Alliance, Alberta
Encyclopedia
Alliance is a village in central Alberta
Central Alberta
Central Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.Central Alberta is the most densely populated rural area in the province...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Established as a station on a Canadian National (CN) line in 1916, Alliance became a village in 1918. It is located on Highway 602, approximately 160 km (99.4 mi) east of Red Deer
Red Deer, Alberta
Red Deer is a city in Central Alberta, Canada. It is located near the midpoint of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor and is surrounded by Red Deer County. It is Alberta's third-most-populous city – after Calgary and Edmonton. The city is located in aspen parkland, a region of rolling hills...
. The village is 2 km (1.2 mi) east of Veterans Memorial Highway (Highway 36) and 2.5 km (1.6 mi) north of the Battle River
Battle River (Canada)
Battle River is a river in central Alberta and western Saskatchewan. It is a major tributary of the North Saskatchewan River.The Battle River flows for and has a total drainage area of...
.
History
Prior to European settlement, the area surrounding the future site of Alliance was, at times, home to First NationsFirst Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
tribes who roamed the plains. The area was also the site of several confrontations between Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
and Blackfoot
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana....
tribes, giving rise to the name Battle River
Battle River (Canada)
Battle River is a river in central Alberta and western Saskatchewan. It is a major tributary of the North Saskatchewan River.The Battle River flows for and has a total drainage area of...
. At the time of Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
in 1867, Alberta was still owned by the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
, and European missionaries spread Christianity through the native tribes. In 1904, prior to Alberta becoming a province, homesteaders arrived in the area to establish ranches. By 1910, the area surrounding what is now Alliance was well populated by Europeans, and in January 1916, the Canadian Northern Railway
Canadian Northern Railway
The Canadian Northern Railway is a historic Canadian transcontinental railway. At its demise in 1923, when it was merged into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton.-Manitoba beginnings:CNoR had its start in...
arrived in the young community. The name 'Alliance' was chosen by resident Tom Edwards, who named the community after his home city in the United States, Alliance, Ohio
Alliance, Ohio
Alliance is a city in Stark and Mahoning counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 22,322 at the 2010 census. Alliance's nickname is "The Carnation City", and the city is home to the University of Mount Union....
. Shortly after the community's establishment, regular church services began. The first church service was held in a pool hall, with most of the congregation seated on the pool tables.
In 1930, a representative from the CN visited Alliance to purchase land in the community, and construction was scheduled begin on a new rail line. The Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
also began construction in the area. However, all rail construction was halted in 1932, with the community's residents assuming that the rise of the automobile had driven traffic away from the rails. For the next forty years, Alliance continued to serve primarily as a farming hub for surrounding properties, although during the 1940s the community was hit by a two-week long non-delivery strike by the Alberta Farmers' Union.
Despite the general prosperity of farmers in the 1940s and early 1950s, the increasing replacement of labour by machinery meant that Alliance's population declined sharply, such that seven businesses in the community closed between 1942 and 1954. Bumper crops in the 1950s caused no granary to be empty in the region, although a lack of demand for grain during the period dampened agricultural prosperity until export sales picked up. That decade also saw the modernization of Alliance as a community, with approximately one mile of pavement being laid in summer 1954, the installation of cushioned seats in the local theatre, and the construction of a seed cleaning plant.
Demographics
The population of the Village of Alliance according to its 2007 municipal census is 197.In 2006, Alliance had a population of 158 living in 89 dwellings, a 1% decrease from 2001. The community has an area of 0.64km² and a population density of 245.3 inhabitants per square kilometer. The village's median age of 49 (46.2 for males and 49.6 for females) exceeds the provincial median age of 36 (35.4 for males and 36.7 for females).