Mitford is a ghost town in Alberta. Established in 1886, Mitford supported a sawmill, and later a coal mine, before being abandoned by 1898.
Historyedit
In 1885, T.B.H. Cochrane and his wife Adela exchanged their lease of 55,000 acres (223 km2; 86 sq mi) near High River for one just west of present-day Cochrane, Alberta. The next year, Cochrane associated himself with the Calgary Lumber Company and built a sawmill three miles west of present-day Cochrane, handling the vast amount of lumber on his lease. Although the Canadian Pacific Railway approached the mill from the east, tension built between Cochrane and the railway, as the railway did not like stopping at the mill due to the steep grades nearby. By 1888 the town contained an office, drug store and bunkhouses. By 1891 it had a school as well, meeting in the saloon.[1] It was named for a friend of Cochrane's wife.[2][3]
However, the success of the sawmill was limited. Most of the good quality fir to be found in the area was never sold, instead ironically being used to construct a railway designed to transport the lumber to market.[4] In 1888, a coal mine began operation in the area, with the distinct advantage of having the sawmill's railway nearby to transport the coal to market. In 1890, it became obvious that both operations were doomed to fail, closing the same year. In an effort to save the town, T.B.H. Cochrane established a brickyard using material found just north of Mitford. In 1893, that operation was also closed, due to the inferior quality of its product. After the closing of the brickyard, the town fell into decline, before it was abandoned in 1898. Before its desertion, Mitford housed a store, a school, a hotel, a restaurant, a medical practice, and an Anglican church. The steam engine used on Mitford's railway was sold to a British Columbia mill, and the Canadian Pacific Railway ceased making regular stops at the town.[2]
Todayedit
In 1898 a fire started in the Chinese restaurant, destroying most of the town. In 1899, the town's church was moved to Cochrane, and today all that remains is the town's cemetery, which currently stands on private property.[2][5]
Referencesedit
^Buckley, Evelyn (1976). Chaps and Chinooks : A History west of Calgary. Volume 1. Foothills Historical Society. p. 93.
^ abcRead, Tracey (1983). Acres and empires : a history of the Municipal District of Rocky View no. 44. Irricana: Tall-Taylor Publishing Ltd. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
^"T.B.H. Cochrane and the "Betsy" Logging Line". Atlas of Alberta Railways. University of Alberta Press. 2005. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
^Read, Tracey (1983). Acres and empires : a history of the Municipal District of Rocky View no. 44. Irricana: Tall-Taylor Publishing Ltd. p. 91. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
^Johnnie Bachusky. "Mitford". GhostTowns.com. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
mitford, alberta, mitford, ghost, town, alberta, established, 1886, mitford, supported, sawmill, later, coal, mine, before, being, abandoned, 1898, history, editin, 1885, cochrane, wife, adela, exchanged, their, lease, acres, near, high, river, just, west, pre. Mitford is a ghost town in Alberta Established in 1886 Mitford supported a sawmill and later a coal mine before being abandoned by 1898 History editIn 1885 T B H Cochrane and his wife Adela exchanged their lease of 55 000 acres 223 km2 86 sq mi near High River for one just west of present day Cochrane Alberta The next year Cochrane associated himself with the Calgary Lumber Company and built a sawmill three miles west of present day Cochrane handling the vast amount of lumber on his lease Although the Canadian Pacific Railway approached the mill from the east tension built between Cochrane and the railway as the railway did not like stopping at the mill due to the steep grades nearby By 1888 the town contained an office drug store and bunkhouses By 1891 it had a school as well meeting in the saloon 1 It was named for a friend of Cochrane s wife 2 3 However the success of the sawmill was limited Most of the good quality fir to be found in the area was never sold instead ironically being used to construct a railway designed to transport the lumber to market 4 In 1888 a coal mine began operation in the area with the distinct advantage of having the sawmill s railway nearby to transport the coal to market In 1890 it became obvious that both operations were doomed to fail closing the same year In an effort to save the town T B H Cochrane established a brickyard using material found just north of Mitford In 1893 that operation was also closed due to the inferior quality of its product After the closing of the brickyard the town fell into decline before it was abandoned in 1898 Before its desertion Mitford housed a store a school a hotel a restaurant a medical practice and an Anglican church The steam engine used on Mitford s railway was sold to a British Columbia mill and the Canadian Pacific Railway ceased making regular stops at the town 2 Today editIn 1898 a fire started in the Chinese restaurant destroying most of the town In 1899 the town s church was moved to Cochrane and today all that remains is the town s cemetery which currently stands on private property 2 5 References edit Buckley Evelyn 1976 Chaps and Chinooks A History west of Calgary Volume 1 Foothills Historical Society p 93 a b c Read Tracey 1983 Acres and empires a history of the Municipal District of Rocky View no 44 Irricana Tall Taylor Publishing Ltd Retrieved February 7 2010 T B H Cochrane and the Betsy Logging Line Atlas of Alberta Railways University of Alberta Press 2005 Retrieved February 7 2010 Read Tracey 1983 Acres and empires a history of the Municipal District of Rocky View no 44 Irricana Tall Taylor Publishing Ltd p 91 Retrieved February 7 2010 Johnnie Bachusky Mitford GhostTowns com Retrieved February 7 2010 51 12 51 N 114 33 03 W 51 21417 N 114 55083 W 51 21417 114 55083 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mitford Alberta amp oldid 1180360402, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
