Barrhead is a town in central Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by the

County of Barrhead No. 11 The County of Barrhead No. 11 is a municipal district in north central Alberta, Canada. It is located northwest of Edmonton and is in Census Division No. 13. Geography Communities and localities The following urban municipalities are ...

. It is located along the

Paddle River The Paddle River is a short river in northern Alberta, Canada. Known as Pimiskāw sīpiy (Paddle River) by the Cree, the river was named because of its slow speed. During the fur trade era, a canoe could be easily ''paddled'' up the river, in co ...

and at the intersection of

Highway 33 The following highways are numbered 33: International * Asian Highway 33 * European route E33 Australia * South Arm Highway (Tasmania) Canada * Alberta Highway 33 * British Columbia Highway 33 * Bedford Bypass, also known as Nova Scotia Tr ...

(Grizzly Trail) and Highway 18, approximately northwest of the City of

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

. It is also located along the route of the Express Trail, used by the North West Company, which was originally a First Nations trail. The trail was later widened by George Simpson and John Rowand to save the North West Company over $5,000. The town was named after the Scottish town

Barrhead Barrhead ( sco, Baurheid, gd, Ceann a' Bharra) is a town in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, southwest of Glasgow city centre on the edge of the Gleniffer Braes. At the 2011 census its population was 17,268. History Barrhead was formed when ...

, the birthplace of one of the children of the area's early settlers, James McGuire. Barrhead's official bird is the

great blue heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos ...

History

During the late 19th century and the early 20th century, Barrhead played an important role in the settlement of northwest Alberta. Highway 33, known as the Grizzly Trail, follows the original

Klondike Trail The Klondike Trail or Chalmers Trail was an overland route to the Klondike Gold Rush in the Yukon, Canada. Prospectors were reaching the Klondike via the American route over the Chilkoot Pass, and the northern route via Edmonton and the Athabasca ...

, which was the shortest route to the

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

during the Gold Rush years. Once established, this route was key to the settlement of the Peace River region. The old Barrhead town site, 3 km north of the present Town Centre, was a frequent stop over for the few Klondikers and others who needed supplies for the rigorous journey north. Originally established in 1906, Barrhead's position as a major trade centre on the historic Klondike Trail gave it a significant role in the settlement of north-western Alberta. It was a vital link in the trade route from

Fort Edmonton Fort Edmonton (also named Edmonton House) was the name of a series of trading posts of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) from 1795 to 1914, all of which were located on the north banks of the North Saskatchewan River in what is now central Alberta, ...

to the Yukon. James McGuire, the child of one of the first settlers in the area, named Barrhead after his hometown in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. Today, the community's rich history can be revisited through a collection of artifacts at the Barrhead and District Museum. The museum also houses a large display of African taxidermy, as well as the Barrhead Visitor Information Centre, which is open from May to September. The great blue heron is another prominent figure in local lore, is often spotted along the shores of the Paddle River and local lakes, and is the town's official animal. A statue of the bird is situated next to the Community Gazebo that marks the town centre and miniatures of the bird adorn the street posts. The area was a quiet land of rolling hills well covered with stands of poplar,

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 30 ...

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

and

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...

trees on the higher ground with the low areas filled with

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

and

tamarack ''Larix laricina'', commonly known as the tamarack, hackmatack, eastern larch, black larch, red larch, or American larch, is a species of larch native to Canada, from eastern Yukon and Inuvik, Northwest Territories east to Newfoundland, and als ...

. The area has always been sparsely populated, with

Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...

natives passing through the region for the last 5000 years mainly settling around the different lakes in the region (such as Shoal Lake). In 1810 a First Nations trail was explored by David Thompson to connect the North Saskatchewan with Athabasca Pass, creating the first Canadian Transcontinental connection. In 1811 the first letter ever delivered from British Columbia to Montreal passed through this trail and its importance as a communication and trade route began to grow. In 1824, at the request of Gov. George Simpson the trail was widened from

Fort Assiniboine Fort Assiniboine is a hamlet in northwest Alberta, Canada, within Woodlands County. It is located along the north shore of the Athabasca River at the junction of Highway 33 and Highway 661. It is approximately northwest of Barrhead, southea ...

to Fort Edmonton passing one mile (1.6 km) east of the present town, to accommodate the increased traffic along to route (as many as 75 horses or more a day). Some of the larger

pack train A packhorse, pack horse, or sumpter refers to a horse, mule, donkey, or pony used to carry goods on its back, usually in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of ...

s had over a hundred head of horses. The Cree natives and trappers moved across the area as they went about their business. As the First Nations peoples trapped a greater number of beavers and broke a number of dams the Klondike trial became flooded and partially abandoned until 1898. During the gold rush some Klondikers attempted to use the trail, although most preferred the drier route that was established heading up to

Athabasca Landing Athabasca ( 2021 population 2,759), originally named Athabasca Landing, is a town in northern Alberta, Canada. It is located north of Edmonton at the intersection of Highway 2 and Highway 55, on the banks of the Athabasca River. It is the cen ...

. The pack-trail was widened to allow teams of horses and wagons, loaded high with provisions, to carry gold seekers north. Homesteaders soon followed. Surveys of the land took place in 1906 and 1907 and the pioneers applied for quarters (160 acres) of land. Trading posts were busy on both the Pembina and Athabasca rivers. A small store in the log home of Percy and Mary Johnstone (2 miles north and east of town) was in operation. Andy Tuttle lived to the south and helped many settlers as they arrived. A post office named Paddle River was opened on Ted Speck's farm, one mile (1.6 km) southeast of town on the south side of the river in 1907. A store in Josh Cason's house, south and west of town, was operating in 1908 and a lean-to on the side provided a room for a school. Hugh Critchlow had taken land a mile north of Specks', along the Klondike Trail in 1907. Soon the Speck brothers (Ted and Fred) had built a bridge across the river and a sawmill was in operation on the north side. Cason and Critchlow partnered to build a store at Critchlow's in 1910 and the post office was moved there. A hall had been built just across the trail where school was held from 1909 to 1911. A blacksmith shop and a merry-go-round type swing completed the busy centre where nearly a hundred people attended the picnic in 1909. Rev. Seymour Dallas applied for a ten-acre cemetery plot (which is currently East Lawn Community Cemetery) and in 1913 the Anglican Church was built there. The church was subsequently moved to town in 1928 and then moved to Thunder Lake in 1967. Barrhead old 1

The Paddle River Co-operative Society was formed in 1912 and opened a store in the old Johnstone building northeast of Barrhead in 1913. They immediately began construction on a new two-story building that would have room for community gatherings upstairs. Application was made for a post office, which required that they choose a name. The McGuire family suggested the name of their home town in Scotland and soon the Barrhead, Alberta, post office opened in the store on January 1, 1914. The Finch family built a stopping house which still stands nearby. The

North-West Mounted Police The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a Canadian para-military police force, established in 1873, to maintain order in the new Canadian North-West Territories (NWT) following the 1870 transfer of Rupert’s Land and North-Western Territory ...

built a barracks and the hall was moved over from the southern location (2.5 miles). A blacksmith shop and a garage were built on the other corner of the intersection and various families bought lots and built homes. The bus service to

was started in 1926 and the Toronto Dominion/

TD Canada Trust TD Canada Trust, frequently shortened to simply TD, is the commercial banking operation of TD Bank Group in Canada. TD Canada Trust offers a range of financial services and products to more than 10 million Canadian customers through more than 1,1 ...

bank was opened in the stopping house. The children went to school at Glenreagh, two miles (3 km) west. The community applied to have the railway brought here from Busby and landowners hoped to sell right-of-way. In 1907, Albert Shelton and family homesteaded the quarter that Barrhead's main street is on. He built a house, barn, dug a well and did some fencing, mostly in the northeast corner of the quarter, the highest area of land. The Sheltons moved away in 1912 leaving the quarter vacant and by 1927 the land was cheap so the Northern Alberta Railways agreed to bring the Pembina Valley branch line to this quarter. The Barrhead people then scrambled to move their homes, the garage and the store to this new location, where four elevators were already being built. The pattern of the streets and lots were carefully laid in relation to the railway tracks and buildings went up in rapid succession. The pattern chosen for the lots is still used today. In no time at all, businesses were in operation; from grocery and hardware stores, a drug store, restaurant, hotel, real estate office, butcher shop, livery barn, etc. to another, which was the United Church. Ted Hooper supplied electric lights. The incorporation of the village took place in November 1927. A seven- or eight-bed hospital opened that fall on the corner of 49A Street and Railroad Avenue. A new hospital was built across the main road (Highway 33) in 1934. The school was built and opened in 1928; a two-room building that needed another building for the High School by 1929. Around this time, heavy immigration started to occur from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The town newspaper, the Barrhead News was printing in 1927 and soon was called the Barrhead Leader, the present day newspaper. In 1936, the curling rink was established plus William Johnson became the village constable. The movie theatre opened in 1939. In 1946, the village borrowed money to install water and sewer and that year on November 26 Barrhead became a town. Since then, the town has continued to grow and become continually more prosperous.

Geography

The area contains dense stands of spruce, birch, pine and poplar. It also has some of the most fertile farmland in the province and is located between two major rivers, the Athabasca River and

Pembina River Pembina River may refer to: *Pembina River (Alberta), a river in central Alberta, Canada *Pembina River (Manitoba – North Dakota) The Pembina River is a tributary of the Red River of the North, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. Nationa ...

. The Paddle River, a tributary of the Pembina River, flows directly through the town Barrhead. If you go south and east of town there are low flatlands and river-lands, and to the west of town there is the area's main recreational area,

Thunder Lake Provincial Park Thunder Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park located in Alberta, Canada, and is located west of Edmonton, on the shore of the park features setting for boating, water-skiing, swimming, running, fishing and camping. Thunder lake is approximat ...

, approximately west of the town. Thunder Lake is very popular for boating, fishing and camping and is home to many residents from other areas of the province during the summer months. The northern parts of the Barrhead region contain thick stands of

and

. Throughout the county of Barrhead there are also numerous lakes besides just Thunder Lake Provincial Park that are great for camping and fishing. There is also a local ski hill with good elevation on the Athabasca River valley. Wildlife in the Barrhead area include

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult mal ...

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...

, black bear,

grizzly bear The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America. In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horri ...

, mountain lion,

wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; plural, : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been reco ...

and the county emblem the

Climate

The town has a borderline humid continental ( Köppen ''Dfb'')/

subarctic The subarctic zone is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic, north of humid continental regions and covering much of Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the north of Scandinavia, Siberia, and the Cairngorms. Generally, ...

(''Dfc'') climate. Barrhead lies in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 3a) and is characterised by pleasant summers and frigid winters. There are four distinct seasons. Temperatures reach upwards of during June, July, and August and can drop as low as , though like all of Alberta winters are extremely variable from year to year. Rainfall is moderate, with the majority falling during the summer months. The area is noticeably wetter than in surrounding regions, particularly to the south and east. Around a metre of snow falls on the region during winter. During the summer solstice, twilight extends throughout the night and during the winter, night comes quickly. However, the town gets to experience beautiful displays of the Aurora borealis and this helps with the dark.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

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 ...

, the Town of Barrhead had a population of 4,320 living in 1,833 of its 1,983 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 4,579. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Barrhead recorded a population of 4,579 living in 1,912 of its 2,009 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 4,432. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Economy

The major industries that support Barrhead's economy are oil and

gas Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma). A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...

, forestry, and agriculture.

Dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

, and fruit crops are examples of the types of agricultural activities in the area. Barrhead is home to Pollard Banknote Ltd., a supplier of

scratch-off A scratchcard (also called a scratch off, scratch ticket, scratcher, scratchum, scratch-it, scratch game, scratch-and-win, instant game, instant lottery, scratchie, lot scrots, or scritchies) is a card designed for competitions, often made of ...

and pull-tab instant tickets, ticket vending machines, and bingo supplies. The town is also home to a modular housing plant. Barrhead has several large companies as it has two major tractor dealers (John Deere) an
KNM Sales and Services
which supplies the entire area of Barrhead county. It has many churches and was known for most churches per square meter. There are two web development companies
bizuns
an
Slomp Technologies

Infrastructure

The town houses the province's correspondence school, which in 1991 was renamed the Alberta Distance Learning Centre.

Government

Municipal Government

The current Mayor is Dave Mackenzie. The town council consists of 6 councillors and 1 mayor which is elected every 4-5 years usually.

Federal Government

Barrhead is currently in the Peace River—Westlock federal electoral district represented by MP Arnold Viersen.

Provincial Government

Barrhead is currently in the

Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock is a current provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district is one of 87 districts mandated to return a single member (MLA) to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method ...

provincial electoral district represented by MLA Glenn van Dijken.

Education

The town is within the

Pembina Hills Public Schools The Pembina Hills School Division, (formerly known as Pembina Hills Regional Division No. 7 and Pembina Hills Public Schools) is a school division headquartered in Barrhead, Alberta. The division, with 16 schools having a total of about 3,700 st ...

Division, which formed in 1995 as a merger of three school districts.

Barrhead Composite High School Barrhead ( sco, Baurheid, gd, Ceann a' Bharra) is a town in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, southwest of Glasgow city centre on the edge of the Gleniffer Braes. At the 2011 census its population was 17,268. History Barrhead was formed when ...

(winners of the Reach for the Top national championship in 1973) serves the community.

Sports

Barrhead is home to a junior ice hockey team in

Western States Hockey League The Western States Hockey League (WSHL) was a junior ice hockey league established in 1993. It was sanctioned by the United Hockey Union, the junior hockey branch of the Amateur Athletic Union. Previously, it was sanctioned by USA Hockey from 199 ...

announced to start playing in 2019–20 season.

Sister cities

Barrhead is twinned with: * Drouin, Victoria,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

* Tokoro,

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 ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

* Chapala,

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Notable people

* Doug Horner, former Deputy Premier of Alberta *

Leland Irving Leland Bruce Irving (born April 11, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender, currently playing for the HC Bolzano in the Austrian Hockey League (EBEL). He was a first round selection of the Calgary Flames, 26th overall at the 200 ...

, ice hockey player for the

Jokerit Helsingin Jokerit (English: Jokers or Jesters) are a professional ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team won six league championships as a member of the Finnish SM-liiga (1973, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, and 2002). Jokerit plays its ...

of the

Liiga The SM-liiga (marketed as just Liiga from 2013 on), (Finnish for ''League'') colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. It is one of the six founding leagu ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

Ken Kowalski Kenneth Reginald Kowalski (born September 27, 1945) is a politician and former teacher from Alberta, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, where he served from 1979 to 2012, sitting with the governing Progressive Conse ...

, former Speaker of the Alberta Legislative Assembly, MLA and former deputy Premier (past resident) *

Melissa Lotholz Melissa Lotholz (born December 2, 1992) is a Canadian bobsledder. In her rookie season, Lotholz pushed Kaillie Humphries to 3 World Cup medals. The following season the duo won 9 medals in as many races, including silver at World Championships, ...

, Olympic athlete on Canadian Two-Woman Bobsled team, competed at

2018 Winter Olympics , nations = 93 , athletes = 2,922 (1,680 men and 1,242 women) , events = 102 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = , closing = , opened_by = President Moon Jae-in , cauldron = Kim Yun-a , stadium = Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium , winte ...

Pyeongchang Pyeongchang (; in full, ''Pyeongchang-gun'' ; ) is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is about east southeast of Seou ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

Alan May Alan Randy May (born January 14, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current analyst. He played in the National Hockey League with five teams between 1988 and 1995. Playing career May began his NHL career when he was s ...

, former NHL player, current hockey analyst on NBC Sports Washington *

Brian Storseth Brian S. Storseth (born 1978) is a businessman and Conservative Party of Canada, Conservative politician in Alberta, Canada. He was elected Member of Parliament (Canada), MP for Westlock—St. Paul, having defeated his next nearest opponent by ...

, former Member of Parliament for Westlock-St. Paul (past resident) * Arnold Viersen, Canadian politician, Conservative Member of Parliament (2015 - ) * Vaughn Ashby, Canadian sci-fi horror author *

Janis Irwin Janis Irwin (born September 9, 1984) is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in the 2019 Alberta general election. She represents the electoral district of Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood as a member of the Albe ...

, Canadian politician, Alberta NDP MLA for

Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood is a provinces and territories of Canada, provincial electoral district (Canada), electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada. The district was created in 2004 when it was merged with Edmonton-Hig ...

(2019 - ) * Dr. Hugh M. Horner1925-1997, MP for Jasper-Edson 1958-1967, MLA, Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Transportation, Minister of Economic Development and Deputy Premier under Peter Lougheed

References

External links

* {{Coord, 54, 07, N, 114, 24, W, region:CA-AB_type:city_scale:60000, name=Barrhead, display=title 1927 establishments in Alberta Towns in Alberta