Retlaw is an unincorporated community located in the Municipal District of Taber

Taber, Alberta (municipal district)

The Municipal District of Taber is a municipal district in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located in Census Division 2.-Demographics:The population of the Municipal District of Taber according to its 2008 municipal census is 6,714....

, 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...

, 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...

. It is located 2 km (1 mi) west of Highway 864 6 km (3 mi) west of Vauxhall

Vauxhall, Alberta

Vauxhall is a town in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located in the Municipal District of Taber, in the prairie land between Bow River and Oldman River....

 and 42 km (26 mi) northwest of Taber and 75 km (46 mi) southwest of Brooks

Brooks, Alberta

Brooks is a city in southeast Alberta, Canada surrounded by the County of Newell. It is located on Highway 1 and the Canadian Pacific Railway, approximately southeast of Calgary, and northwest of Medicine Hat. The city has an elevation of .- History :The area that is now Brooks was originally...

.

History

In 1910, the original post-office in the region was originally called "Barney." Three years later, when the Canadian Pacific Railway station arrived, however, it was dubbed "Retlaw". The name was selected as a tribute to Walter R. Baker, as "Retlaw" is "Walter" spelled backwards.

Retlaw was expected to be a large community in its area, with features of similarly-sized communities of its time including four grain elevators, a pool hall

Pool hall

A billiard/billiards, pool or snooker hall is a place where people get together for playing cue sports such as pool, snooker or carom billiards...

, hotel

Hotel

A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...

, CPR

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...

 railway station, churches, blacksmith

Blacksmith

A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...

, and a number of other businesses. Due to the Province of Alberta bringing an irrigation canal

Irrigation

Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...

 that passed the nearby Town of Vauxhall

Vauxhall, Alberta

Vauxhall is a town in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located in the Municipal District of Taber, in the prairie land between Bow River and Oldman River....

 in the 1920s, Retlaw was left in a dry land state causing the community to die off. By 1925 most of the Retlaw's inhabitants moved out into neighbouring communities, searching for a better way of life, some even bringing their homes and business with them. By 1957, only two families were left. Today very little is left of Retlaw. Only the restored Retlaw Union/United Church, a community centre

Community centre

Community centres or community centers or jumping recreation centers are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole community or for a specialised group within...

, two houses, the blacksmith shop

Blacksmith

A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...

 and a few foundations remain.

Retlaw Union/United Church

Retlaw Church is an old Victorian

Victorian architecture

The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...

 style church located in the hamlet

Hamlet

The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...

 of Retlaw, Alberta. The church was built in the 1910s. The church, like the town, had sat empty and neglected for many years until the 1980s when local farmers came together and restored the church to its former glory. Every year the church holds family events such as Christmas dinner

Christmas dinner

Christmas dinner is the primary meal traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. In many ways the meal is similar to a standard Sunday dinner. Christmas feasts have traditionally been luxurious and abundant...

s, plays

Play (theatre)

A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...

, and church services on Sunday.

See also

• List of places with fewer than ten residents
• List of communities in Alberta
• List of ghost towns in Alberta

External links

• Municipal District of Taber - Official site