Kirkcaldy, Alberta
Kirkcaldy | |
|---|---|
Kirkcaldy Location of Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy (Canada) | |
| Coordinates: 50°20′06″N 113°14′16″W / 50.33500°N 113.23778°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Region | Southern Alberta |
| Census division | 5 |
| Municipal district | Vulcan County |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unincorporated |
| • Governing body | Vulcan County Council |
| Population (2007)[1] | |
• Total | 12 |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
| Area codes | 403, 587, 825 |
Kirkcaldy (/kərˈkɔːdi/) is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada within Vulcan County.[2] It is located 0.3 km (0.19 mi) west of Highway 23, approximately 98 km (61 mi) southeast of Calgary.
Etymology
According to the Government of Alberta, it is likely that Kirkcaldy was named after the Scottish town of Kirkcaldy.[3][4] The settlement was founded in 1911 when the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) established a stop.[5][3] At the time, a significant number of Scots worked for the CPR, and they commonly bestowed Scottish names upon new outposts in Canada.[3][6][7]
History
Kirkcaldy was founded in 1911 when the Canadian Pacific Railway established a stop in the area.[3][5]
On January 15, 1915, Wallace E. McKenzie opened a general store that also contained a post office, serving as both postmaster and store owner.[5][8][9] The presence of a railroad allowed for mail to be received in, and directly delivered from, Calgary.[5] One notable postmaster in the years that followed was Lorena Mallory, wife of Grant Mallory, who ran the operation between December 1920 and July 1924.[5][9] The operation closed in February 1970.[9]
Military presence during the Second World War
During the Second World War, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) participated in the British Commonwealth Air Training project to train military aircrew.[10][11] In 1942, the RCAF established RCAF Station Vulcan, which was geographically closer to Kirkcaldy than the town of Vulcan.[10][11][12][13]
After the war ended in 1945, the site remained in use by the RCAF as a depot for cutting military aircraft down to scrap until the late 1950s.[11] It briefly operated as an airport but lay mostly abandoned until 2011, when it was reopened as the Vulcan/Kirkcaldy Aerodrome.[10][11]
Connection to the Ware family
Two daughters of pioneering ranchers Mildred and John Ware, Mildred Jr. and Janet Amanda "Nettie," moved to Kirkcaldy in 1921 to run a farm with their grandmother and uncle.[14] They stayed in Kirkcaldy until relocating to Vulcan in 1960, though the sisters remained involved in Kirkcaldy's social events for the rest of their lives.[14][15]
The sisters maintained a long friendship with Don Mallory, Kirkcaldy resident and descendant of Lorena and Grant Mallory, who had operated the post office in the 1920s.[5][16][17][18] Mallory was also an amateur historian, and the sisters entrusted their family archives to him.[16][19] In the early 2000s, journalist Cheryl Foggo worked with Don to research the Ware family for her 2020 documentary, John Ware Reclaimed.[16][19] Some of the documentary was filmed in Kirkcaldy.[20]
Demographics
The Calgary Herald reported that Kirkcaldy had a population of 20 as of 1986.[21] In 2007, as recorded by Vulcan County's municipal census in 2007, Kirkcaldy's population stood at 12.[1] Vulcan County Council identified Kirkcaldy as containing 14 residential properties in 2017.[22]
Governance
Kirkcaldy falls within the municipal district of Vulcan County.[13]
Water
Prior to 2017, Kirkcaldy residents did not have access to the municipal water supply network.[22] In April 2017, Vulcan County Council greenlit funding to connect a total of 14 properties to a water line running from Vulcan to Carmangay.[22]
Connectivity
In July 2023, the Government of Alberta and Government of Canada announced joint funding to implement high-speed internet access for a selection of rural and remote communities, including Kirkcaldy.[23]
Economy
Kirkcaldy's proximity to Vulcan, which flourished quickly into a town, hampered Kirkcaldy's commercial development early on in its existence.[5] Aside from the combined store and post office, the longest-running businesses were several grain elevators and the railroad's section depot.[5][24][25] Between 1911 and 1980, other businesses that operated in Kirkcaldy included a lumber yard, boarding house, pool room and dairy barn.[24]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Alberta Population Summary: Alberta's Hamlets Alphabetically, 2010" (PDF). Alberta Population. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 11, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ "Specialized and Rural Municipalities and Their Communities" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Alberta, Geographical Names Program. "Kirkcaldy". Alberta Geographical Names Web Map. Government of Alberta. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
The CPR established a stop here in 1911. Named for a place in Scotland, it may have been named by an area resident of Scottish descent, or like many other CPR stations the name was chosen from a list of Scottish place names. The post office operated between 1915 and 1970. The first postmaster was Wallace E. McKenzie. The name was approved for mapping purposes in 1957.
- ^ Canadian Board on Geographical Names (1928). Place-names of Alberta. Ottawa: F. A. Acland, printer. p. 72.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Speirs, Dale (June 1, 2016). "Kirkcaldy" (PDF). Journal of Alberta Postal History. 1 (8): 13–14 – via Postal History Society of Canada.
- ^ Calder, Jenni (November 15, 2013). "The Ship Under Sail". Scots in Canada. Luath Press Ltd. ISBN 978-1-909912-67-0.
- ^ Bruce, Duncan A. (June 16, 2014). Mark Of The Scots - Cl. Citadel Press. ISBN 978-0-8065-3768-9.
- ^ "Post Office Transactions for February 1915 - List of Post Offices Opened". Monthly Supplement to Canadian Official Postal Guide (PDF). Postmaster General of Canada. Ottawa: J. de L. Taché. February 1, 1915. p. 3. PDF page 231.
- ^ a b c Canada, Library and Archives (November 25, 2016). "Kirkcaldy Archives / Post Offices and Postmasters". recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ a b c Forsyth, Bruce (2009). "Abandoned WWII training aerodrome reborn". militarybruce.com. Vulcan Advocate. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ a b c d O'Malley, Dave; Lemieux, Todd (August 10, 2022). "No. 19 Service Flying Training School, No. 2 Flight Instructor School". The Ghosts of Southern Alberta. Vintage Wings of Canada.
- ^ Dulewich, Jenna (June 28, 2014). "Support and opposition voice opinions over proposed motor sports facility at former air base west of Vulcan". Vulcan Advocate.
- ^ a b Exploring Vulcan County Business & Community Profile (PDF). Vulcan County: TNC Publishing Group. February 1, 2025. p. 10 – via Town of Vulcan.
- ^ a b Ducatel, Simon (February 22, 2012). "Remembering a legend". Vulcan Advocate. p. 11.
- ^ Burke, Richard (April 28, 1980). "Profile: 'Fan' Nettie Ware treasures her famous father's memory". Calgary Herald. p. 7.
- ^ a b c Fanfair, Ron (March 30, 2020). "Cheryl Foggo documents the Black presence in Canada's West". Ron Fanfair. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ Lidell, Ken (August 30, 1967). "Ken Liddell's Column - Kirkcaldy". Calgary Herald. p. 5.
- ^ "Mallory family of Kirkcaldy, Alberta". Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary. Glenbow Library and Archives Collection. May 1, 1987.
- ^ a b Nicoll, Doreen (September 23, 2020). "'John Ware Reclaimed' is empowering and uplifting". rabble.ca. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ Tipper, Stephen (September 25, 2020). "New John Ware documentary debuts at Calgary International Film Festival". Vulcan Advocate. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ Masterman, Bruce (December 4, 1986). "Train crash cleanup continues". Calgary Herald. p. 16.
- ^ a b c Tipper, Stephen. "Kirkcaldy project water given the green light". Vulcan Advocate. Archived from the original on October 7, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ Morey, Lindsay; Herring, Jason (July 13, 2023). "Feds, province come together to provide $96 million for high-speed internet access in rural, remote Alberta". sherwoodparknews. Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ a b Shiels, Bob (July 17, 1980). "The store is run by a 'history nut'". Calgary Herald. p. 18.
- ^ "Aerial view of Kirkcaldy, Alberta". Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary. Glenbow Library and Archives Collection. 1958.