The kiosk is located in Galt Irrigation Park a lovely location with large cottonwood trees, picnic tables and meandering well cared for walking trails. You can relax to the sound of the fountain nearby.
The Kiosk has many informational signs about the history of Magrath and surrounding area and about the Galt Irrigation Canal. The canal was build in the early 1900's mostly by the early Mormon settlers that came to this area to work on the canal.
EUROPEANS ARRIVE
1867 – Confederation of Canada
1869 – Fort Hamilton, a fur trade post, was established near present-day Lethbridge. It was nicknamed “Fort Whoop-up” because of the whiskey traded there.
1870s – Nicholas Sheran, an American entrepreneur, mined a coal seam in the coullees on the west side of what is now Lethbridge.
1874 – The North West Mounted Police arrived in Fort Macleod. Smaller detachments were established in the surrounding area in an effort to stop the whiskey trade.
1882 – Sir Alexander and his son, Elliott Galt opened their first coal mine across from Sheran’s mine on the west side of the Belly River. (now Oldman River) The area’s name Coal Banks was later changed to Lethbridge.
1885 – The first railway to Lethbridge was built by the Alberta Railway and Coal Company.
1887 – The nearby Town of Cardston was established. The town’s founder, Charles Ora Card, brought members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) north from Utah to be the first settlers.
1890 – The railway was extended from Lethbridge to Great Falls to build markets for coal in Montana.
1894 – William (Billy) Howell McIntyre, a Utah cattleman, established a ranch on 25,900 hectares (64, 000 acres) of land located 19 km (12 miles) south of here. He purchased the land from the Alberta Railway and Irrigation Company.
1899 – The settlement of Magrath was established. Its first residents came from Utah. Many of them arrived by rail. Others took up to six weeks to travel by wagon, trailing livestock up through Idaho and Montana.
(side note) Well into the 1920’s Blackfoot people, traveling to and from the nearby Blood Reserve, set up camp within Magrath town limits.