Ardenode, Alberta
Ardenode | |
|---|---|
Ardenode Location of Ardenode Ardenode Ardenode (Canada) | |
| Coordinates: 51°08′40″N 113°25′25″W / 51.14444°N 113.42361°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Region | Southern Alberta |
| Census division | 5 |
| Municipal district | Wheatland County, Alberta |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unincorporated |
| • Governing body | Wheatland County, Alberta Council |
| Area | |
| • Land | 0.07 km2 (0.027 sq mi) |
| Population (2016)[1] | |
• Total | 0 |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
| Area codes | 403, 587, 825 |
Ardenode is a hamlet and ghost town in southern Alberta, Canada that is under the jurisdiction of Wheatland County.[2] It is 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of Highway 9, 48 kilometres (30 mi) northeast of Calgary. It was founded as a railroad siding in 1913.[3] The community takes its name from Ardenode in Ireland.[4]
Toponymy
The community derives its name from Ardinode in County Kildare, Ireland.[5][6][7]
Topography
Ardenode is located upon Chernozemic soil, to which moisture is supplied primarily by precipitation.[8] The land is well-drained due to its location on sloping terrain.[8]
History
The Canadian Northern Railway (CNR) began constructing a railroad through the area that would become Ardenode in 1910.[6] A school was established in the area around this time, named Serviceberry School.[9] In anticipation of the railway, settler George Davis, originally from County Kildare in Ireland, moved from Nightingale to begin constructing a general store in 1911.[6][9] A CNR siding was completed that year, and given the name Hawick after a town in Scotland.[7][10]
In 1915, Davis and his twin sons, Roger and Tony, applied to open a post office in their store.[6] Another settlement in Alberta had already claimed the name Hawick,[10] so the Davises submitted 14 names derived from places in Ireland to the Post Office Department.[6][11] Ardenode was chosen, and the community and its school subsequently became known as Ardenode as well.[7][9][11]
Ardenode's local economy primarily centred around pastoral farming in the 1920s and 1930s.[9] Farms shipped dairy and poultry products to Calgary via the CNR line, which ran through Ardenode twice a day.[9] A grain elevator built in 1926 was purchased by the Alberta Wheat Pool in 1928 and began operations that year.[9] Nonetheless, as vehicle ownership became more common in Alberta, Ardenode's population began to decline.[12] Its school closed in 1944 and students transferred to nearby Nightingale.[9]
After staying in Ardenode for three weeks in November 1954, opera singer Lauritz Melchior became a critic of Canada's then-restrictive drinking laws, which he called "ridiculous."[13][14][15] He claimed to have "never seen so many youngsters drunk" before his stay in the locality.[13][14]
Ardenode's post office closed in November 1959.[11] At this time, there were fewer than thirty families in the hamlet.[9] Train services to Ardenode ended by 1972, as the station was demolished in March of that year.[9] Almost two years later, in January 1974, the Alberta Wheat Pool grain elevator was dismantled.[9] By 1992, only the general store remained of the original Ardenode settlement.[16]
In August 2022, Epcor announced its intention to open a processing plant near Ardenode that would convert manure into renewable energy.[17] The project was cancelled by December, citing cost.[18] In May 2023, Wheatland County denied a development permit for an abattoir near Ardenode, after receiving 32 letters of concern regarding traffic and odours in the area.[19]
As of 2023, the area is occupied by some residences and agricultural operations.[20][21]
Services
Governance
Following redistricting in 2024, Ardenode falls within Wheatland County's Electoral Division 5.[22]
Connectivity
The Government of Alberta announced in January 2026 that the Ardenode area will receive high-speech internet access by the end of the year, owing to funding from the provincial and federal governments.[23]
Demographics
The Ardenode area contains a mix of residential properties and agricultural operations as of 2023.[20][21][19]
As a designated place in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Ardenode recorded a population of 0 living in 1 of its 1 total private dwellings, no change from its 2011 population of 0. With a land area of 0.07 km2 (0.027 sq mi), it had a population density of 0.0/km2 (0.0/sq mi) in 2016.[1]
As a designated place in the 2011 Census, Ardenode had a population of 0 living in 1 of its 1 total dwellings, no change from its 2006 population of 0. It had a land area of 0.07 km2 (0.027 sq mi) in 2011.[28]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
- ^ "Specialized and Rural Municipalities and Their Communities" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ^ Dougan, Harvey (1979). The English Colony Nightingale and District. Nightingale, Alberta: Nightingale Women's Institute. p. 60.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Place-names of Alberta. Ottawa: Geographic Board of Canada. 1928. p. 12.
- ^ O'Laughlin, Michael C. (1994). The Master Book of Irish Placenames: Placename Locator and Master Atlas of Ireland. Irish Roots Cafe. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-940134-33-1.
- ^ a b c d e Croucher, Cheryl (1998). "Irish Place Names: Ardenode". epe.lac-bac.gc.ca. Retrieved January 31, 2026 – via Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ a b c Alberta Culture (January 3, 2025). "Ardenode". Alberta Geographical Names Web Map. Text visible upon selecting yellow circle.
[Originally] a siding along the Canadian National Railway line from Calgary to Drumheller. This line was built here about 1911. The first name given to this community was Hawick siding, but this name [duplicated] another settlement in northern Alberta. The alternate name, Ardenode, was chosen by Major George Davis, who was also the first postmaster, after a beautiful village in Ireland...
- ^ a b Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food (December 13, 2013). "Modifiers for Alberta soil code ARE (ARDENODE)". sis.agr.gc.ca. Select tildes. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Groves, Edythe, ed. (1979). Along the fireguard trail: a history of Lyalta-Ardenode-Dalroy districts. Lyalta: Dalroy Historical Society. pp. 3–5, 15, 39, 78.
- ^ a b Sanders, Harry Max (2003). The story behind Alberta names: how cities, towns, villages, and hamlets got their names. Calgary: Red Deer Press. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-88995-256-0.
- ^ a b c Canada, Library and Archives (November 25, 2016). "Ardenode Archives / Post Offices and Postmasters". recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
- ^ Speirs, Dale, ed. (January 1, 2016). "Ardenode" (PDF). Journal of Alberta Postal History. 1 (3): 33.
- ^ a b Elman, Russell (January 8, 1955). "Liquor Laws 'Ridiculous'" (PDF). Prince Albert Daily Herald. p. 3 – via Prince Albert Public Library.
- ^ a b "Lauritz Melchior Deplores Western Drinking Styles". The Gateway. January 24, 1947. p. 2 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Singer Is Shocked By Drinking Here". The Daily Times-Gazette. December 9, 1946. p. 7 – via Archives at Whitby Public Library.
- ^ Donaldson-Yarmey, Joan (1992). Backroads of Southern Alberta. Lone Pine Publishing. p. 54. ISBN 978-1551050218.
- ^ Massiah, Monique (August 19, 2022). "Epcor manure processing plant proposed for north of Strathmore". StrathmoreNow. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
- ^ Osborne, Tommy (December 20, 2022). "Epcor manure processing plant cancelled". StrathmoreNow. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
- ^ a b Nairn, Lacie (May 31, 2023). "Wheatland County denies abattoir permit". Penticton Herald. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
- ^ a b Nairn, Lacie (November 29, 2022). "Wheatland County residents say keep funding the same in 2023 budget". The Drumheller Mail.
- ^ a b Watson, John (December 20, 2023). "County MPC approves several development permit applications". Strathmore Times.
- ^ "2024 Electoral Division Boundaries Update". Wheatland County. September 17, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
- ^ Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (January 30, 2026). "Governments of Canada and Alberta to help bring high-speed Internet access to communities across the province". www.canada.ca. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
- ^ 96 Census (PDF). A National Overivew: Population and Dwelling Counts. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1997. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ "Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada, Provinces and Territories, and Census Divisions, 2001 and 1996 Censuses - 100% Data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. August 15, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. July 20, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2011 and 2006 censuses (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2011 and 2006 censuses (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2012.