Maleb, formerly known as Conquerville, is a locality in
southern Alberta
Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. In 2016, the region's population was approximately 291,112. The primary cities are Lethbridge and Medicine Hat. The region is known mostly for agricultural production, but o ...
, Canada within the
County of Forty Mile No. 8. It is approximately south of
Highway 3
The following highways are numbered 3, H-3, PRI-3, AH3, E03 and R3. For roads numbered A3, see A3 roads. For roads numbered M3, see M3 (disambiguation)#Roads, M3. For roads numbered N3, see N3 (disambiguation)#Roads, N3. For roads numbered 3A, see ...
and southwest of
Medicine Hat
Medicine Hat is a city in Southern Alberta, southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff, Alberta, R ...
.
History
Conquerville, now Maleb, was first established in the early 20th century, the area previously having been used by ranchers along the McLeod Trail destined for
Fort McLeod. The route, which had been converted into a railway during the 1890s, brought many passengers and ranchers to the Conquerville area, including coal miners after coal was discovered in the area early in the 20th century. In 1909, Conquerville underwent an agricultural boom, which brought many farmers to the area. The
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
brought prosperity to Conquerville, with the 1915–16 harvest benefiting all; however, the post-war period saw the community fall on hard times. Disease ravaged the local cattle population, and
Spanish influenza
The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest docum ...
crippled many families. Grants to farmers, coupled with land grants to new residents supported by the government, led to a revival of the community. In 1945, the Conquerville school opened, which consolidated nine different school districts into one larger centralized district.
In 1954, the community was electrified, and in 1965 the community celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding, publishing a book, ''Conquerville: a growing community'', to celebrate.
Starting in the 1980s, Conquerville began its decline. During these years, the local high school was closed due to a lack of enrollment and was partially destroyed by fire in 1992. Today all that remains of the community is a basketball court, baseball field, ruins of the high school, overgrown with weeds and now used for storage by a local farmer. The community hall still remains nearby, and is still used on the odd occasion. Only a few residents remain. It is believed that the farming community of the area began its fall when the school closed.
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 ghost towns in Alberta
The province of Alberta has several ghost towns that have been completely or partially abandoned. Many of Alberta's ghost towns exist as a result of a number of failed coal mining operations in the area during the early 20th century.
Ghost t ...
References
Localities in the County of Forty Mile No. 8
Populated places established in 1905
Ghost towns in Alberta
1905 establishments in Alberta
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