Lethbridge History Essay

644 Words2 Pages

History of Lethbridge Lethbridge is the fourth largest city in Alberta and enjoys warm summers and mild winters. Lethbridge is the commercial, financial and industrial centre of southern Alberta and is home to a wide range of cultural venues as well as southern Alberta’s only university. Lethbridge is the perfect blend of city and town and a great place to call home. Here is a brief history of this unique town and how it has developed from a resource based town into a bustling mid-sized city that is home to a wide range of professionals, cultures and ethnicities. Origins The city of Lethbridge is named after the president of the North Western Coal and Navigation Company, William Lethbridge. Before 1885, the area that is now Lethbridge was …show more content…

One of the new posts that was built near Lethbridge known as Fort Whoop-Up was one of the most notorious in all of Southern Alberta. By the late 1860’s coal had been discovered in the area of Lethbridge, but it was not until 1872 that this resource began to be mined. As the popularity of coal began to grow, so too did the city of Lethbridge. The Early Years By 1883, coal was being transported down the river to Medicine Hat in large quantities. However, due to inconsistent water levels and shifting sand bars, rail quickly replaced barges as the main method of transporting coal. This railway was largely instrumental in the economic success of the city and helped settle many immigrants throughout southern Alberta. In 1891, the Lieutenant Governor of the North West Territories signed the official proclamation declaring Lethbridge a town. Lethbridge’s first council was held on February 3 of 1891 and Charles Alexander Magrath was the first mayor. One of the main features of Lethbridge to this day, the High Level Bridge, was constructed during this period. At this time, it was the longest and highest bridge in the world and a monumental task of

Open Document