Alberta History Trivia

1. In 1787, which man became the first European to visit the area that is now Calgary?

From Quiz History of Calgary

Answer: David Thompson

David Thompson was an explorer and clerk for the Hudson's Bay Company. He became the first European to visit what is now Calgary in 1787 when he was invited to stay with members of the Blackfoot Confederacy. Unlike other explorers, Thompson was well respected by the First Nations in the area. They called him Koo-Koo Sint, meaning stargazer in reference to his profession as a cartographer.

From Quiz Toiling the Soils of Alberta

Answer: John Palliser

Irish born Captain John Palliser traveled extensively through the west including the area known as Rupert's Land. A triangular shaped area known as "Palliser's Triangle", roughly from southern Manitoba to Edmonton and the Rocky Mountains of southern Alberta, consists mostly of semi-arid grasslands. Although Palliser deemed the land unsuitable for agriculture, a combination of irrigation and fertile soils has transformed the area into a productive farming region.

From Quiz Alberta History

Answer: 1905

Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces at the same time. Interestingly, British Columbia became a province in 1871, so it was cut off from the rest of Canada until 1905.

From Quiz History of Calgary

Answer: Fort

Fort Calgary, originally named Fort Brisebois, was founded in 1875 and established by the North West Mounted Police. The location was chosen because it was convenient for several reasons. The most important was that it provided an advantage spot to fight the illegal whiskey trade by the Americans. It was also a prime location to establish a strong friendship and alliance with the many First Nations tribes who lived in the area. The fort also was along the proposed route for the Canadian Pacific Railway and once the whiskey trade ceased, it became a barracks for police and railway workers.

From Quiz Toiling the Soils of Alberta

Answer: The depression ravaged decade of the 1930s

Low commodity prices combined with extremely dry weather during the years of the Great Depression led to many hardships among prairie farmers in Alberta (as in many other parts of North America). Crop failures were frequent and many farming businesses went bankrupt. The end of the droughts and start of World War Two at the end of the 1930s brought prosperity back for many who had survived the "Dirty Thirties".

From Quiz Alberta History

Answer: Oil was struck for the first time in Alberta

The first oil strike in Alberta happened at the Dingman No. 1 Well in Turner Valley. It was the start of the first of many oil booms that made Alberta one of the richest provinces in Canada.

From Quiz History of Calgary

Answer: Flour and feed store

The fire occurred on November 7, 1886 at the Parish and Son flour and feed store. Because many of Calgary's buildings were made of wood, over a dozen buildings were destroyed or purposely knocked down to slow the spread. There were no reported injuries or death caused by the fire. There is no documented evidence to suggest how the fire started, although arson by an unknown person was the predominant theory at the time. Because of the fire, many of Calgary's buildings had to be reconstructed. They were made from sandstone and Calgary was thus nicknamed Sandstone City.

From Quiz Toiling the Soils of Alberta

Answer: a slave

Ware was born into slavery in 1845 and was freed after the American Civil War. He moved to Texas and became a cowboy. Ware is remembered for his role in bringing the first cattle to Alberta, for his ability to train horses, and for helping to create Alberta's ranching industry. Despite his humble beginnings, Ware was a well-respected man who overcame the racial barrier through his hard work and good nature. He and his wife had six children, five of whom survived to adulthood. The last two died in 1989.

From Quiz Alberta History

Answer: Calgary Exhibition and Stampede

The first agricultural fair in Calgary was held in 1886 and in 1912 Weadick and the Big Four organized the "Frontier Days and Cowboy Championship Contest" also called the Stampede. In 1923 the Calgary Exhibition and the Stampede merged to form the "Calgary Exhibition and Stampede" and the 10 day festival has been held annually in July since.

From Quiz History of Calgary

Answer: Cattle

After this area's part of the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed, the Canadian Government offered ranching land nearby for cheap to get people to settle in the area. People came from all over the world to settle Calgary. Ranching and agriculture quickly became the dominant industry. The law that allowed the government to sell the land so cheap was called the Dominion Lands Act, similar to the Homestead Act in the United States.

From Quiz Toiling the Soils of Alberta

Answer: Wheat

Wheat typically accounts for about half of Alberta's crop output. In 2010 close to 18 million tons of crop was harvested in the province of which more than 8 million tons was in the form of wheat with both barley and canola accounting for approximately 4.5 million tons. Source of data: Government of Alberta Office of Statistics and Information/Statistics Canada Agriculture Division (https://osi.alberta.ca/osi-content/Pages/Factsheets/AlbertaMajorCropProduction.aspx)

From Quiz History of Calgary

Answer: Calgary Stampede

Guy Weadick was an American cowboy who hosted rodeo shows all across North America. In 1912, he and several others hosted a small rodeo stampede that later developed into the world famous Calgary Stampede. The Calgary Stampede was not hosted again until 1919 in honor of World War I veterans and became a permanent yearly event in 1923. At the time of its founding, it was one of the few events that allowed participation by First Nations people. Nowadays, the Calgary Stampede is a ten-day event that attracts about a million people. The Calgary Stampede gave the city its nicknames of "Stampede City" and "Cowtown". The Stampede is called the "Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth".

From Quiz Toiling the Soils of Alberta

Answer: Marquis wheat

Although regular wheat was of good quality, it had a long growing period and took time to mature. The farmers had to gamble: should they harvest immature wheat or wait for it to mature and perhaps lose their crops to an early frost? The Marquis wheat was hardier than regular wheat and thrived in the harsh Alberta climate. Also it only took 100 days for the wheat to mature, so it could be harvested before an early frost. In addition, the Marquis wheat was of high bread-making quality because of the strong protein in it. It is not surprising that by 1920, 90% of farmers were growing Marquis wheat!

From Quiz Alberta History

Answer: lodgepole pine

The Legislative Assembly officially adopted the lodgepole pine on May 30, 1984. This tree played an important role in the economic development of Alberta. As indicated by its name, it was the Indians' first choice for teepee poles.

From Quiz History of Calgary

Answer: Turner Valley

Turner Valley is located just south of Calgary. When oil was discovered there in 1914, it quickly became a viable industry. Although agriculture was still large, much of the city's focus shifted to oil and energy production. With the dawning of both World Wars, Calgary was seen as a very important city for Canada and its allies. Over 95% of the oil production in Canada came from this area by the 1940s. Over the decades following the first discovery, more and more oil deposits were discovered across Alberta which only added to the economic success of the city.

From Quiz Toiling the Soils of Alberta

Answer: The first breeding herd of cattle in Alberta arrived

The first of the breeding cattle herds to be brought to southern Alberta rangelands arrived in Morleyville in 1873. More cattle were taken there from Montana a year later followed by the release to the open range of a small herd in 1877. By the end of the decade the cattle industry had been firmly established in what would become the province of Alberta. Source: Alberta Cattle Feeders' Association

From Quiz Alberta History

Answer: Strong and free

Like all provincial mottos, the Alberta motto is in Latin on the coat of arms. It is "Fortis et Liber", Strong and Free. "Spem Reduxit" means Hope was Restored and is from New Brunswick. "Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet" is the Ontario motto, meaning "Loyal She Began, Loyal She Remains". "Multibus E Gentibus Vires", "From Many Peoples Strength", comes from Saskatchewan. All of Canada's provinces and territories have a motto, with the exception of Northwest Territories. The motto of Nunavut is not in Latin, it is in Inuktitut.

From Quiz History of Calgary

Answer: 1973

In 1973, OAPEC the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries instituted an embargo on oil against several countries because of their support for Israel. The price of petroleum skyrocketed and Calgary benefited economically as it was one of the largest oil producing areas outside of the Arab World. The embargo brought about a renewal of sorts to the city. The population nearly doubled in twenty years and many of the city's most famous skyscrapers were built or planned during this time. Once the embargo subsided, however, the economy collapsed in the city since oil prices also fell.

From Quiz Toiling the Soils of Alberta

Answer: United Farmers of Alberta & UFA

The United Farmers of Alberta (UFA) was active in politics in the early part of the 20th century and formed the government of the province for almost 15 years starting in 1921. Herbert Greenfield, John E. Brownlee and Richard G. Reid all headed UFA governments and thus served as premiers of Alberta. The elections of 1935 ushered in the era of Social Credit governments and in 1939 the UFA officially ceased to function as a political party. Since then the UFA has served mainly as a supply cooperative and has its headquarters in Calgary.

From Quiz Alberta History

Answer: Michael J Fox

Leslie Nielsen starred in the "Naked Gun" films as well as "Airplane!". Donald Sutherland, a prolific actor, is the father of Kiefer Sutherland. William Shatner is famous for his roles in the "Star Trek" series as Captain Kirk. All are from Canada.

From Quiz Toiling the Soils of Alberta

Answer: a car with its windows and engine removed, and pulled by a horse

During the Great Depression, the cost of gasoline increased to the point that many people could not afford to run their cars. They removed the heavy parts of the car to lighten the vehicles, and used a horse to pull them. The term "Bennett Buggy" was named after Richard Bennett, the Prime Minister of Canada at that time. In the United States, the carts were known as "Hoover Wagons", named after President Herbert Hoover. The leaders of the respective countries were blamed for the economic conditions of the time.

From Quiz Alberta History

Answer: United Farmers of Alberta

The United Farmers of Alberta government spanned some 14 years. Herbert Greenfield, John Edward Brownlee and Richard Gavin Reid served as premiers during this period.

From Quiz History of Calgary

Answer: Laid out guidelines for constitutional changes

Canadian was in the midst of a constitutional crises that had been active, to some extent, since its independence but things heated up in the 1980s. Two previous attempts to solve the issues failed until the Calgary Declaration in 1997. The main issues decided at the Calgary Declaration was the status of Quebec. Quebec had been pushing for a status of "distinct society". While this was not achieved, Quebec's uniqueness was recognized and any special powers dedicated to Quebec had be offered to all the provinces. Notably, the Calgary Declaration also affirmed a series of equal rights for all people and explicitly mentioned Canada's First Nations who had long been excluded from this area.

From Quiz Toiling the Soils of Alberta

Answer: Irene Parlby

Kim Campbell was Canada's first and only female prime minister. Louise McKinney was the first woman to be elected to the Alberta Legislature (actually to any legislature in the British Empire), and Celine Dion is a famous Canadian singer. Irene Parlby, however, was the first woman to be a cabinet minister in Alberta, and the second in Canada. Parlby was president of the United Farm Women of Alberta between 1916 and 1919.

From Quiz Alberta History

Answer: Late Cretaceous - 75 million years ago

Dinosaur Provincial Park was established in 1955 near the town of Brooks, Alberta. It contains some of the richest dinosaur bone beds in the world.

From Quiz History of Calgary

Answer: G8 Summit

The J26 Protests took place in Calgary on June 26, 2002. Protesters opposed the globalization primarily but environmentalism and human rights supporters also marched. The Group of 8 (Eight leaders representing the world's largest economies) were meeting in the nearby village of Kananaskis when the protests occurred. Overall the protests achieved very little other than gaining attention to the various causes represented. Since this protest, the G8 and its successors have seen larger protests in opposition to the conference.

From Quiz Toiling the Soils of Alberta

Answer: rats

Yes, Alberta is quite unique! Antartica, the Arctic, and a few isolated islands in the world join the province of Alberta in its rat-free status. In the 1950's the authorities realised that rats were heading to Alberta, so they acted proactively and created a rat-control zone on the eastern border of the province. This, coupled with the natural protection that the rest of the province has against rats, has given Alberta its freedom from this nasty pest. For more information, please check out these links: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/03/0331_030331_rats.html http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex3441

From Quiz Alberta History

Answer: Completion of Canadian Pacific Railway

The construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed in May 1885. Transcontinental service commenced in mid 1886.

From Quiz Alberta History

Answer: May 30, 1907

The top of the shield is the red St. George's Cross, which was the official flag of the Hudson's Bay Company. Symbolizing the province's variety of landscapes, mountains, foothills, prairies, and wheat fields unfold beneath it.

From Quiz Alberta History

Answer: Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

From about 5500 BC until the 19th century natives would drive buffaloes off the precipice at the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. This site is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of several such sites in Alberta.

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