Date
|
Event
|
Reference
|
July 15, 1870
|
The Prairies and Great Northland become part of the young country of Canada. Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory are combined under the new name of the North-West Territories, parts of which will become part of Alberta.
|
[9]
|
October 25, 1870
|
Battle of the Belly River occurs. The battle is the last major conflict between the Cree (the Iron Confederacy) and the Blackfoot Confederacy, and the last major battle between First Nations on Canadian soil.
|
|
October 1, 1874
|
First North-West Mounted Police outpost in Alberta at Fort Macleod is established. The following spring Mounties established a post at Fort Saskatchewan, ouitside Edmonton. (The police force was legally established in 1873 and was staffed and put into the field in 1874, in response to the Cypress Hills Massacre of 1873.)
|
|
September 1875
|
Fort Brisebois, later renamed Fort Calgary in 1876 by James MacLeod, established by Éphrem Brisebois.
|
[10]
|
August 23, 1876
|
Treaty 6 receives its first signatories, ceding much of central Alberta to the crown.
|
|
September 22, 1877
|
Treaty 7 is signed, ceding much of southern Alberta to the crown.
|
|
May 2, 1882
|
North-West Territories, which then included the future land of Alberta, is divided into provisional districts, among them being the divisions of Alberta, Athabasca, Saskatchewan and Assiniboia.
|
[11]
|
October 13, 1882
|
Alexander Galt's company, the North Western Coal and Navigation Company, opens its first drift mine. The community of Coalbanks, later named Lethbridge, establishes itself around the mine.
|
[12][additional citation(s) needed]
|
August 10, 1883
|
Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) construction reaches Calgary, having entered Alberta in early May.
|
[13]
|
1883
|
Langevin Siding, later renamed Carlstadt, and later Alderson, serves as the first discovery point for natural gas by CPR employees accidentally drilling for water.
|
[14][additional citation(s) needed]
|
April 2, 1885
|
Frog Lake Massacre occurs as the North-West Rebellion stretches into modern day Alberta. Cree discontents kill nine white officials, instructors and priests living in the small settlement of Frog Lake (then, in the District of Saskatchewan). Perpetrators later hanged.
|
|
June 23, 1887
|
Rocky Mountains Park (later renamed Banff National Park), is created by the Rocky Mountain Park Act.
|
[15]
|
1891
|
Calgary & Edmonton Railway built, connecting Calgary to the south bank of North Saskatchewan River, opposite Edmonton. South Edmonton (later named Strathcona) grew up at the rail-head.
|
|
1892
|
Edmonton incorporated as a town.
|
|
January 1, 1894
|
Calgary incorporated as a city.
|
[10]
|
November 7, 1898
|
Klondike Trail construction is started by Thomas Chalmers on behalf of the North-West Territorial government. He worked on stretch of trail between Fort Assiniboine and Lesser Slave Lake. Edmonton at the time was the starting point for many who attempted the overland trek to the Yukon goldfields.
|
[16]
|
June 21, 1899
|
Treaty 8 is signed, ceding much of Northern Alberta to the crown.
|
|
April 29, 1903
|
Frank Slide, Canada's deadliest rockslide occurs in the town of Frank, then North-West Territories.
|
|
November 7, 1904
|
Edmonton incorporated as a city.
|
[17]
|
September 1, 1905
|
The Alberta Act creates Alberta as a province from the North-West Territories.
|
|
November 9, 1905
|
1st Alberta general election occurs, the Alberta Liberal Party defeats the Alberta Conservative Party led by R.B. Bennett. Bennett will become the 11th Prime Minister of Canada.
|
|
1907
|
Strathcona incorporated as a city.
|
|
|
January 11, 1911
|
Lowest temperature every recorded in Alberta, -60.6 °C at Fort Vermillion.
|
|
|
September 3, 1912
|
Alberta Legislature Building opened by Governor General of Canada, the Duke of Connaught.
|
[18]
|
1912
|
The cities of Edmonton and Strathcona amalgamated.
|
|
May 14, 1914
|
A.W. Dingman struck wet natural gas at Turner Valley, which produced gasoline. The Turner Valley/Black Diamond oil field became a major supplier of oil and gas and the largest producer in the British Empire.[19]
|
|
June 19, 1914
|
Hillcrest mine disaster, Canada's deadliest coal mining accident killing 189 workers.
|
|
July 21, 1915
|
1915 Alberta liquor plebiscite occurs with 61% voting in favour of prohibition.
|
[20]
|
April 19, 1916
|
Women's suffrage movement prevails in Alberta, women earn the right to vote, being the third province to grant the right with the passage of the Equal Suffrage Statutory Law Amendment Act.
|
[21]
|
1917
|
Louiske McKinney and Roberta MacAdams elected to the Alberta Legislature, the first women elected to government in the British Empire.
|
|
October 2, 1918
|
Spanish Influenza causes the Alberta Board of Public Health to declare all citizens be masked in public. Around 4,700 people die and over 31,000 cases are reported in Alberta.
|
[22][23]
|
July 18, 1921
|
5th Alberta general election occurs, the United Farmers of Alberta defeats the incumbent Liberal government.
|
|
November 5, 1923
|
1923 Alberta prohibition plebiscite occurs. 58% voted in favour of clause (d), enabling government sale of liquor and private operation of beerhalls, and ending the Prohibition that had been in effect since 1916, following the 1915 Prohibition plebiscite.
|
[24]
|
June 16, 1926
|
The City of Edmonton receives a licence to operate airport, later named Blatchford Field, the first municipal airport in Canada.
|
[25]
|
April 24, 1928
|
Edwards v Canada decision is released, favouring the all-Albertan group, the Famous Five. The decision decides women are persons under the law and thus could be appointed to the Senate.
|
[26]
|
December 14, 1929
|
Alberta Natural Resources Act passed, transferring control of natural resources and Crown land to the province.
|
[27]
|
July 2, 1934
|
Brownlee sex scandal, captures widespread attention in the province, resulting in the premier's resignation.
|
[28]
|
1935
|
The UFA government was defeated in the 1935 election by William Aberhart's Social Credit party. This was the first Social Credit government elected anywhere in the world.
|
|
September 29, 1938
|
Alberta Treasury Branches established as a provincially owned bank, as part of the Social Credit government's monetary reform policies.
|
|
1939-1945
|
Alberta plays a role in the WWII Allied war effort. This includes participation in the Commonwealth Air Training Plan, base and administrative headquarters for construction of the Alaska Highway, and hundreds of planes being ferried through Alberta to go to aid the Soviet Union's war effort.
|
|