Big Valley, Alberta
Encyclopedia
Big Valley is a village in central Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
south 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...
. It is located 32 km (19.9 mi) south of Stettler
Stettler, Alberta
Stettler is a town in Alberta, Canada. It is located east of Red Deer at the junction of Highway 12 and Highway 56. The town is located in the eastern region of central Alberta and nicknamed "The Heart of Alberta."- History :...
and 64 km (39.8 mi) north of Drumheller
Drumheller, Alberta
Drumheller is a town within the Red Deer River valley in the badlands of east-central Alberta, Canada. It is located northeast of Calgary...
on Highway 56 in the County of Stettler
Stettler County No. 6, Alberta
The County of Stettler No. 6 is a municipal district in central Alberta, Canada.-Demographics:In 2006, the County of Stettler No. 6 had a population of 5,216 living in 1,846 dwellings, a 2.6% decrease from 2001. The county has a land area of and a population density of .In 2001, the population...
.
Ranching era
Big Valley Alberta began to be settled even before 1910; people realized the value of the rich soil and natural grass known as "Prairie Wool". Settlers began cattle farming operations and the town expanded. The Imperial Lease of land south east of Big Valley consisted of thousands of acres of land owned by Pat BurnsPatrick Burns (politician)
Patrick Burns was a Canadian rancher, meat packer, businessman, senator, and philanthropist.A self-made man, he built one of the world's largest integrated meat-packing empires, P. Burns & Co., and was one of the wealthiest Canadians of his time...
. Most of the land became an ecological reserve to preserve its natural flora.
Rail era
In 1911 the Canadian Northern RailwayCanadian 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...
(CNR) began to lay track through Big Valley. In 1912 Big Valley built a thriving terminal with a big "roundhouse," stockyards, rail yards, water tower, coal-dock, general railway maintenance and repair facilities. After the merger of Canadian Northern Railway and Grand Trunk Pacific railways to create Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
(CNR) they believed there was no need of a railway to go through Big Valley. There are still the remains of the railway you can see with a walking self-tour.
In November 1986 Central Western Railway Corp. (later Railink) purchased the portion of CNR track from Ferlow Junction (seven miles south of Camrose) to Munson Junction (about seven miles (11 km) north of Drumheller). They began to haul grain along these lines from elevator to elevator on a regular basis.
Railink has sold most of the line to a salvage company and now the tracks extend from Stettler to Big Valley. This remaining portion is owned by a group named the East Central Alberta Heritage Society (ECHAC). Alberta Prairie Steam Tours (a Stettler based group) rents the use of the track, from ECHAC, for their steam train excursions.
Coal era
Early explorers discovered coal along the dramatic cut banks of the Red Deer River—about 19 km (11.8 mi) west of Big Valley. Several small mines were later developed on the outskirts of Big Valley; but the largest of these many mines (Big Valley Colleries) opened in 1912. Located about 2 km (1.2 mi) north of Big Valley, it employed over 100 men and had its own school and hotel. Big Valley coal was all of a softer variety, suitable only for residential heating. The demand for this soft coal remained strong for many years and the mines continued to operate almost up to the time that gas and oil was discovered in Big Valley in 1950. The last local mine located 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi) north of the town was a “Strip Mine” which closed in 1952.Oil boom
Up until the early 1950s, coal had been the commodity mined in the area. In the late 40's, a blizzard in the Alberta foothills pushed the seismic operations eastward to Stettler. The move resulted in the discovery of oil near Big Valley. But more importantly, it spawned extensive oil and gas exploration throughout the county. That exploration resulted in the "Big Valley No. 7" discovery well the following year, located 6 km (3.7 mi) south of Big Valley, Alberta. This well was completed in September 1950. Once developed, the Fenn-Big Valley field covered an area of 78.2 hectares (30.2 square miles). This field produced over 51 million cubic metres (321 million barrels) of oil and over 2.4 billion cubic metres (85 billion cubic feet) of solution gas. Small amounts of oil and gas remain to be produced from this field. The oil and gas formation lies 1660 metres (5,445 ft) below the surface of the ground. At its peak, the Fenn-Big Valley Field produced 5,352 cubic metres (35,000 barrels) of oil a day for GulfGulf Oil
Gulf Oil was a major global oil company from the 1900s to the 1980s. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil companies...
and similar amounts for Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
and Esso
Esso
Esso is an international trade name for ExxonMobil and its related companies. Pronounced , it is derived from the initials of the pre-1911 Standard Oil, and as such became the focus of much litigation and regulatory restriction in the United States. In 1972, it was largely replaced in the U.S. by...
. The original portion of No. 7 well alone produced 95,700 cubic metres (626,000 barrels) of oil during its lifetime. Today, many of the pump jacks that dot the Big Valley landscape stand idle.
A local symbol of the importance of the petroleum industry is an oil pumper displayed in Memorial Park.
Historical places
St. Edmund's Church
Anglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada is the Province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French name is l'Église Anglicane du Canada. The ACC is the third largest church in Canada after the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of Canada, consisting of 800,000 registered members...
church anywhere in western Canada that they saw fit. At that time Big Valley, with its booming mining, ranching, and railroading industries in full swing, made it a logical spot for a new church. Walter Dennis, a local craftsman, built St. Frances Museum.
The building contains the original pews (with a few additions), pump organ, and other furnishings. The last regular church service was held in the 1960s and the building soon became very weather-worn. A "nearly broke" Homecoming 1974 group obtained some "unclaimed" blue paint from a local lumber yard and the once cream colored church became blue.
Jimmie Jock Boardwalk
Demographics
In 2006, Big Valley had a population of 351 living in 179 dwellingsHouse
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
, a 3.2% increase from 2001. The Village has an area of 1.84 km² (0.710427971810264 sq mi) and a population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 191.2 inhabitants per square kilometer.
Geography
Big Valley is located in central Alberta. The Village of Big Valley is located south of Stettler and is a busy little community one kilometer off Highway 56. Big Valley is centrally located in the southern part of the Battle River Tourist zone.Big Valley has seen a 10.4% increase in population over the period of 1996 and 2001.
Location
- 32 km south of StettlerStettler, AlbertaStettler is a town in Alberta, Canada. It is located east of Red Deer at the junction of Highway 12 and Highway 56. The town is located in the eastern region of central Alberta and nicknamed "The Heart of Alberta."- History :...
on Highway 56 - 60 km north of DrumhellerDrumheller, AlbertaDrumheller is a town within the Red Deer River valley in the badlands of east-central Alberta, Canada. It is located northeast of Calgary...
on Highway 56 - 80 km east of InnisfailInnisfail, AlbertaInnisfail is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located in the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor, south of Red Deer at the junction of Highway 2 and Highway 54....
on Highway 590 - 204 km southeast of EdmontonEdmontonEdmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
Arts and culture
As of the summer of 2005 Big Valley Amphitheatre will be hosting local talent including old time and modern country music, sing-a-longs and story telling sessions.On June 5, 2007, the Big Valley Creation Science Museum
Big Valley Creation Science Museum
The Big Valley Creation Science Museum is a museum in Big Valley, Alberta, Canada, dedicated to promoting the young earth creationism as an alternative to scientific consensus on biological evolution presented by the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, also in Alberta, 35 miles to the south...
was opened in the village. The museum claims scientific evidence for the Genesis creation.
Golf
The Big Valley Golf Course is on the western edge of the village. It's a challenging nine-hole course with lots of hills on sand greens.Parks
Ball DiamondsBig Valley has a number of community ball teams and also hosts tournaments every year. Managed by the Big Valley Agricultural Society, facilities include ball diamonds, a playground and access to the Agriplex for food services and dances.
Elks Playgrounds
There are several playgrounds available for the children of Big Valley, including the Elks Playground, the playground at the ball diamond as well as the playground at the Big Valley School.
Memorial Park
Memorial Park is a beautiful spot in the village to enjoy a picnic lunch. There is a War Memorial in the park where respect is paid to the significant number of boys who fought for Canada in war time. Memorial Park is located at 121 Main Street, West.
Facilities
Big Valley AgriplexThe Agriplex is Big Valley's main ice facility. It has seating for approximately 800 people and is home to many minor hockey games and tournaments. Time is also available for public skating.
Tennis Courts
Big Valley currently has two tennis courts available to residents and visitors of Big Valley that can also be used for tennis, playing basketball and skateboarding.