Carstairs

History

The origins of the Town of Carstairs dates back centuries to a network of trails collectively known as the Ancient Trail (also referred to as The Old North Trail and the Wolf Track). This important transportation corridor passed through the Carstairs area. Several prominent rock formations along river and creek beds were found in the district, and these were known resting and stopping sites for First Nations people as they moved up-and-down this corridor. As the fur trade developed and settlement grew, the newcomers to the region adopted the same network of trails that had been used for centuries. In 1883, one of those newcomers, Sam Scarlett, set up a Stopping House at one of the prominent rock formations along the Rosebud River. "Scarlett's" became an important and popular stop along the Calgary and Edmonton Trail - frequented by freighters, the NWMP, military and the various stage coach lines. When the Calgary and Edmonton Railway arrived in 1890, the surveyors made an allotment for a siding, station house, and townsite to be built in relative proximity to Scarlett's Stopping House. However, to avoid crossing the Rosebud River at that point, the rail line was laid approximately 4 km west of Scarlett's. Named 'Carstairs' the new townsite's development started off slowly, but by the turn of the 20th century, the area began a steady growth pattern that allowed it to be officially recognized as Carstairs, NWT on May 15, 1903. The name changed to Carstairs, Alta in 1905 when Alberta received official Provincial status. On July 1, 2023, a large EF4 tornado caused severe damage just north of the town.

Most-observed species

• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  517
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  391
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  362
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  356
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  326
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  316
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  312
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  307

Most recent

• M 3.8 — 2019-03-04
  9 km NW of Red Deer, Canada