Alberta

Alberta, one of the four provisional districts into which the North-west Territories of Canada were divided in 1882. It is bounded S. by lat. 49°, E. by Assiniboia and Saskatchewan, N. by lat. 55°, and W. by British Columbia. Area, 106,100 sq. m.; pop. (1891) 26,123. The SW. portion of the district southward of the Canadian Pacific Railway contains the great cattle-ranges of Canada, and has good grass and water. Trees are mostly confined to the valleys. Enormous areas of land have been leased to ranching companies; and dairying is largely carried on. Calgary, the chief town, stands in a valley between the Bow and Elbow Rivers, and is the trading centre for a large district. The climate is healthy, but severe in winter, though even then the cold is often modified by the SW. 'chinook' winds. Bands of Crees, Blackfeet, and Stony Indians have been located on reserves. Coal is abundant on the Bow and Belly Rivers; timber is plentiful; there are also petroleum deposits, and the Rocky Mountains and their foothills are rich in minerals. The Banff hot sulphur springs are included in the Rocky Mountains National Park.