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Three Hills, Settlement

The town of Three Hills was named after three prominent hills located north of the town. The entire community was moved to its present site on the Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) in 1912 and was incorporated as a village in the same year.

The first settlers were ranchers who freighted their supplies from Didsbury, 48 miles (77.3 kilometres) east. Early ranchers were: Arthur Evans, Fred Brandly, and R.E. Morgan. The second waves of settlers to the area after the ranchers were mixed farmers. As homesteaders settled the region, Three Hills became a major service centre for the large wheat growing area.

The first storekeepers in the original town were: Robertson Brothers General Store; C. Cooper General Store; L. Wilson, butcher; Mr. Crosley, blacksmith; and Pratt's Creamery. Three Hills was incorporated as a village in 1912 and became a town in 1929. The first doctor was Dr. T. Sawdon, who became the mayor of Three Hills in 1912. Power was first supplied to the town in 1924 when Simon Megli converted a steam tractor to generate the power. He then proceeded to build a new steam plant and sold out to the Canadian Utilities Ltd. Coal mining was the major industry in the area until 1949 and natural gas in 1959. The first postmaster was Henry Evans.

In 1949 the population was around 471. In 1922, the Prairie Bible Institute was established on land north of the village limits. In time, the institute grew to a campus of 120 acres (48.6 hectares) in size with an enrolment of over 1,000 students. In 1983 the town annexed a large area surrounding the townsite, including the small hamlet of Grantville. This increased the population of Three Hills to more than 2,000 people. In 1984, the town expanded yet again to include the Prairie Bible Institute and Ruarkville which increased the population to 3,375.

Three Hills Townsite

Three Hills Townsite

Prairie Bible In Construction

Prairie Bible In Construction