Mirror is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

Lacombe County Lacombe County is a municipal district in central Alberta, Canada. It is within in Census Division No. 8 north of the City of Red Deer. Its municipal office is west of Highway 2 and the City of Lacombe, and east of the Summer Village of ...

within

central Alberta Central Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. Central Alberta is the most densely populated rural area in the province. Agriculture and energy are important to the area's economy. Geography Central Alberta is bordered ...

, Canada. It is located at the junction of Highway 50 and Highway 21, approximately east of

Lacombe Lacombe may refer to: Places * Lacombe, Alberta, Canada * Lacombe County, Alberta, Canada * Lacombe, Louisiana, United States * Lacombe, Aude, France People * Albert Lacombe (1827–1916), oblate missionary to the Cree and Blackfoot * Bernard Lac ...

and 52.2 km (32.47 mi) northeast of

Red Deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of we ...

. Founded in 1870, Mirror was incorporated as a village on July 12, 1912 and remained a village until January 1, 2004, when it was dissolved to become a hamlet under the jurisdiction of Lacombe County.

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, Mirror had a population of 481 living in 253 of its 270 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 502. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. As a designated place in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Mirror had a population of 502 living in 240 of its 261 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 468. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

History

Lamerton

Lamerton started as the Buffalo lake trading post in 1892. It was situated on the S.E. corner of the N.E. 1/4-33-40-22, just north of the creek that joins Spotted Lake to Buffalo Lake. The post office was opened in 1893 and the first N.W.M.P detachment was opened about 1895. The police were there through 1897 and then went away. In 1902 and 1903 a constable Vernon was stationed in Lamerton but there are no more records of the detachment. By 1907 there was a large grocery and dry goods store, livery barn, hardware store, confectionery, blacksmith shop, creamery, a church, and a hotel. The majority of these buildings were either moved or sold after the

Grand Trunk Pacific Railway The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway running from Fort William, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, a Pacific coast port. East of Winnipeg the line continued as the National Tra ...

decided to build their roundhouse in Mirror. The only remaining buildings on the old town site are a house and police barracks that were moved together to make a farm house.

Establishment

The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in 1911 built a branch line from Southern Alberta to connect

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 ...

and Calgary, running their railroad through

Tofield Tofield is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately east of Edmonton at the junction of Highway 14, Highway 834, and Highway 626. Beaverhill Lake is located immediately northeast of the community. History Before 1865, only A ...

, down to Camrose, west of Buffalo Lake, across the

Red Deer River The Red Deer River is a river in Alberta and a small portion of Saskatchewan, Canada. It is a major tributary of the South Saskatchewan River and is part of the larger Saskatchewan-Nelson system that empties into Hudson Bay. Red Deer River h ...

, towards Trochu,

Three Hills Three Hills is a town in southern Alberta, Canada. It takes its name from the three somewhat-larger-than-normal hills to its north. History Three Hills post office dates from 1904. Three Hills was incorporated as a village in 1912, the year ...

Beiseker Beiseker is a village in the Canadian province of Alberta, approximately northeast of Calgary. It is considered to be an outermost part of the Calgary Region, and is included within Calgary's Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). The village is surr ...

, and southwest Calgary. The railway was also expected to pass through the Lamerton trading post. However, they ran into difficulty when they were trying to purchase the land and they constructed their divisional point two miles to the South. This resulted in the Village of Mirror being established. The construction of the railway in Mirror caused Lamerton to be quickly abandoned, with its residents and many of its buildings being moved to Mirror.

Arrival of the railway

In 1912, many buildings were moved into the new town site, which included a post office, hardware store, drug store, lumber yard, restaurant, and the Imperial Hotel. There were two livery stables and two pool halls. The Bank of Commerce from Lamerton and the

Bank of Toronto The Bank of Toronto was a Canadian bank that was founded in 1855 by a group of grain dealers and flour millers. On February 1, 1955, it merged with The Dominion Bank to form the Toronto-Dominion Bank, which is now known as the present-day TD Ban ...

opened in Mirror. Dr. Meyers was the village doctor, followed by Dr. McLennan who practiced medicine in Mirror for years. Dr. Chown was the last doctor and served the community for 30 years. The newspaper ''The Mirror Journal'', owned by C. Good, was printed for a time. Mirror was known as the railway town, and employed a large number of railway employees. The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway became a part of the Canadian National Railway in 1920. Since then the line running through Mirror has been operated by CN. The Anglican, the United and the Catholic Church served the religious needs of the village for many years. Originally, Catholic services were held in local homes. The Anglican Church built in 1895 preceded Mirror, and the United church was the Methodist church from Lamerton.

Decline

With the introduction and the increasing popularity of diesel powered engines a divisional point in between Edmonton and Calgary was no longer necessary, rendering the facilities at Mirror obsolete. The roundhouse was eventually closed and leveled. All the bustle and activity that marked the village for so many decades slowly died out as the majority of railway personnel were either transferred to other areas or retired. As the railroaders left, the local economy declined, and the village of Mirror dissolved to a hamlet in 2004.

Amenities

* Buffalo Lake is located 22 km east. * The Narrows Provincial Recreation Area is 10.2 km from Mirror.

Name origin

Mirror was named after a British national tabloid newspaper, the ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...

'' of London, England.

References

{{Alberta, hamlets=yes Hamlets in Alberta Designated places in Alberta Former villages in Alberta Lacombe County Populated places disestablished in 2004