, Livingstone's Pond, Mill River Bridge, Cain's Brook, Miminegash River, Little Tignish River, the Old Dam Site on the Mill River, the Trout River, and the Little and Big Pierre Jacques Rivers. Atlantic Salmon can also be fished (using a fly) in Leard's Pond and Trout River after the middle of June. ;Historic Sites The Alberton Court House was designated a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of t ...

in 1981. It has housed the Alberton Museum since 1980 and contains various displays from its collection pertaining to the area. The town park contains a monument to the pioneers of silver fox farming, Robert Oulton and Charles Dalton. ;Facilities Facilities include: *Holland College West Prince Campus *Alberton Community Centre (bowling lanes, bingo,) *Alberton Elementary School *Alberton Library *Iron Haven Gym *Jacques Cartier Memorial Arena *Maplewood Manor *Stone Station Park *Prince County Exhibition Grounds *Town Community Room *Veterans Memorial Park *Western Community Curling Club *soccer field *two baseball diamonds ;Events * The Prince County Exhibition is held every August and features livestock shows, exhibits, meals, racing, youth talent, strongman competition, and a midway. * Other events include the Alberton Day Festival,

Canada Day Canada Day (french: Fête du Canada), formerly known as Dominion Day (french: Fête du Dominion), is the national day of Canada. A federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 18 ...

. ;Churches Alberton has seven churches: *Alberton Baptist Church *Alberton Presbyterian Church *Apostolic Pentecostal *Gordon Memorial United Church Of Canada *Kingdom Hall Of Jehovah's Witness *Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church *St. Peter's Anglican Church

Media

The ''

Journal Pioneer The ''Journal Pioneer'' is a weekly newspaper published in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Two men named Bernard and Bertram founded the ''Summerside Journal'', a weekly newspaper, in 1865. Under the leadership of A.R. Brennan, the ''J ...

'', a weekly newspaper published in Summerside, maintains its office for western Prince County in Alberton. The '' West Prince Graphic'' is a weekly newspaper serving the western part of Prince County and is published locally. A bi-weekly advertising paper called the ''

Penny Saver A pennysaver (or free ads paper, Friday Ad or shopper) is a free community periodical available in North America (typically weekly or monthly publications) that advertises items for sale. Frequently pennysavers are actually called ''The Pennysave ...

'' is published and distributed to all the residents of Western PEI.

Notable person

* Joe O'Brien,

Harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australi ...

driver.

References

External links

* {{Coord, 46, 49, N, 64, 04, W, name=Alberton, display=title, type:city_region:CA-PE Communities in Prince County, Prince Edward Island Towns in Prince Edward Island Populated coastal places in Canada Populated places established in 1534 1534 establishments in the French colonial empire