Cardston is a town in

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 was first settled in 1887 by members of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

(LDS Church) who travelled from

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, via the Macleod-Benton Trail, to present-day Alberta in one of the century's last wagon migrations. The founder of the town was Charles Ora Card. The combined church and school was completed by January 29 the year following their arrival.

History

Cardston has been "dry" ( alcohol free) since at least the

1915 Alberta Liquor plebiscite The 1915 Alberta liquor plebiscite was the first plebiscite to ask voters in Alberta whether the province should implement prohibition in Canada, prohibition by ratifying the proposed ''Liquor Act''. The plebiscite was the culmination of years of ...

, and there are no licensed premises in which to use

video lottery terminal A video lottery terminal (VLT), also sometimes known as a video gaming terminal (VGT), video slots, or the video lottery, is a type of electronic gambling machine. They are typically operated by a region's lottery, and situated at licensed establis ...

s. In 1951, 75% of Cardston's 3500 residents were members of the LDS Church. It remains at about 80%, as of 2014. On August 15, 2019, the town was granted a

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

by the

Canadian Heraldic Authority The Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA; french: Autorité héraldique du Canada) is part of the Canadian honours system under the Canadian monarch, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General of Canada. The authority is responsible for t ...

Geography

Cardston is situated in the foothills of southwest Alberta, approximately north from the American state of

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

. On its north side, it borders the

Kainai Nation The Kainai Nation (or , or Blood Tribe) ( bla, Káínaa) is a First Nations band government in southern Alberta, Canada, with a population of 12,800 members in 2015, up from 11,791 in December 2013. translates directly to 'many chief' (fro ...

(Blood Tribe)

Reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

, one of the largest reserves in North America. to the west of Cardston are the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...

Waterton Lakes National Park Waterton Lakes National Park is a national park located in the southwest corner of Alberta, Canada. It borders Glacier National Park in Montana, United States. Waterton was the fourth Canadian national park, formed in 1895 and named after Waterto ...

. Cardston is southwest of Lethbridge and south of Calgary.

Climate

Cardston 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 climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Dfb''). Along with the rest of

southern Alberta Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. In 2004, the region's population was approximately 272,017.chinooks, which often bring temperatures in mid-winter well above . This same pattern results in more than 200 days of wind a year. Weather records: * Hottest Temperature: on 23 July 2007 * Coldest Temperature: on 28 January 1929 * Most Rain In One Day: on 6 June 1995 * Most Snow In One Day: on 4 May 1919 * Deepest Snow Cover: on 29 April 1967

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, the Town of Cardston had a population of 3,724 living in 1,261 of its 1,335 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 3,585. 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 Cardston recorded a population of 3,585 living in 1,175 of its 1,270 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 3,580. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. ''Source: Statistics Canada 2001 Census (numbers may not add up due to rounding)'' ''Source: Statistics Canada 1996 & 2001 Census''

Economy

Primary industries are education, health care, entrepreneurship, agriculture, and tourism. Cardston is one of the few communities in Canada where alcohol cannot be sold or purchased.

Attractions

Cardston has a soccer park, ball parks, a golf course, an ice skating rink, a swimming pool, tennis courts, hiking trails, a skateboard park, several recreation parks, picnic areas and playgrounds. St. Mary's Dam reservoir northeast of Cardston supports water sports in the summer months. The

Cardston Alberta Temple The Cardston Alberta Temple (formerly the Alberta Temple) is the eighth constructed and sixth of the still-operating temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in Cardston, Alberta, it is the church's oldest temple outsid ...

was constructed by

Latter-day Saint Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

pioneers from 1913-1923, and was the first temple constructed by the Church outside of the United States. It remained the only temple in Canada until the Toronto Ontario Temple was built in 1990. The Remington Carriage Museum is the largest collection of horse-drawn vehicles in North America, with more than 250 carriages, wagons and sleighs. The facility features video displays, a fire hall, carriage factory, restoration shop, working stable, carriage rides, carriage rentals, a restaurant, guided tours, and a gift shop. The Carriage House Theatre was constructed in 1912, and underwent renovations in 1937 and 1992. It seats 350 and hosts films, community theatre and professional summer theatre. The Card Pioneer Home was built by Cardston's founder Charles Ora Card in 1887, and served as a community centre and stopping place for travellers until the first hotel was built in 1894. The log structure stands in its original location and is open for public visits. It is as a registered provincial historic site. The Courthouse Museum is a sandstone structure built in 1907 from stone quarried near Cardston. It was used longer than any other courthouse in Alberta. The building displays the judge's bench, witness box, and jail cells. It is a registered provincial historic site.

Education

Schools include the Cardston High School, the Cardston Jr. High School (formerly Eastridge Elementary School), and Cardston Elementary School which are all under the Westwind School Division. Former schools include Leeside (grades 1 and 2 - torn down in the late 1980s to make way for the Remington-Alberta Carriage Centre) and Westside. The building that housed many of the junior high facilities, E.J. Wood School (including the gymnasium near the current high school), Parkland School, and John S. Smith Schools were torn down in 1993 as the junior high moved to the former Eastridge building. The Cardston High School underwent extensive renovations in the early 2000s, including an expansion to its gymnasium, much-improved fitness and weight room facilities, wider hallways, and a new cafeteria.

Media

The ''Cardston News'' was first published in 1924, and was a weekly until 1925. During 1924–1925, the newspaper was edited and published by Fred Burton. It was later taken over by D.O. Wight, editor and managing director from September 17, 1925 until June 9, 1936. Fred Burton took over as publisher on June 16, 1936. The ''Cardston News'' was taken over by Gordon F. West On May 7, 1964. The ''Cardston Record'' began publication on August 6, 1898, and was published weekly until September 1901.

Notable people

* Victor L. Brown, world leader in the LDS Church *

Ben Cahoon Ben Cahoon (born July 16, 1972) is a former professional Canadian football slotback who spent his entire career with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He won the award for the Most Outstanding Canadian in the CFL two years i ...

, CFL slotback who won three Grey Cup championships with the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Canad ...

. *

Grant Hunter Grant Roy Hunter (born November 9, 1967) is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2015 and 2019 Alberta general elections to represent the electoral districts of Cardston-Taber-Warner and Taber-Warner in the 29th and 30th Alberta Legisl ...

, UCP MLA for Taber-Warner * Elaine L. Jack, world leader in the LDS Church * Merlin R. Lybbert, world leader in the LDS Church * Shawna Molcak, basketball player who played for Canada in the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

* Grant Strate, dancer and choreographer * Edward J. Wood, leader in the LDS Church *

George Woolf George Monroe Woolf (May 31, 1910 – January 4, 1946), nicknamed "The Iceman", was a Canadian thoroughbred race horse jockey. An annual jockey's award given by the United States Jockeys' Guild is named in his honor. He became known for riding ...

, jockey *

Fay Wray Vina Fay Wray (September 15, 1907 – August 8, 2004) was a Canadian/American actress best known for starring as Ann Darrow in the 1933 film ''King Kong''. Through an acting career that spanned nearly six decades, Wray attained international r ...

, ''King Kong'' actressWilliam Addams Reitwiesner
Ancestry of Fay Wray
accessed 2007-12-17.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1887 establishments in the Northwest Territories Cardston County Latter-day Saint settlements in Canada Towns in Alberta 1887 establishments in Alberta