Port Cornwall, also known as Fort Cornwall, is a former village in

northern Alberta Northern Alberta is a geographic region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. An informally defined cultural region, the boundaries of Northern Alberta are not fixed. Under some schemes, the region encompasses everything north of the ce ...

, Canada within the

Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124 The Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124 is a List of municipal districts in Alberta, municipal district (MD) in north-central Alberta, Canada. Its List of municipal districts in Alberta#Office locations, municipal office is located ...

. Prior to incorporation as a village, the community was known as Mirror Landing. Port Cornwall was located on the north shore of the Lesser Slave River at its confluence with the

Athabasca River The Athabasca River (French: ''Rivière Athabasca'') in Alberta, Canada, originates at the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park and flows more than before emptying into Lake Athabasca. Much of the land along its banks is protected in nationa ...

. The Hamlet of

Smith Smith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England ** List of people ...

is located southeast of the former village across the Athabasca River.

History

In the late 19th century, Mirror Landing was a stopping point along a trail for travellers to the

Peace Country The Peace River Country (or Peace Country; ) is an aspen parkland region centring on the Peace River in Canada. It extends from northwestern Alberta to the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbia, where a certain portion of the region is ...

from

Fort Edmonton Fort Edmonton (also named Edmonton House) was the name of a series of Trading post, trading posts of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) from 1795 to 1914, all of which were located on the north banks of the North Saskatchewan River in what is now ce ...

via Athabasca Landing. By 1911, Mirror Landing was one of numerous stopping points for unimpeded steamboat travel between Athabasca Landing and

Lesser Slave Lake Lesser Slave Lake is located in northern Alberta, Canada, northwest of Edmonton. It is the second largest lake entirely within Alberta boundaries (and the largest easily accessible by vehicle), covering and measuring over long and at its wid ...

. The community was incorporated as the Village of Fort Cornwall on October 27, 1913, although it was referred to as Port Cornwall as early as January 1914. According to

Alberta Municipal Affairs Alberta Municipal Affairs is a ministry of the Executive Council of Alberta. Its major responsibilities include assisting municipalities in the provision of local government, administering the assessment of linear property in Alberta, administeri ...

, Port Cornwall had a population of 200 in 1913. By early 1914, the village had over 30 businesses and numerous residences. Infrastructure included streetlights and sidewalks. It also included a government telegraph office and quarters for the

Royal North-West Mounted Police The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a Canadian paramilitary police force, established in 1873, to maintain order in the new Canadian North-West Territories (NWT) following the 1870 transfer of Rupert's Land and North-Western Territory to ...

. At this time, plans were also underway for the building of a school and a Methodist church. However, early 1914 would also spell the beginning of the end for the village. The

Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway Northern Alberta Railways was a Canadian railway which served northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. Jointly owned by both Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway, NAR existed as a separate company from 1929 until 19 ...

had reached the present location of Smith, across the confluence of the Lesser Slave and Athabasca rivers from Port Cornwall. Subdivision of the Smith townsite began as a result, and Port Cornwall's demise began. Ultimately, the Village of Port Cornwall later disorganized on September 11, 1917.

References

External links

View of Port Cornwall, 1914
– Library and Archives Canada Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124 Former villages in Alberta Ghost towns in Alberta {{NorthernAlberta-geo-stub

History

See also

References

External links