Galt Irrigation Canal - Magrath, Alberta
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 49° 24.548 W 112° 51.840
12U E 364786 N 5474608
The first major irrigation project to be undertaken in Canada, the Galt Irrigation Canal opened vast amounts of previously arid Southern Alberta to agriculture. Still in operation, the canal remains the oldest irrigation canal in Canada.
Waymark Code: WMXQDZ
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 02/13/2018
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member Bon Echo
Views: 5

Magrath is one of two settlements whose origins are tied to the construction of the Galt Irrigation Canal. In 1898 the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints entered into a contract with the Alberta Irrigation Company, which called for the Church to provide labor to construct the Galt Irrigation Canal and to develop two villages of 250 persons each.

Since its completion the area around the canal was transformed into a beautiful park with a fish pond, fountain, walking trails, all surrounded by evergreen and cottonwood trees. Along the walking trails there are numerous dedication plaques, informational signs and an NRHP for the canal. Included is this commemoration plaque in recognition of the Opening of the Oldest Operating Irrigation System in Canada. The plaque is attached to a large boulder with actually two plaques: Oldest Operating Irrigation System in Canada and the other Dedicated To The People of Magrath.

The original canal, built between 1898 and 1900, stretched from the St. Mary River, near Kimball, to Lethbridge and Stirling. It was soon after extended and expanded, with concrete structures eventually replacing the first timber ones. The Galt Irrigation Canal was the first large-scale irrigation project in Canada and was instrumental in opening up semi-arid land in southern Alberta to agriculture and settlement.

THIS MONUMENT
ERECTED TO
COMMEMORATE THE
OPENING OF THE
OLDEST OPERATING
IRRIGATION SYSTEM
IN CANADA BY
HON. CLIFFORD SIFTON
AT MAGRATH HEADGATES
14th NOV. 1899

Transcribed from plaque

Sir Clifford Sifton

Sir Clifford Sifton, PC, KCMG, KC, lawyer, politician, businessman (born 10 March 1861 near Arva, Canada West; died 17 April 1929 in New York City, New York). One of the ablest politicians of his time, Sifton is best known for his aggressive promotion of immigration to settle the Prairie West.

Under his leadership, immigration to Canada increased significantly — from 16,835 per year in 1896 to 141,465 in 1905. A Liberal politician of considerable influence and vision, he was also a controversial figure. Sifton promoted a single education system and opposed the public funding of denominational schools, largely disregarding the concerns of French Catholics. His brother, Arthur Lewis Sifton, was premier of Alberta from 1910 to 1917.

Sifton’s family was active in national and local politics. His father had supported Alexander Mackenzie’s campaigns and twice won election to the Manitoba legislature (1878 and 1881). Clifford Sifton supported his father’s re-election campaigns in 1882 and 1886 (both of which were unsuccessful). In 1888, Sifton himself stood for election to the Manitoba Legislature as a Liberal candidate. He was elected as an MLA for Brandon North, becoming part of the new government under Thomas Greenway.<p? With the election of the Manitoba Liberals in 1888, the monopoly of the Canadian Pacific Railway came to an end. Although this allowed completion of the Red River Valley Railway and a reduction in freight rates, railway expansion stalled in Manitoba, owing largely to the problems of financing construction. In 1895, Sifton created a new system of financing railway construction in which the provincial government guaranteed the principal and interest on railway bonds. He also worked with railway contractors Donald Mann and William Mackenzie to complete the Lake Manitoba Railway, which would become part of the Canadian Northern Railway system in 1899.

On 17 November 1896, after negotiating the Laurier-Greenway compromise on the Manitoba Schools Question, Sifton joined Wilfrid Laurier’s government, becoming federal minister of the interior and superintendent general of Indian Affairs, which included responsibility for immigration and settlement of the prairies.

Sifton resigned from Cabinet on 27 February 1905, following a dispute with Prime Minister Laurier over school policy for Alberta and Saskatchewan. Sifton believed that the new provinces should ideally have a single school system, and was concerned by education clauses that seemed to grant privileges to the Catholic minority. He remained a private member of Parliament until 1911, when he broke with the Liberal Party on reciprocity with the United States. He didn’t run for Parliament again, but did support the anti-reciprocity Conservatives, contributing to their victory in the general election of September 1911.
Read Sifton's complete biography at the Canadian Encyclopaedia

What was opened/inaugurated?: Oldest Operating Irrigation System in Canada

Who was that opened/inaugurated it?: Hon. Clifford Sifton

Date of the opening/inauguration?: November 14, 1899

Website about the location: [Web Link]

Website about the person: [Web Link]

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