Cardston

Cardston is a town in southwest Alberta, Canada. Cardston was settled in 1887 by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) from Utah Territory who travelled via the Macleod-Benton Trail to Alberta in one of the century's last wagon migrations. They had departed April 6 and arrived June 3. The official founder of the town is Charles Ora Card, after whom the town is named. The combined church and school was completed by January 29 the following year after their arrival.

Geography
Cardston is situated in the low foothills of southwest Alberta, approximately 25 km north from the American state of Montana. On its north side, it borders the Kainai Nation (Blood Tribe) Indian Reservation, one of the largest reserves in North America. 40 km to the west of Cardston are the Rocky Mountains of Waterton Lakes National Park. Cardston is 77 km southwest of Lethbridge and 234 km south of Calgary.


 * Coordinates: 49.2°N, -113.3°W
 * Elevation: 1121 m
 * Land Area (square kilometers): 8.64 km2

Climate
Cardston experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb). Along with the rest of southern Alberta, Cardston is subject to chinooks, which often bring temperatures in mid-winter well above 10 C. This same pattern results in more than 200 days of wind a year.


 * Annual rain: 320 mm
 * Annual snow: 229 cm
 * Annual frost free days: 111
 * Annual hours of sunshine: 2370

Seasonal temperature averages:
 * January: -6 C
 * April: 6 C
 * July: 18 C
 * October: 6 C

Weather records:
 * Hottest Day: July 28, 1939 38.9 C
 * Coldest Day: January 28, 1929 -41.7 C
 * Most Rain In One Day: June 6, 1995 106 mm
 * Most Snow In One Day: May 4, 1919 63.5 cm
 * Deepest Snow Cover: April 29, 1967 84 cm

Demographics
In the 2011 Census, the Town of Cardston had a population of 3,580 living in 1,208 of its 1,322 total dwellings, a 3.7% change from its 2006 population of 3,452. With a land area of 8.64 km2, it had a population density of in 2011.

The population of the Town of Cardston according to its 2007 municipal census is 3,578.

In 2006, it had a population of 3,452 living in 1,234 dwellings, a 0.7% decrease from 2001. The town has a land area of 8.64 km2 and a population density of 399.3 /km2.

The population of Cardston in 2001 was 3,475.

Source: Statistics Canada 2001 Census (numbers may not add up due to rounding)

Source: Statistics Canada 1996 & 2001 Census

Economy
Primary industries are education, health care, entrepreneurship, agriculture, and tourism.

Attractions
Cardston has a soccer park, ball parks, a golf course, an ice skating rink, a swimming pool, tennis courts, hiking trails, a skateboard park, several recreation parks, picnic areas and playgrounds. The local schools and LDS Church buildings have gymnasiums. St. Mary's Dam reservoir northeast of Cardston supports water sports in the summer months.

Local attractions

 * Cardston Alberta Temple:The Cardston Alberta Temple is one of southern Alberta’s most recognized landmarks. It was constructed by Mormon pioneers who settled Cardston in 1887. The temple became the centerpiece of the town, and it was the first temple constructed by the church outside of the United States.


 * Remington Carriage Museum:The Remington Carriage Museum houses the largest collection of horse-drawn vehicles in North America, with more than 250 carriages, wagons and sleighs. The 63000 sqft facility features video displays, a fire hall, carriage factory, restoration shop, working stable, carriage rides, carriage rentals, a restaurant, and a gift shop. Guided tours are offered for free. On April 9, 2006, the museum was briefly mentioned on TV in Canada as a destination of Patty and Selma's vacation during the Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore episode of The Simpsons.


 * The Carriage House Theatre: This theatre was constructed in 1912 by Mark Spencer, and underwent renovations in 1937 and 1992. It seats 350 and hosts films, community theatre and professional summer theatre, which has produced such shows as Seussical, Oklahoma, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.


 * Card Pioneer Home:A genuine "Little House on the Prairie", it was built by Cardston’s founder Charles Ora Card in 1887, and served as a community centre and stopping place for travellers until the first hotel was built in 1894. The log structure stands in its original location and is open for public visits as a Registered Provincial Historic site.


 * Courthouse Museum:The Courthouse Museum shows how a rough country changed dramatically. The unique sandstone structure was built in 1907 from stone quarried near Cardston. The building’s profile and interior stand as a monument to Cardston’s early pioneer artisans. It was used longer than any other courthouse in Alberta. The building displays the judge's bench, witness box, and other artifacts. Original jail cells, including graffiti, can be found. The Courthouse Museum is a Registered Provincial Historic site

Regional attractions
Waterton Lakes National Park is a national park in the southwest corner of Alberta, 40 km (25 mi) west of Cardston, and borders Glacier National Park in Montana, USA. Waterton Lakes was Canada's fourth national park, formed in 1895. Amid the peaks are the lakes of Waterton Lakes National Park, carved out of the rock by glaciers.
 * Waterton Lakes National Park

On April 29, 1903, at 4:10 a.m., the mining town of Frank, Alberta, was devastated by 82 million tonnes of limestone crashing down from Turtle Mountain. The Frank Slide Interpretative Centre in the Crowsnest Pass, 130 km (81 mi) northwest of Cardston, tells of one of the geatest natural disasters in Canadian history.
 * Frank Slide Interpretive Centre

Castle Mountain Resort 90 km (56 mi) west of Cardston has kilometres of groomed skiing runs, natural half pipes, deep fresh powder, short lift lines and wide open spaces.
 * Castle Mountain Ski Resort

Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, 125 km (78 mi) east of Cardston, is one of the largest areas of protected prairie in the Alberta park system, a nature preserve and protection for rock art created by Plains People. There are 50 rock art sites, with thousands of figures, as well as archaeological sites.
 * Writing On Stone Provincial Park

Police Outpost Provincial Park is 32 km south of Cardston, on the Canada/United States border, on the shores of Outpost Lake.
 * Police Outpost Provincial Park

Education
Schools include the Cardston High School, the Cardston Jr. High School (formerly Eastridge Elementary School), and Cardston Elementary School which are all under the Westwind School Division.

Former schools include Leeside (grades 1 and 2 - torn down in the late 1980s to make way for the Remington-Alberta Carriage Centre) and Westside. The building that housed many of the junior high facilities — including the gymnasium (near the current high school) — was torn down in 1993 as the junior high moved to the former Eastridge building. The Cardston High School underwent extensive renovations in the early 2000s, including an expansion to its gymnasium, much-improved fitness and weight room facilities, wider hallways, and a new cafeteria.

Media

 * Historical newspapers
 * The Cardston News was first published in 1924 and was a weekly until 1925. During 1924-1925, the newspaper was edited and published by Fred Burton. It was later taken over by D.O. Wight, editor and managing director from September 17, 1925 until June 9, 1936. Fred Burton took over as publisher on June 16, 1936. The Cardston News was taken over by Gordon F. West On May 7, 1964.
 * The Cardston Record began publication on August 6, 1898 and was published weekly until September 1901.

The Cardston News (1928-1958) and Cardston Record (1898-1899) have been digitized from microfilm and are available through the University of Lethbridge Library digitized collections.

Notable residents

 * Victor L. Brown, world leader in the LDS Church
 * Elaine L. Jack, world leader in the LDS Church
 * Merlin R. Lybbert, world leader in the LDS Church
 * Grant Strate, dancer and choreographer
 * Edward J. Wood, leader in the LDS Church
 * George Woolf, jockey
 * Fay Wray, actor