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ALBERTA

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Originally appearing in Volume V01, Page 500 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ALBERTA , a See also:

province of western See also:Canada, established in 1905. See also:Area 260,000 sq. m. It is bounded S. by the See also:United States boundary See also:line, 49° N.; E. by 11o° W., which divides it from the province of See also:Saskatchewan; N. by 6o° N., which separates it from the See also:North-See also:West Territories; and W. by the line of peaks of the Rocky Mountains range, which runs north-See also:westerly, and divides it from See also:British See also:Columbia. A fertile province, in the eastern and See also:southern portions its See also:surface consists chiefly of plains almost entirely treeless. As the slopes of the Rocky Mountains to the west are reached more trees are found, until in the See also:foot-hills of the mountains bodies of See also:forest See also:timber occur. Trees become more numerous also northward in the province, until in the region north of the North Saskatchewan See also:river forests are again met with. From the southern boundary line for two and a See also:half degrees north the See also:prairie is dry, but of See also:good See also:soil, which grows excellent crops when irrigated. North of this region the surface of the province is of most fertile soil, the See also:ordinary rainfall sufficing for See also:agriculture. The See also:appearance of the prairie See also:section of the province is that of undulating meadows, with rounded sloping ridges covered with shorter See also:grasses, which serve for the support of See also:great herds of See also:cattle and horses. The wooded portions of the terrain are dotted with clumps and belts of trees of moderate See also:size, giving them a See also:park-like appearance. In See also:winter the snowfall is very See also:light, and even this is frequently removed by warm winds from the west. Within a See also:hundred See also:miles of the mountains there is constantly in view, in clear See also:weather, the beautiful line of snowy peaks along the western See also:horizon.

This continues for hundreds of miles north-westward. The Rocky Mountains, which give its See also:

charm to Alberta, are ascended by a See also:gradual approach from the See also:east, but are exceedingly abrupt on their transalpine slope in British Columbia. The peaks of these mountains are majestic, many of them reaching a height of more than two miles above the See also:sea. Among the more notable of these are See also:Robson See also:peak, 13,700 ft.; See also:Athabasca, 13,700; Assiniboine, 11,83o; See also:Lyell, 12,000; Mummery, 12,000; See also:Temple, 11,658; and See also:Geikie, 11,000. Mt. See also:Brown reaches 9050. Through these Rocky Mountains the explorers and See also:fur-traders, by ascending the streams See also:running down the eastern declivities of the mountains, and See also:crossing by See also:short portages to the streams of the western slope, have succeeded in discovering passes by which the See also:mountain See also:chain can be crossed, the range rarely exceeding 6o m. in breadth. The most noted of the Alberta passes are (2) the See also:Crow's See also:Nest Pass, near the southern boundary line, through which a See also:branch of the See also:Canadian Pacific railway runs; (2) the Kicking See also:Horse Pass, through which the See also:main line of the Canadian Pacific railway is built; 40 M. from the eastern end of this pass is the Rocky Mountains Park, with the famous watering-See also:place of See also:Banff as its centre; (3) the Yellow See also:Head Pass, running west from the See also:northern branch of the Saskatchewan river; this pass was discovered by Capt. Palliser (1858), was crossed by See also:Lord See also:Milton and Dr W. B. See also:Cheadle (1861), and by See also:Sandford See also:Fleming (1871—1872) in the Ocean to Ocean expedition; (4) See also:Peace River Pass. By this pass See also:Alexander See also:Mackenzie made his celebrated voyage.

There are other See also:

minor passes, and no doubt more to be discovered. With the exception of the southern section, the province of Alberta may be said to be well watered. Rising from numerous valleys on the Alberta declivity of the Rocky Mountains between the See also:international boundary line and 52° N. are streams which unite to See also:form the Belly river, and farther north the See also:Bow river. Running eastward these two See also:rivers unite about 112° W., and flow on under the name of the See also:South Saskatchewan river. North of 52° N. many small streams unite to form the Red See also:Deer river, which flowing south-eastward joins the South Saskatchewan near 1 to° W. Between 52° and 530 N. rises the great river, the North Saskatchewan. It receives a southern tributary, the See also:Battle river, which joins it about Io8° W. Pursuing their courses eastward the North and South Saskatchewan rivers unite in the Saskatchewan (See also:Cree, rapid-flowing river), which finds its way to See also:Lake See also:Winnipeg, and thence by way of See also:Nelson river to See also:Hudson See also:Bay. It is one of the mightiest rivers of the See also:continent. Between 530 and S40 N. begins the height of See also:land running north-easterly, north of which all the See also:waters of Alberta flow toward the See also:Arctic Sea. In northern Alberta, on the northernslope, gathering its tributaries from rills in the Rocky Mountains, the river Athabasca runs north and empties into Lake Athabasca near 58° N. North of 56° N. flows through and from the Rocky Mountains the Peace river.

After descending north-eastward to within a few miles of Lake Athabasca, it is met by a stream emerging from that lake. The united river carrying down the waters of the Athabasca slope is called the Slave river,' which, passing through Great Slave Lake, emerges as the great Mackenzie river, which falls into the Arctic Sea. Alberta thus gives rise to the two great rivers Saskatchewan and Mackenzie. While number of fresh-See also:

water, or in some cases brackish, lakes each less than too sq. m. in extent are situated in Alberta, two of more considerable size are found. These are Lake Athabasca, 3085 sq. M. in extent, of which a See also:part is in the province of Saskatchewan, and the other Lesser Slave Lake some 600 sq. m. in area. See also:Climate.— As Alberta extends for 750 M. from north to south—as great a distance as from Land's End in See also:England to the north of the See also:Shetland Isles—it is natural that the climate should vary considerably between See also:parallels of 49° and 6o° N., and also between rro°° and 12o° W. It is also further influenced by the different altitudes above the sea of the several parts of the province. Dividing the province into three equal parts of 250 M. each from north to south, these may be called (A) the south, (B) the centre, (C) the north.

End of Article: ALBERTA

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