Ardley, Alberta
Ardley | |
|---|---|
Ardley Location of Ardley Ardley Ardley (Canada) | |
| Coordinates: 52°15′41″N 113°13′39″W / 52.26139°N 113.22750°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Region | Central Alberta |
| Census division | 8 |
| Municipal district | Red Deer County |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unincorporated |
| • Governing body | Red Deer County Council |
| Population (1991)[1] | |
• Total | 17 |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
| Area codes | 403, 587, 825 |
Ardley is a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada within Red Deer County.[2] It is located 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) west of Highway 21, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) east of Red Deer.
Toponymy
Ardley is named after a village of the same name in Oxfordshire, England.[3] The meaning of the word ardley itself is "high pasture."[4][5]
History
Pre-settlement
During the Palliser Expedition, a survey of Western Canada conducted between 1857 and 1860, expedition member James Hector recorded that a stream north of Ardley boasted exposed coal deposits that had been ignited.[6][7] His Indigenous guides reported that the fire had been burning "for as long as they and their fathers could remember."[6][7]
Coal Banks: 1901-1912
Settlers first arrived in Ardley around 1901, which area was initially known as Coal Banks due to its proximity to coal mines.[4][5][8] In 1903, a school, Mound Lake School, opened in Coal Banks.[8][5] Its first teacher was Annie Gaetz, who later published a local history of Red Deer and surrounding areas in 1948.[8][9]
A post office began operating with the name Coal Banks in 1904.[10] Christian residents began running a Sunday School in the area within the decade; by 1908, they had built a place of worship.[11]
Ardley: 1912-present
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway built a line through the settlement in 1912, and named its station Ardley after a place in England.[3] The Coal Banks post office and school subsequently changed names to Ardley.[10][12][13] A bridge over the Red Deer River was also installed by Grand Trunk Pacific.[14]
Mound Lake School consolidated with the Great Bend School District in 1919.[15] Also that year, the Canadian National Railway assumed control of Ardley's railway operations.[3] A grain elevator began operating in Ardley in the mid-1920s.[16][17]
After Ardley's church in Ardley burned down in 1943, parishioners relocated to a site nearer Delburne.[11] The hamlet's name was approved for federal mapping purposes in 1951.[5] The Ardley Bridge was damaged by heavy rain in 1952, and closed for business until repairs were completed in 1955.[14]
A fire destroyed Ardley's post office in July 1961.[12] Its closure became permanent after no residents expressed interest in rebuilding or assuming control of postal operations.[12]
As of 2022, Ardley Bridge remains in use for rail services.[14] Ardley's population stands at 10 as of 2025.[18]
Ardley Dam project
In 1914, William Pearce devised a hydraulic engineering plan for the purposes of diverting water from the Red Deer River to local farms.[19]
Pearce's proposal, though not acted upon at the time, evolved into a proposal for an Ardley dam during the 1940s.[19] A cost estimate was prepared in 1951, followed by further site studies in 1960s.[19] The slow-moving project was paused in 1983, owing to the construction of the Dickson Dam upstream.[19]
In 2024, the Government of Alberta issued a request for proposals for a feasibility study regarding the construction of an Ardley dam.[20][21]
Demographics
Ardley recorded a population of 17 in the 1991 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada.[1]
As of August 2025, Red Deer County reports that Ardley has a population of 10.[18] It has been described as a ghost town as recently as 2017.[22]
Notable people
- Helen Nicol – Canadian-American baseball pitcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League between 1943 and 1952.[22][23][24]
See also
References
- ^ a b "91 Census: Unincorporated Places — Population and Dwelling Counts" (PDF). Statistics Canada. June 1993. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ "Specialized and Rural Municipalities and Their Communities" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ^ a b c Sanders, Harry Max (2003). The story behind Alberta names: how cities, towns, villages, and hamlets got their names. Calgary: Red Deer Press. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-88995-256-0.
- ^ a b Mardon, Ernest G.; Mardon, Austin A.; Erdos, Larry (1998). Community names of Alberta (2d ed.). Edmonton: Golden Meteorite Press. pp. 14, 78. ISBN 978-1-895385-67-0.
- ^ a b c d Alberta Culture (January 3, 2025). "Ardley". Alberta Geographical Names Web Map. Text visible upon selecting the yellow circle.
The hamlet was named for a parish in Oxfordshire, England. A Grand Trunk and Pacific Railway Station was established here in 1912. A post office operated here from 1912 to 1961. The name was approved in 1951. It was previously called Coalbanks because coal was mined there.
- ^ a b Wood, Kerry (December 19, 1960). "Alberta's First Doctor". Edmonton Journal. p. 4.
- ^ a b Wood, Kerry (1967). "Tourists Going East". Badlands of the Red Deer River. CFDV-FM. pp. 45–47.
- ^ a b c Gaetz, Annie L. (1960) [1948]. The Park Country: A History of Red Deer and District (2nd ed.). Evergreen Press Limited. p. 62 – via University of Calgary.
- ^ Central Alberta Museums. "Annie (Siddall) Gaetz". centralmuseumsab.ca. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
- ^ a b Canada, Library and Archives (November 25, 2016). "Coal Banks Archives / Post Offices and Postmasters". recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
- ^ a b Allison, Verna (November 15, 2018). "Great Bend Church Celebrates 110 Years". ECA Review. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
- ^ a b c Canada, Library and Archives (November 25, 2016). "Ardley Archives / Post Offices and Postmasters". recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
- ^ "The Woman's Page". Edmonton Journal. May 25, 1926. p. 6.
- ^ a b c Forth Junction Heritage Society (April 1, 2022). "Alberta's 10 largest railway bridges". Forth Junction.
- ^ Provincial Archives of Alberta. "Great Bend School District". searchprovincialarchives.alberta.ca. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
- ^ Department of Trade and Commerce (1927). List of licensed elevators and warehouses in the Western Grain Inspection Division (License year 1926-1927). Government of Canada. p. 109 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Agreements With the Elevator Companies". The U.F.A. Vol. 5, no. 22. September 15, 1925. p. 9.
- ^ a b "County Hamlets | Red Deer County, AB - Official Website". rdcounty.ca. Archived from the original on August 6, 2025. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
- ^ a b c d Lambert, Taylor (September 18, 2024). "Could the Ardley dam proposal, studied for nearly a century, actually get built?". CBC News.
- ^ Blanke, Jason (November 25, 2024). "Province To Look At Possible New Dam Upriver From Drumheller". Drumheller Online. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
- ^ Antoneshyn, Alex (January 6, 2025). "Province to study feasibility of new water reservoir on Red Deer River". CTVNews. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
- ^ a b McFarland, Joe (July 28, 2017). "Fantastic Mrs. Fox". Alberta Dugout Stories.
- ^ All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. "Helen (Nicol) Fox". www.aagpbl.org. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
- ^ Hawthorn, Tom (September 5, 2021). "Former star baseball player Helen Nicol Fox dead at 101". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved February 2, 2026.