Redcliff is a town in

southern Alberta Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. In 2004, the region's population was approximately 272,017.City of Medicine Hat to the east and Cypress County to the west and north, the town is bisected by

Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered S ...

(

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the A ...

) and is located on the north bank of the

South Saskatchewan River The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada that flows through the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. For the first half of the 20th century, the South Saskatchewan would completely freeze over during winter, creating spectacular ...

. Situated at a high elevation relative to the surrounding landscape, the Town of Redcliff offers views of the South Saskatchewan River valley, the City of Medicine Hat, and Cypress Hills. The cliffs that overlook the river valley resemble badland formations.

History

Redcliff's history began in the 1880s with the discovery of abundant

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...

and

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbon d ...

reserves. Access to this inexpensive resource led to Redcliff being promoted as the "Smokeless manufacturing centre of the West". This drew industries that manufactured diverse products such as shoes, gloves, cigars, trucks, bricks, glass, and flour among others. In June 1915, a tornado (at the time called a cyclone) ravaged several of these businesses, thus starting a decline in Redcliff's economy.

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and a flu epidemic ended the economic prosperity. The community experienced a resurgence in growth following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Name

The name of the town originated from the elevated red shale banks of the South Saskatchewan River. Currently, ''Redcliff'' is spelled as one word without an 'E', however historically it has been spelled ''Redcliffe'', ''Red Cliff'', and ''Red-Cliff''. Originally, the town was slated to be named ''Stonerville'', after the town's doctor.

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 cultu ...

, the Town of Redcliff had a population of 5,581 living in 2,186 of its 2,276 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 5,600. 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 Redcliff recorded a population of 5,600 living in 2,159 of its 2,232 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 5,588. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Economy

The primary industries that support the local economy relate to

oil and gas A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels ...

and the climate of southern Alberta. Numerous businesses in Redcliff and area provide drilling and pipeline services to support the oil and gas industry. The area's sunny climate and abundance of affordable natural gas reserves has contributed to the establishment of a sizable

greenhouse A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic conditions are grown.These ...

industry. Greenhouse products include vegetables (sweet bell peppers, beefsteak tomatoes, tomatoes on the vine, and long English cucumbers), a variety of flowering plants, and some trees. In the past, Redcliff was known for the production of glass, brick and pottery products. Some of these factories have since moved to Medicine Hat, such as the IXL brick plant, while others are no longer in existence. Redcliff is a member of the Economic Development Alliance of Southeast Alberta.

Culture

*Redcliff Museum *Redcliff Public Library

Attractions

Redcliff has the following attractions: *an aquatic centre featuring a heated outdoor pool with varying depths and a heated children's pool with a water play structure; *the Redcliff Rectangle, a multi-purpose

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

facility; *a

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns slidi ...

rink featuring three sheets of ice; *six parks including the River Valley Park adjacent to the South Saskatchewan River that features a kitchen, washrooms, firepit, and walking trails; *the 18-hole Riverview Golf Course adjacent to the Riverview residential subdivision and the cliffs of the

valley; *the Redcliff Campground that has capacity for 48 units; *four

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

diamonds of various sizes; and *a

BMX BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation. History BMX began during the earl ...

track. *a

skate park A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, scootering, wheelchairs, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairsets, qua ...

Education

The Prairie Rose School Division No. 8 operates the following four schools in Redcliff that provide programming for children from

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

through grade 12. *Isabel F. Cox Elementary School (K–3) *Margaret Wooding Elementary School (4–6) *Parkside Junior High School (7–9) *Redcliff Mennonite Alternative Program Outreach School (K-12) High school students attend Eagle Butte High School in Dunmore, or enter the Medicine Hat School District No. 76 or Medicine Hat Catholic Separate Regional Division No. 20 for grades 10 through 12.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1910 establishments in Alberta Towns in Alberta Populated places on the South Saskatchewan River