Big Valley, Alberta
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Big Valley is a village in central
Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
, Canada that is southeast 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 (deer), hart, and a female is called a doe or hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Ir ...
. It is located south of Stettler and north of
Drumheller Drumheller is a town on the Red Deer River in the badlands of east-central Alberta, Canada. It is located northeast of Calgary and south of Stettler. The Drumheller portion of the Red Deer River valley, often referred to as Dinosaur Vall ...
on Highway 56 in the County of Stettler No. 6.


History


Ranching era

Big Valley Alberta began to be settled even before 1910; people realized the value of the rich soil and natural grass known as Prairie Wool. Settlers began cattle farming operations and the town expanded. The Imperial Lease of land south-east of Big Valley consisted of thousands of acres of land owned by
Pat Burns Patrick John Joseph Burns (April 4, 1952 – November 19, 2010) was a National Hockey League head coach. Over 14 seasons between 1988 and 2004, he coached in 1,019 games with the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and New Je ...
. Most of the land became an ecological reserve to preserve its natural flora.


Rail era

In 1911 the
Canadian Northern Railway The Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) was a historic Canada, Canadian transcontinental railway. At its 1923 merger into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonto ...
(CNoR) began to lay track through Big Valley. In 1912 Big Valley built a thriving terminal with a big roundhouse, stockyards, rail yards, water tower, coal-dock, general railway maintenance and repair facilities. It became a village in 1914 with a population of 500 growing to 803 in 1920 when it became a town. After the merger of Canadian Northern Railway and Grand Trunk Pacific railways to create
Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...
(CNR) they believed there was no need of a railway to go through Big Valley. There are still the remains of the railway you can see with a walking self-tour. In November 1986 Central Western Railway Corp. (later Railink) purchased the portion of CNR track from Ferlow Junction (seven miles south of Camrose) to Munson Junction (about north of Drumheller). They began to haul grain along these lines from elevator to elevator on a regular basis. Railink has sold most of the line to a salvage company and now the tracks extend from Stettler to Big Valley. This remaining portion is owned by a group named the East Central Alberta Heritage Society (ECHAC). Alberta Prairie Steam Tours (a Stettler-based group) rents the use of the track, from ECHAC, for their steam train excursions.


Coal era

Early explorers discovered coal along the dramatic cut banks of the Red Deer River—about west of Big Valley. Several small mines were later developed on the outskirts of Big Valley; but the largest of these many mines (Big Valley Collieries) opened in 1912. Located about north of Big Valley, it employed over 100 men and had its own school and hotel. Big Valley coal was all of a softer variety, suitable only for residential heating. The demand for this soft coal remained strong for many years and the mines continued to operate almost up to the time that gas and oil was discovered in Big Valley in 1950. The last local mine located north of the town was a "Strip Mine" which closed in 1952.


Oil boom

Up until the early 1950s, coal had been the commodity mined in the area. In the late 1940s, a blizzard in the Alberta foothills pushed the seismic operations eastward to Stettler. The move resulted in the discovery of oil near Big Valley. But more importantly, it spawned extensive oil and gas exploration throughout the county. That exploration resulted in the Big Valley No. 7 discovery well the following year, located south of Big Valley, Alberta. This well was completed in September 1950. Once developed, the Fenn-Big Valley field covered an area of 78.2 hectares (30.2 square miles). This field produced over 51 million cubic metres (321 million barrels) of oil and over 2.4 billion cubic metres (85 billion cubic feet) of solution gas. Small amounts of oil and gas remain to be produced from this field. The oil and gas formation lies below the surface of the ground. At its peak, the Fenn-Big Valley Field produced 5,352 cubic metres (35,000 barrels) of oil a day for
Gulf A gulf is a large inlet from an ocean or their seas into a landmass, larger and typically (though not always) with a narrower opening than a bay (geography), bay. The term was used traditionally for large, highly indented navigable bodies of s ...
and similar amounts for
Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...
and
Esso Esso () is a trading name for ExxonMobil. Originally, the name was primarily used by its predecessor Standard Oil of New Jersey after the breakup of the original Standard Oil company in 1911. The company adopted the name "Esso" (from the phon ...
. The original portion of No. 7 well alone produced 95,700 cubic metres (626,000 barrels) of oil during its lifetime. Today, many of the pump jacks that dot the Big Valley landscape stand idle. A local symbol of the importance of the petroleum industry is an oil pumper displayed in Memorial Park.


Historical places

St. Edmund's Anglican Church on the hill (the Blue Church) was built in 1916. It was started by a financial gift from Caroline Leffler (in England) who raised the $500 downpayment by making, and selling, children's clothing. She sent the money to the Anglican Diocese in
Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
, asking that it be used to help start an
Anglican church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
anywhere in western Canada that they saw fit. At that time Big Valley, with its booming mining, ranching, and railroading industries in full swing, made it a logical spot for a new church. Walter Dennis, a local craftsman, built St. Edmund's Church. The building contains the original pews (with a few additions), pump organ, and other furnishings. The last regular church service was held in the 1960s and the building soon became very weather-worn. A nearly broke Homecoming 1974 group obtained some unclaimed blue paint from a local lumber yard and the once cream-coloured church became blue.


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 ...
, the Village of Big Valley had a population of 331 living in 159 of its 186 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 346. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. The population of the Village of Big Valley according to its 2017 municipal census is 349, a change of from its 2015 municipal census population of 347. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Village of Big Valley recorded a population of 346 living in 167 of its 189 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 364. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.


Geography

Big Valley is in central Alberta. The Village of Big Valley is located south of Stettler and is a busy little community one kilometre off Highway 56. Big Valley is centrally located in the southern part of the Battle River Tourist zone. Big Valley has seen a 10.4% increase in population over the period of 1996 and 2001.


Location

*32 km south of Stettler on Highway 56 *60 km north of
Drumheller Drumheller is a town on the Red Deer River in the badlands of east-central Alberta, Canada. It is located northeast of Calgary and south of Stettler. The Drumheller portion of the Red Deer River valley, often referred to as Dinosaur Vall ...
on Highway 56 *80 km east of Innisfail on Highway 590 *204 km southeast of
Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...


Leisure


Arts and culture

As of the summer of 2005 Big Valley Amphitheatre will be hosting local talent including old time and modern country music, sing-a-longs and storytelling sessions. On June 5, 2007, the Big Valley Creation Science Museum was opened in the village.Big Valley Creation Science Museum
Official website
Retrieved June 7th, 2007
The museum claims scientific evidence for the Genesis creation.


Golf

The Big Valley Golf Course is on the western edge of the village. It's a challenging nine-hole course with many hills on sand greens.


Parks

Ball Diamonds Big Valley has a number of community ball teams and also hosts tournaments every year. Managed by the Big Valley Agricultural Society, facilities include ball diamonds, a playground, and access to the Agriplex for food services and dances. Elks Playgrounds There are several playgrounds available for the children of Big Valley, including the Elks Playground, the playground at the ball diamond and the playground at the Big Valley School. Memorial Park Memorial Park is a beautiful spot in the village to enjoy a picnic lunch. There is a War Memorial in the park where respect is paid to the significant number of men who fought for Canada in wartime. Memorial Park is at 121 Main Street, West.


Facilities

Big Valley Agriplex The Agriplex is Big Valley's main ice facility. It has seating for approximately 800 people and is home to many minor hockey games and tournaments. Time is also available for public skating. Tennis Courts Big Valley currently has two tennis courts available to residents and visitors of Big Valley that can also be used for tennis, playing basketball and skateboarding.


Education


Big Valley School - part of Clearview Public Schools


Notable people

*
Skeeter Thurston Skeeter Thurston is an American Canadians, American-Canadian former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in Bareback bronc and Saddle bronc riding, saddle bronc riding. Rodeo career He was a six-time qualifier for the National Finals Rodeo. H ...
, rodeo competitor *
Zeke Thurston Zeke Thurston (born July 15, 1994) is a Canadian professional rodeo cowboy who specializes in saddle bronc riding. He is a four-time (2016, 2019, 2022, and 2023) Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) World Champion saddle bronc rider, a ...
, rodeo world champion


See also

*
List of communities in Alberta The province of Alberta, Canada, is divided into ten types of Local government in Canada, local governments – urban municipalities (including List of cities in Alberta, cities, List of towns in Alberta, towns, List of villages in Alberta, vil ...
*
List of villages in Alberta A village is an urban municipality status type used in the Canadian province of Alberta. Alberta villages are created when communities with populations of at least 300 people, where a majority of their buildings are on parcels of land smaller t ...


References


External links

* {{Subdivisions of Alberta, villages=yes 1914 establishments in Alberta Villages in Alberta