Champion

History

Homesteaders began arriving in the Champion area in 1904 and 1905, mainly from the US, Eastern Canada, and Britain. The vast prairie grasslands, cut through by the Little Bow River, provided ideal country for farming and ranching. One of these settlers was Martin G. Clever, who arrived in 1905. He homesteaded on the quarter section of land (160 acres) where the town of Champion is currently located. The birth of the town was the product of the rapid settlement of the farming and ranching land in the area, and it was also fuelled by the discovery of coal. Homesteader Henry Therriualt opened the first coal mine in the area in 1906, and farmers travelled from neighbouring towns (including Nanton and Stavely) to purchase coal from the Therriault mine. Their journey took them through the Clever homestead to reach the mine, and soon Martin Clever realized the business opportunity that presented itself. Soon, a country store and a mail route were established. When the storeowner (George Mark) applied to have a government post office located, the settlement required a name, and in honour of Martin Clever, the community was named Cleverville. Several other businesses soon sprung up, thanks to Martin Clever's offer of the free use of his land: Cleverville was soon home to three general stores, a millinery and linen shop, drug store, butcher shop, blacksmith shop, livery stable, restaurant, two real estate offices, lumber yard, Bank of Hamilton, and doctor's office. In 1910 the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) reached the area, although it became apparent that the rails themselves would not run directly past Cleverville. As a result, the townspeople decided to move, using horses and skids and wagons, all of the buildings of the town to a new location closer to the railway. This…

Most-observed species

• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  229
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  195
• American Coot

  Fulica americana Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  185
• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  184
• Killdeer

  Charadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  171
• Northern Shoveler

  Spatula clypeata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  160
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  143
• Northern Pintail

  Anas acuta Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  142

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2014-09-12
  13 km ENE of Picture Butte, Canada