Iddesleigh, Alberta

Iddesleigh
Hamlet
Iddesleigh is located in Alberta
Iddesleigh
Iddesleigh
Location of Iddesleigh
Iddesleigh is located in Canada
Iddesleigh
Iddesleigh
Iddesleigh (Canada)
Coordinates: 50°44′08″N 111°18′11″W / 50.73556°N 111.30306°W / 50.73556; -111.30306
CountryCanada
ProvinceAlberta
RegionSouthern Alberta
Census division4
Special areaSpecial Area No. 2
Government
 • TypeUnincorporated
 • Governing bodySpecial Areas Board
Population
 (1991)[1]
 • Total
14
Time zoneUTC−06:00 (Alberta Time)
Area codes403, 587, 825

Iddesleigh is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada within Special Area No. 2.[2][3] It is located approximately 37 kilometres (23 mi) northeast of Highway 1 and 46 kilometres (29 mi) northeast of Brooks.

Toponymy

Iddesleigh is named for Walter Northcote, 2nd Earl of Iddesleigh, chairman of the Hudson’s Bay Company from 1869 to 1874.[4][5]

Topography

Iddesleigh rests upon one of the densest dinosaur bone beds on Earth.[6][7] Between 1974 and 2025, thousands of pachyrhinosaurus specimens have been unearthed in the area.[6]

History

Pre-settlement

Following the Great Sioux War of 1876 in the United States, a conflict between an alliance of Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne against the United States, thousands of Sioux took refuge in the area now known as Iddesleigh.[8] Among them was Sitting Bull, who met with the Crowfoot of the Blackfoot people, and attempted to convince Crowfoot to join their resistance by mounting an uprising against the North-West Mounted Police.[8][9] Crowfoot declined, but convinced the Blackfoot to leave the Sioux in peace.[9]

Founding: 1900-1920

In 1907, the first settlers arrived in the area that would later become known as Iddesleigh.[9] They established a blend of ranches and grain farms over the next few decades.[9] The locality was originally served by the now-extant community of Rainy Hills (which was also briefly known as Denhart).[10] Rainy Hills Cemetery began serving both the residents of Denhart and Iddesleigh in 1911.[11]

In 1914, Iddesleigh was founded as a siding of the Canadian Pacific Railway along the Bassano subdivision.[5][12] The next year, Rainy Hills Church was established to serve the local Lutheran community,[13] and an Iddesleigh post office opened in December 1915.[14][15] A grain elevator was introduced to the community by the end of the decade.[16]

Iddesleigh grew rapidly into a local commercial centre by 1920, hosting services including a barber and various stores.[17] Iddesleigh School District No. 3608 was established on February 18, 1918.[18] Classes were initially offered in a hall owned by the United Farmers of Alberta.[18]

Decline: 1920s-1960

As with many dry belt towns, Iddesleigh experienced depopulation throughout the 1920s, as poor weather and crop yields prompted residents to leave in search of better agricultural conditions.[19] One resident reported salvaging just 45 bushels of wheat from 300 acres in 1924.[20] Residents primarily moved to settlements within the County of Paintearth No. 18.[19]

Notable resident Bud Olson, future member of Parliament for Medicine Hat, was born in Iddesleigh in 1925.[21] He operated the family farm and general store in Iddesleigh until 1956; he subsequently donated the building to serve as a local pioneer museum, which was operated by the Rainy Hills Historical Society until around the late 1980s.[21][22]

Iddesleigh School received a permanent building in 1939.[18] The school shut down by 1960, as the building was sold that year.[18] As of 2019, the building now hosts Iddesleigh Hall, a community centre.[23][24]

In 1967, Iddesleigh was one of several small hamlets in Alberta that hosted a parade to celebrate Canada's centennial.[25]

Later developments: 1961-present

Farmers based in Iddesleigh and Jenner formed the Rainy Hills Grazing Co-op in June 1967, in order to purchase 2,800 acres of farmland from the provincial government.[26] As of 2022, the co-operative is still active.[27]

Train services through Iddesleigh ended some time after 1983.[28] In 1984, Rainy Hills Lutheran Church congregants were among the contributors to a cookbook published by the Lutheran Women's Missionary League, Family Favourites.[29] Rainy Hills Lutheran Church celebrated its centennial in 2015.[13]

In November 2022, the largest solar power field proposed for Southern Alberta was approved by provincial regulators.[30] Once completed, Greengate Power’s Jurassic Solar + Battery plant will span 1,170 acres, near Iddesleigh.[30][31]

Demographics

Iddesleigh recorded a population of 14 in the 1991 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada,[1] down from 22 in 1988.[32]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "91 Census: Unincorporated Places — Population and Dwelling Counts" (PDF). Statistics Canada. June 1993. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Specialized and Rural Municipalities and Their Communities" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  3. ↑ Statistics Canada (March 5, 2010). "Standard Geographical Classification 2006 – Special Area No. 2, geographical codes and localities, 2006". Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
  4. ↑ Place-names of Alberta. Ottawa: Geographic Board of Canada. 1928. p. 67.
  5. 1 2 Alberta Culture (2025). "Iddesleigh". Alberta Geographical Names Web Map. Text visible upon selecting the yellow circle.
  6. 1 2 Mocerino, Maria. "8,000 dinosaur bones discovered at Canada's fossil mass grave". Interesting Engineering. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  7. ↑ Ryan, Michael J.; Chinnery-Allgeier, Brenda J.; Eberth, David A. (2010). New Perspectives on Horned Dinosaurs: The Royal Tyrrell Museum Ceratopsian Symposium. Indiana University Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-0-253-35358-0.
  8. 1 2 Wood, Kerry (September 19, 1960). "Prairie History". Edmonton Journal. p. 4.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Liddell, Ken (June 25, 1964). "Ken Liddell's Column". Calgary Herald. p. 5.
  10. ↑ Karamitsanis, Aphrodite, ed. (1991). Place Names of Alberta Volume II: Southern Alberta. Calgary: University of Calgary Press. p. 37. ISBN 091981395X.
  11. ↑ Alberta Family Histories Society. "Rainy Hills Cemetery (Special Area No. 2) Archives". Alberta Ancestors. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  12. ↑ Grain Handling and Transportation Commission (Hall Commission) (1977). REGION 6 (PDF). Government of Canada. p. 471.
  13. 1 2 Riste, Wendy (May 5, 2015). "Iddesleigh Intelligence". The Brooks Bulletin. p. 4.
  14. ↑ Canada, Library and Archives (November 25, 2016). "Iddesleigh Archives / Post Offices and Postmasters". recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  15. ↑ Canada (1915). The Canada Gazette: La Gazette Du Canada. (1915). Queen's Printer for Canada. p. 1929.
  16. ↑ Duchess and District Historical Society (1982). Duchess and District Memories. Duchess and District Historical Society. p. 366 – via University of Calgary.
  17. ↑ Cravath Bell Hussar, Margaret (July 10, 2009). "The History of Cravath Corners". Brooks Weekender. p. 8.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Provincial Archives of Alberta. "Iddesleigh School District No. 3608 fonds". searchprovincialarchives.alberta.ca. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  19. 1 2 Jones, David C. (2002). Empire of dust: settling and abandoning the prairie dry belt. Calgary: University of Calgary Press. p. 212. ISBN 978-1-55238-085-7.
  20. ↑ Bishop, Kathy; Taubert, Dianne; Fandry, Darlene (1978). The Hussar Heritage. Hussar Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-9698525-0-6.
  21. 1 2 Jackson, Paul (March 8, 1980). "Bud Olson's no mouthpiece for Ottawa". Edmonton Journal. pp. A13.
  22. ↑ Government of Alberta (1985). Supplementary Information To The Public Accounts 1984 - 85 (PDF). King's Printer. p. 107.
  23. ↑ Dalhman, Ryan (March 17, 2017). "Special Areas/Cypress County reunion a massive undertaking". Prairie Post East. p. 16.
  24. ↑ Riste, Wendy (October 1, 2019). "Iddesleigh intelligence". The Brooks Bulletin. pp. A8.
  25. ↑ Medicine Hat News (June 26, 2025). "It's Old News: Happy centennial, Canada!". Medicine Hat News. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  26. ↑ "2,880 Acres Bought For Co-Op Grazing". Calgary Herald. June 17, 1967. p. 31.
  27. ↑ Thorington, Olivia (January 5, 2022). "Keith Ritz running to fill vacant seat on Cypress County Council". CHAT News Today. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  28. ↑ Shiels, Bob (April 21, 1983). "Five-day trip reaches end of the line". Calgary Herald. p. 21.
  29. ↑ Canadian Lutheran Ladies (1984). Family Favourites Cookbook. St. Paul's Lutheran Church. pp. 113, 207, 262. ISBN 978-0919673809.
  30. 1 2 "Region's largest proposed solar play gets approval from AUC". Medicine Hat News. November 22, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  31. ↑ "JURASSIC SOLAR+ – 220 MW plus battery storage potential | (IN DEVELOPMENT - SOLD TO NORTHLAND POWER)". Greengate (Copy). Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  32. ↑ Statistics Canada (1988). Unincorporated places: Population and dwelling counts, Canada. Ottawa: Government of Canada. p. 147.
  33. ↑ "The Honourable H.A. "Bud" Olson | Alberta.ca". www.alberta.ca. March 24, 2026. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
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