Alberton is a Canadian town located in

Prince County A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

. It is situated in the western part of the county in the township of Lot 5. Alberton is a service centre for local fishing and farming communities, and is adjacent to the community and harbour of Northport.

History

The area was long settled by the

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Mi'kmaw'' or ''Mi'gmaw''; ; , and formerly Micmac) are an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia, New Bru ...

Nation. Europeans first ventured to the area in 1534 when French explorer

Jacques Cartier Jacques Cartier (; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French maritime explorer from Brittany. Jacques Cartier was the first Europeans, European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, wh ...

recorded making landfall at nearby Cape Kildare during his journey of discovery in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

Acadians The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French colonial empire, French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern Americ ...

settled on the island in small numbers through the 17th and 18th centuries but only moved in greater numbers to the western part of ''Ile-Saint-Jean'' and specifically north of present-day Alberton to the Tignish area following their expulsion by British military forces in the late 1750s. Following British victory over France, the island's sovereignty passed to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

in 1763. In 1765, Captain Samuel Holland surveyed the island and the British government instituted a

feudal system Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structuring socie ...

of land ownership. The township of Lot 5, which contains present-day Alberton, was granted to Edward Lewis, a British Member of Parliament in the 1767 land lottery. Northport, located near present-day Alberton began to be settled in the 1780s after Lewis made plans for a small trading town called "Lewis Town". Located at Bury Head in Northport, it was established in June 1788 and was first populated by local Acadians who had escaped expulsion three decades before British settlements.

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

and

Devonshire Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the wes ...

settlers were brought in by Lewis to settle his township. A local

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...

industry and lumber trade at Northport brought prosperity to the area throughout the 1800s, although this went into decline as more forested areas were lost to agriculture, on account of the excellent soils in the area. Alberton started to take shape in the 1840s and underwent several name changes including Cross Roads, The Cross, and Stump Town. The nearby shipbuilding, lumber and shipping industries had resulted in developing a sustainable community which was a major trade centre in western Prince County. In 1862, it was named in honour of Albert Edward, the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

, who later became King Edward VII and who had visited Prince Edward Island in 1860. The community was named Alberton on 27 June 1862.

Railways and other constructions

In 1872, the

Prince Edward Island Railway The Prince Edward Island Railway (PEIR) was a historic Canadian railway in Prince Edward Island (PEI). The railway ran tip-to-tip on the island, from Tignish in the west to Elmira in the east, with major spurs serving Borden-Carleton's train ...

was constructed, making the port at Northport, adjacent to Alberton, its western terminus. It connected Alberton with communities to the east such as

O'Leary O'Leary is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Laoghaire, meaning "descendant of Laoghaire"—a personal name often interpreted as "keeper of the calves" or "calf herder." The name is historically associated with a prominent family lineage ...

, Summerside,

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County, Prince Edward Island, Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlott ...

, Georgetown and Souris. The western terminus was subsequently extended further from Alberton to

Tignish Tignish is a Canadian town located in Prince County, Prince Edward Island. It is located approximately northwest of the city of Summerside, and northwest of the city of Charlottetown. It has a population of 719. The name "Tignish" is derived ...

in a sharp diversion just east of the Alberton passenger station, where a wye was constructed and a small railway yard, leading to the spur to Northport. Alberton went into its own terminus during this period, with various mills, manufacturing businesses, stores and services. The community became a village in 1878, and became home to a court house and justice centre for western Prince County that year. Alberton became the centre of the worldwide silver fox industry when

Charles Dalton Charles Dalton (June 9, 1850 – December 9, 1933) was a Canadian businessman, politician and philanthropist on Prince Edward Island. Biography Charles Dalton was born at Tignish, Prince Edward Island, the son of Patrick Dalton and Margaret M ...

and Robert Oulton began farming the fur-bearing animals on an island in the harbour at Northport in 1894, bringing tremendous prosperity to area residents and business owners. Despite a fire that devastated part of the town the following year, Alberton quickly reflected its growing economic importance of the village. The railway constructed a new passenger station designed by architect Charles Benjamin Chappell for Alberton in the early 1900s entirely out of stone, one of only two such stations on the island (the other being in

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

). The fox farming industry brought increased growth in the population and tax base for the community, which resulted in an upgrade from village status, becoming an incorporated town in May 1913. Silver fox farming remained profitable through the 1940s. Many distinctive houses in the community are a reminder of the fortunes that were made during this period. The Western Hospital was constructed in 1945 and was the first hospital built west of Summerside. The public library opened in 1951, followed by the federal government building in 1962 and the Jacques Cartier Arena and a community museum in 1964. The original Maplewood Manor nursing home operated from 1967 to 2011, and was replaced by the new Maplewood Manor nursing home, in the autumn of 2011.

Geography

Alberton is roughly halfway between

and

, and is situated along the north shore of the island, fronting the open Gulf of St. Lawrence. It has a land area of approximately . *90 km :

Confederation Bridge The Confederation Bridge () is a box girder bridge carrying the Trans-Canada Highway across the Abegweit Passage of the Northumberland Strait, linking the province of Prince Edward Island with the mainland province of New Brunswick. Opened ...

(to

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

) * 120 km :

* 66 km : Summerside *176 km : Wood Islands ferry (to

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

)

Climate

Alberton 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 cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfb'') similar to that of coastal

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

, being somewhat less extreme due to the island condition and being surrounded by the

Gulf of St Lawrence The Gulf of St. Lawrence is a gulf that fringes the shores of the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, in Canada, plus the islands Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, ...

. The amount of rain recorded on a single day was 102 mm on 5 August 1989 and the daily record of snowfall was 56.1 cm on 15 December 2003. Although the odors associated with fishing and shipping, according to one 2008 report air quality agrees the criteria of regulatory projects of the same.

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; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Alberton had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Economy

The majority of the Alberton work force is employed in the service sector, serving a surrounding population of 5000 residents in western Prince County.

Fishing

The fishing industry in the adjacent community of Northport is a significant economic activity, with landings by fishing boats totalling 3 million kilograms of species such as

American lobster The American lobster (''Homarus americanus'') is a species of lobster found on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of North America, chiefly from Labrador to New Jersey. It is also known as Atlantic lobster, Canadian lobster, true lobster, norther ...

mussel Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and Freshwater bivalve, freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other ...

s, snow crab,

soft-shell clam Soft-shell clams (American English) or Sand gaper (British English/Europe), scientific name ''Mya arenaria'', popularly called "steamers", "softshells", "piss clams", "Ipswich clams", or "Essex clams", are a species of edible saltwater clam, a ...

cod Cod (: cod) is the common name for the demersal fish genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family (biology), family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gad ...

herring Herring are various species of forage fish, belonging to the Order (biology), order Clupeiformes. Herring often move in large Shoaling and schooling, schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate wate ...

, American plaice,

mackerel Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment. ...

, sea scallop, yellowtail,

eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 families, 164 genera, and about 1000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

winter flounder The winter flounder (''Pseudopleuronectes americanus''), also known as the black back, is a right-eyed ("Sinistral and dextral, dextral") flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is native to coastal waters of the western north Atlantic Ocean, A ...

, smelt, rock crab, tomcod, silversides, porbeagle, and blue shark. Source: 1996, DFO

Agriculture

The agriculture industry in areas surrounding Alberton is dominated by farmers growing potatoes that are used for table stock, French fries, potato chips or cooking, although a significant number of seed growers are in the area as well.

Education

In 2011 Holland College West Prince Campus opened the doors in a new facility located in the centre of Alberton. The town has private day care and publicly funded kindergarten facilities, as well as Alberton Elementary School (gr. 1–6, 234 students). Students are also transported by bus to the more centrally located Merritt E. Callaghan Intermediate School (gr. 7–9, 378 students) and Westisle Composite High School (gr. 10–12, 748 students), both being located in nearby communities.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Alberton is located on Route 12, which is part of the North Cape Coastal Drive. The town is several kilometers northeast of Route 2, the main provincial east–west secondary highway. Alberton Harbor in Northport is administered by the small craft harbors division of the federal

Department of Fisheries and Oceans Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO; ) is a department of the Government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and scientific interests in oceans and inland ...

Health care

Alberton is home to the Western Hospital which serves the area with 25 acute care beds and 2 palliative care beds. There is a pharmacy, and a 24-hour medical clinic located at the hospital. In addition, there is Maplewood Manor which is a long-term care facility, and the new Rev W.J. Phillips Residence which offers 25 units of enriched residential care.

Amenities

The town is in close proximity to three provincial parks: Mill River Provincial Park, Bloomfield Provincial Park, and Jacques Cartier Provincial Park. It is also located on the

Confederation Trail Confederation Trail is the name for a 273 kilometre recreational rail trail system in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. It was developed in the 1990s, following the December 31, 1989, abandonment of all railway lines in the provin ...

for walking, running and bicycling in the summer. The area offers opportunities for recreational fishing at Gallant's Pond, Arsenault's Pond, Blanchard's Pond, Gordon's Pond, Warren's Pond, Black Pond, Leard's Pond, MacAusland's Pond, Livingstone's Pond, Mill River Bridge, Cain's Brook, Miminegash River, Little Tignish River, the Old Dam Site on the Mill River, the Trout River, and the Little and Big Pierre Jacques Rivers. Atlantic Salmon can also be fished (using a fly) in Leard's Pond and Trout River after the middle of June. ;Historic Sites The Alberton Court House was designated a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...

in 1981. It has housed the Alberton Museum since 1980 and contains various displays from its collection pertaining to the area. The town park contains a monument to the pioneers of silver fox farming, Robert Oulton and Charles Dalton. ;Facilities Facilities include: *Holland College West Prince Campus *Alberton Community Centre (bowling lanes, bingo,) *Alberton Elementary School *Alberton Library *Iron Haven Gym *Jacques Cartier Memorial Arena *Maplewood Manor *Stone Station Park *Prince County Exhibition Grounds *Town Community Room *Veterans Memorial Park *Western Community Curling Club *soccer field *two baseball diamonds ;Events * The Prince County Exhibition is held every August and features livestock shows, exhibits, meals, racing, youth talent, strongman competition, and a midway. * Other events include the Alberton Day Festival,

Canada Day Canada Day, formerly known as Dominion Day, is the national day of Canada. A Public holidays in Canada, federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 1867, with the passing of the B ...

. ;Churches Alberton has seven churches: *Alberton Baptist Church *Alberton Presbyterian Church *Apostolic Pentecostal *Gordon Memorial United Church of Canada *Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witness *Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church *St. Peter's Anglican Church

Media

The '' Journal Pioneer'', a weekly newspaper published in Summerside, maintains its office for western Prince County in Alberton. The '' West Prince Graphic'' is a weekly newspaper serving the western part of Prince County and is published locally. A bi-weekly advertising paper called the '' Penny Saver'' is published and distributed to all the residents of Western PEI.

Notable people

* Herbert Bell, politician * Joe O'Brien, driver

References

External links

* {{Coord, 46, 49, N, 64, 04, W, name=Alberton, display=title, type:city_region:CA-PE Communities in Prince County, Prince Edward Island Towns in Prince Edward Island Populated coastal places in Canada Populated places established in 1534 1534 establishments in the French colonial empire