St. Isidore, Alberta
Encyclopedia
St. Isidore is a hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
in northwest 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...
, within Northern Sunrise County
Northern Sunrise County, Alberta
Northern Sunrise County is a municipal district in northern Alberta, Canada. It is located in Census Division 17.On July 10, 2002, the name changed from Municipal District of East Peace No. 131 to Northern Sunrise County...
. It is located approximately 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) east of the Town of Peace River
Peace River, Alberta
Peace River is a town in northwestern Alberta, Canada, situated along the banks of the Peace River, at its confluence with the Smoky River, the Heart River and Pat's Creek. It is located northwest of Edmonton, and northeast of Grande Prairie, along Highway 2. The Peace River townsite is nearly ...
on Range Road 204 off Highway 688. St. Isidore is flanked by deep ravines cut by Pat's Creek
Pat's Creek (Alberta)
Pat's Creek is a tributary of the Peace River in northern Alberta, Canada whose mouth is located within the Town of Peace River.It is named after Patrick Wesley, a Métis man who lived in a cabin adjacent to the creek on his property...
to the north and Pat's Creek tributary to the south. The ravines are surrounded by pine forests.
In 2007, the St. Isidore Development Committee organized the St. Isidore Cultural Marketing Project that involved a lot reservation draw. There was eight applicants for the sixteen lots that were made available in the southeast end of the community.
History
The Hamlet of St. Isidore is named after St. Isidore, a patron saint of farm workers who was known to be a model worker. It was founded in 1953 by seven families from the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-JeanSaguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean
Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean is a region in Quebec, Canada. It contains the Saguenay Fjord, the estuary of the Saguenay River, stretching through much of the region...
region of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. The group was aided by the Union des Cultivateurs Catholiques (Group of Catholic Farmers) of Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean Quebec, a rural agricultural organization that promoted a cooperative approach to agriculture and rural living. Being the last community to be settled in a wave of migration from Quebec after the Second World War, it has managed to maintain much of its original cultural vibrancy. Over half a century later, the community still reflects the cultural, cooperative, and family spirit at the heart of this community.
Demographics
The population of St. Isidore according to Northern Sunrise County's 2010 municipal census is 230.As of the 2006 Census of Canada
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
, St. Isidore had a total population of 211 living in 72 dwellings. With a land area of 1.05 km² (0.405407266522162 sq mi), it had 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 200.3 /km2.
Carnaval de St. Isidore
During the third weekend of February each year, the hamlet hosts the Carnaval de St. Isidore in and around the St. Isidore Cultural Centre. Modeled after the Quebec Winter Carnival, this event celebrates the community's French-Canadian hertitage through a variety of events while retaining the Albertan nature of the surrounding French communities. Among the major events is the international snow sculpting competition in which the organizers, the St. Isidore Cultural Centre sets a theme for the sculpting. In 2009, the theme was Carnaval Super Z’héros whereby the competitors were advised of the ‘danger’ the event was in from the vicious Frères Maniaques and that only the local superheroes could stop. In addition to the professional category, the snow sculpting event also includes amateur and youth categories.The carnival also features a mixture of traditional French folk and contemporary music, traditional French cooking, sleigh rides, log sawing and other Franco-Canadian activities.
Carnaval de St. Isidore crowns its teenaged volunteers Le Duc et le Chef (the King and the Queen) as the rulers of carnaval. The volunteers are required to sell tickets in order to be entered into a draw that crowns the Le Duc et le Chef.
Amenities
St. Isidore offers a large number of services to residents and tourists, including: the St. Isidore Co-op, a library, le Conseil Scolaire du Nord-Ouest, St. Isidore Housing Cooperative, la Société des Compagnons, la Caisse Horizon Credit Union, le Club du Bon Temps, le Club Barbar, the Weavers' Guild, a cultural centre, dance troup Plein Soleil, St. Isidore Museum, Family Community Support Services, a summer camp, a skating rink, and a Catholic church.The roads in St. Isidore are both numbered and named, with avenues running east/west and rues (streets) running north/south.