Picture Butte is a town 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. It is located north of the city of

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 106,550 in the 2023 Alberta municipal censuses, 2023 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

. It claims the title of "Livestock Feeding Capital of Canada."

Name

In 2010,

Ernest Ernest is a given name derived from the Germanic languages, Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious", often shortened to Ernie. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), ...

and

Austin Mardon Dr. Austin Albert Mardon, Ph.D. Order of Canada, CM Order of St. Sylvester, KCSS Fellowship of the Royal Society, FRSC Royal Canadian Geographical Society, FRCGS is an associate adjunct professor at the University of Alberta's John Dossetor H ...

stated that "the name is descriptive, being a translation of the Blackfoot 'the beautiful hill.'"

History

Picture Butte received its name from a prominence southeast of town. By 1947, however, the prominence's soil had been reworked and used for street improvements, highway construction and a dyke on the shore of the Picture Butte Lake Reservoir. The prominence no longer exists. Homesteading in the area began in the early 20th century. The building of the Lethbridge Northern Irrigation System in 1923 and the

CPR Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure used during cardiac or respiratory arrest that involves chest compressions, often combined with artificial ventilation, to preserve brain function and maintain circulation until sp ...

rail line in 1925 stimulated an influx of settlers. The first post office opened in 1925. In 1943, Picture Butte became a village, and it attained town status in 1961 with a population of 978. The Canadian Sugar Factory closed in 1978 and resulted in the loss of tax revenues and employment opportunities to the town. Industrial activity consists of small service, warehousing and wholesaling industries. The town annexed approximately in 1991, significantly changing the town's boundary since the general municipal plan of 1980. A number of farms and properties in the Picture Butte area have changed and adapted over time; for example, in 2016, the Natural Resources Conservation Board approved Scholten Farms' request to convert swine feeders to cattle feeders.

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 Town of Picture Butte had a population of 1,930 living in 689 of its 729 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 1,810. 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 Picture Butte recorded a population of 1,810 living in 672 of its 706 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 1,650. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Attractions

As of 2023, Picture Butte has an art gallery, three schools, three churches, a sports complex, a community league, a museum and a historical village.

Governance

List of mayors of Picture Butte

* John Maurice Gibbons * Heber Jones * Harry Watson * Sydney P. Johnson * Wilfrid Hague * Victor Edward (Ted) Crapnell * Morgan W. Heninger * Rick Casson * Bert Foord * Alex Chronik * Elton Anderson * Jon Stevens * Terry Kerkhoff * Wendy Jones * Cathy Moore *John F. Kennedy

Current municipal council

The current Picture Butte town council was elected on October 18, 2021 in the

2021 Alberta municipal elections Municipal elections were held in Alberta, Canada on October 18, 2021. Chief elected officials (mayors or Reeve (Canada), reeves) and councillors (or Alderman, aldermen), are up for election in all List of cities in Alberta, cities (except Lloydmi ...

. As of 2023, the Mayor of Cathy Moore and councilors include Henry deKok, Teresa Feist, Cynthia Papworth and Crystal Neels.

Gallery

Notable people

* Alex Brown Johnston, politician * Rick Casson, politician

References

External links

* {{Subdivisions of Alberta, towns=yes 1943 establishments in Alberta Lethbridge County Towns in Alberta