Alberton (Prince Edward Island)
| Alberton | |||
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| Location in Prince Edward Island | |||
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| State : |
 Canada
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| Province : | Prince Edward Island | ||
| County: | Prince County | ||
| Coordinates : | 46 ° 49 ′ N , 64 ° 4 ′ W | ||
| Area : | 4.5 km² | ||
| Residents : | 1081 (as of 2006) | ||
| Population density : | 240.2 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Time zone : | Atlantic Time ( UTC − 4 ) | ||
| Postal code : | C0B | ||
| Foundation : | 1534 | ||
| Website : | www.townofalberton.ca | ||
Alberton is a Canadian town in the western part of Prince County in the province of Prince Edward Island . Alberton is a service center for the local fishing and farming communities and is adjacent to the Northport community and harbor. The place, founded in 1543, has been a village since 1878 and has been called a city since 1913.
history
The city was long settled by Mi'kmaq . The first Europeans reached Alberton in 1534 with the French scout Jacques Cartier . They went ashore at nearby Cape Kildare. Few Acadians settled on the island in the 17th and 18th centuries. After the great wave of deportations (late 1750s) by the British military, they moved in large numbers only to the western part of the Ile-Saint-Jean and especially to the north of today's Alberton in the area of Tignish.
After the British victory over France in 1763 , sovereignty passed to the Kingdom of Great Britain . In 1765 the kingdom introduced a feudal system . Today's Alberton was awarded to Edward Lewis, a British MP, in 1767. Alberton was founded in June 1788 as a small trading post. He was called "Lewis Town". The place was first settled by local Arcadians. In addition, Scots and residents of Devonshire were settled in the place. The local shipping industry and timber trade gave the town a boom in the 1800s.
The place was renamed several times and the settlement areas changed: Originally, the place was founded on the site where Northport is today. Today the city is 2 kilometers to the west. The ship and timber industry made the place a major trading center in Prince County. On June 27, 1862 the place got its current name, which goes back to the Prince of Wales and later King Albert Edward VII .
Railroad and other structures
In 1872 the Prince Edward Island Railway was built, which ended in Alberton. It connects Alberton with O'Leary , Summerside , Charlottetown , Georgetown and Souris, among others .
The railway line was later extended to Tignish . The sharp curve made a track triangle necessary. The place became a village and court town for western Prince County in 1878.
Alberton became the worldwide center of the silver fox industry after 1894. Charles Dalton and Robert Oulton were the first to successfully breed silver foxes that year. In the early 1900s, the railroad company built a new all stone station. The only train station on the island, also made entirely of stone, was Kensington . The fox industry brought an increase in population and taxes, so that the place was raised from a village to a town in May 1913. The silver fox breeding remained profitable until the 1940s (see the article → Silver fox fur ).
The public library was opened in 1951, the federal government building in 1962, and the community museum in 1964.
geography
Alberton is roughly equidistant from Tignish and O'Leary. The city is located on the north bank of the island on the Saint Lawrence River . Its extension is 4.5 km².
- 136 km: Confederation Bridge (to New Brunswick )
- 93 km: Charlottetown
- 66 km: Summerside
- 197 km: Wood Islands Ferry (to Nova Scotia )
economy
The majority of Alberton's workforce is employed in the service sector.
The fishing industry in adjacent Northport is an important economic pillar. She catches 3,000 tons of American lobster , mussels , snow crabs , soft shellfish , cod , herring , American plaice , mackerel , scallops , yellowtail , eel , winter flounder , smelt , Microgadus tomcod , silverback , porbeagle and blue sharks . Source: 1996, Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO)
Agriculture in the Alberton area is dominated by potato farmers. The potatoes are mainly used for french fries and potato chips.
education
The city has kindergartens and a primary school (234 students in 6 years). Students are taken by bus to the nearby ME Callaghan School (378 students, grades 7-9) and Westisle Composite High School (748 students, grades 10-12). There are also two vocational schools.
traffic
Alberton is on Route 12 which is part of Lady Slipper Drive. Route 2, the main west-east axis, runs a few kilometers southwest of the city. The Northport Port is administered by the Small Port Division of the Canadian Fisheries and Marine Agency.
particularities
Alberton offers a variety of activities: aerobics , drawing lessons, craft fairs, bowling leagues, boxing club , darts , cards , karaoke , bingo , basketball , badminton , volleyball , hiking club , hockey , softball and soccer .
The city is near three provincial parks : Mill River Provincial Park , Bloomfield Provincial Park, and Jacques Cartier Provincial Park . The Confederation Trail for hiking, running and cycling in summer and cross-country skiing in winter runs through the village. The area offers a variety of fishing ponds.
The Alberon Court House has housed the Alberton Museum since 1980, which contains various collections on the area. In the city park there is a monument to the pioneers of silver fox breeding, Robert Oulton and Charles Dalton.
The Joe O'Brien Museum is just outside the city limits. Joe O'Brien, grew up in Alberton and became one of the most famous harness racing drivers. Standardbred Canada trotting horse breeders' association named their annual award after O'Brien.
The Prince County Fair is held every August. It includes cattle shows, food, races and a fair. The Alberton Winter Carnival takes place in February. Other events include Alberton Day Festival, Canada Day and Trail Day.
media
Journal-Pioneer, a daily newspaper , is published in Summerside and maintains the office for western Prince County in Alberton. West Prince Graphic is a weekly newspaper distributed and published locally in western Prince County. The Penny Saver is a biweekly advertising paper that is distributed to all residents of western Prince Edward Island.
Personalities
- George H. Clark (1881–1956), American collector