The British Settlers

In accordance with the general immigration trend, few British settlers had established homesteads in Alberta prior to 1900. While some of the younger, more adventurous "remittance men" had ventured to the prairies during the 1880s to work on the ranches, it was not until the thrust of Canada's immigration propaganda program was aimed at the agricultural workers of western Europe that the British began to flood into the west.

While British farmers scattered all across the province, a number of miners congregated in the mining areas of the Crows Nest Pass, Lethbridge, Drumheller and the Coal Branch. Others moved into the cities to join the ranks of the professionals and middle classes. The Barr Colonists settled in at Lloydminister in 1903 and, during the period from 1901-1905 the number of British immigrants settling in Alberta soared to over 11,000 and climbed even higher over the next decade.

The CKUA Heritage Trails:

To listen to the Heritage Trails , you need the RealPlayer, available free from RealNetworks:

• Irish Place Names: Ardenode - Hear about the origin of Ardenode, named by the twin sons of Irish Major George Davis in 1915.
  Read | Listen
• Irish Place Names: Bantry - Bantry, Alberta was named after Bantry Bay in Ireland, but were the two places at all similar? Listen, and find out!
  Read | Listen
• Irish Place Names: Connemara - Connemara is an Irish word meaning "seaside." Discover how Connemara, Alberta got it's name, and what it's called today!
  Read | Listen
• Irish Place Names: St. Brides - A group of Irish immigrants moved near the northern frontier, and called their new settlement St. Brides. Listen to learn about the fascinating heritage of this Irish saint.
  Read | Listen

See also:

• Arthur P. Rose

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