About Prince Albert
Prince Albert is the third-largest city in
Saskatchewan,
Canada. It is situated in the centre of the province on the banks along the
North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because it is the last major centre along the route to the resources of northern Saskatchewan.
Prince Albert National Park is located just 51 km north of the city and contains a huge wealth of lakes, forest, and wildlife. The city itself is located in a transition zone between the
aspen parkland and
boreal forest biomes.
Demographics
The city of Prince Albert ranked as the 122 largest Census subdivision (municipality) in the country of Canada.
- 2006 Census Population: 34,138
- 2006 Sask Health Population: 40,140
- 2001 Median Age: 31.9 for males, 35.0 for females
- Total Private Dwellings: 14,029
- Dwellings occupied by permanent residents: 13,240[1]
History
The area was named by the first nations as kistahpinanihk a Cree word which translates to sitting pretty place[3] a great meeting place[4] or meeting place[5] The first white man to come through the area that is now Prince Albert was Henry Kelsey in 1692. The first establishment in the area was a trading post set up by Peter Pond, which the area is now named after (1776).[6][7]
James Isbister, an Anglo-Metis employee of the Hudson's Bay Company settled on the site of the current city in 1862. He farmed there until 1866, and had been joined by a number of families who called the site Isbister's Settlement. He later moved back to Prince Albert and lived out his remaining days there.[8]
The community was founded in 1866, by Rev. James Nisbet, a Canada Presbyterian Church minister who came to establish a mission for the Cree. It was he who named the community after Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, in honour of the deceased 1861 husband of Queen Victoria. In 1879 the Presbyterian Church brought out Lucy Margaret Baker to run the mission school.[9]
1879 also marks the year that local Freemasons established the first lodge in what is now the province of Saskatchewan: Kinistino Lodge No. 1, which still exists.[citation needed]
In 1884, Honore Jaxon and James Isbister were involved in the movement which brought Louis Riel back to Canada.
In the Northwest Rebellion of the following year, Prince Albert Volunteers bore the heaviest casualties of the fighting at the Battle of Duck Lake, and surrounding settlers took refuge with the North West Mounted Police in a hastily improvised stockade at Prince Albert fearing an attack by Gabriel Dumont which never came.
After the Battle of Batoche, Major General Frederick Middleton marched on to Prince Albert to relieve the town.
1885 also marks the year that Prince Albert was incorporated as a town under its first mayor, Thomas McKay.
In 1904, the settlement was incorporated as the city of Prince Albert, then named after Prince Albert Victor, son of the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII). Its government is of a council-mayor type.
Prince Albert was the capital of the District of Saskatchewan, a regional administrative division of what then constituted the Northwest Territories. The District of Saskatchewan was formed on May 8, 1882.[10] This ended in 1905 when Saskatchewan became a province and Regina was designated the provincial capital.
By odd political coincidence, the federal constituency of Prince Albert has been represented by three prime ministers of Canada:
The Prince Albert Sanitorium was completed in 1930 and treated tuberculosis patients.[14] There are three historical museums of high interest in Prince Albert. The combined The Evolution of Education Museum and Rotary Museum of Police and Corrections are located at the tourist information centre just off of Highway #2 South. The second museum, the Historical Society Museum, is located in an old Fire Hall at the north end of Central Avenue on River Street. The John G. Diefenbaker house is a historic site open to the public and is found on 249 19th Street West. Across from the Historical Society Museum, is the site of Diefenbaker's constituency office that is not open to the public. Amongst the other heritage, historic and protected sites of Prince Albert are the Blockhouse from the 1885 Rebellion & First Presbyterian Church/School, Historic St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Honeywood (Dr. A.J. Porter) Heritage Nursery, Keyhole Castle, La Colle Falls Dam, Oldest Downtown Store, and The Cathedral Church of St. Alban the Martyr. [15]</ref>
Information from Wikipedia
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