Carbon is a village in central

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada. It is located in

Kneehill County Kneehill County is a municipal district in central Alberta, Canada within Census Division No. 5. Geography Communities and localities The following urban municipalities are surrounded by Kneehill County: ;Cities *none ; Towns * Three ...

, west of

Drumheller Drumheller is a town on the Red Deer River in the badlands of Central Alberta, east-central Alberta, Canada. It is northeast of Calgary and south of Stettler, Alberta, Stettler. The Drumheller portion of the Red Deer River valley, often ref ...

and northeast of

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

, along Highway 836, each of Highway 21 on Highway 575. Built at the beginning of the 20th century in the Kneehill Creek Valley, Carbon is a village with paved, quiet streets lined with trees.

History

The Carbon district has a very colorful and interesting history.

Ranching A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

and

coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

were the major activities of the early settlers. The name Carbon was suggested by L.D. Elliot, an area rancher, and was adopted for the new post office opened on October 1, 1904. The village was incorporated in 1912. Carbon had a railroad running through it which has since been removed. This railroad is on the south side of the Kneehill Creek. On both sides of the village (west/east) you can still see this railroad flying over (2016). This railroad was operated by CP rail. Glenbow museum in Calgary has photos of this railroad under construction on file. This railroad was primarily used to support the coal mining in the area.

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 ...

, the Village of Carbon had a population of 492 living in 222 of its 240 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 454. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. The population of the Village of Carbon according to its 2017 municipal census is 500. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Village of Carbon recorded a population of 500 living in 199 of its 222 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 592. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Facilities and amenities

The village also features a K-9 school, swimming pool, museum and art gallery, curling rink, and two campgrounds. Maintained walking paths are also available year-round following the creek through the valley.

Notable people

* Archie Gouldie, professional wrestler better known by his ring name Mongolian Stomper

References

External links