Marking Canada History Week with Lethbridge facts

When did Lethbridge become a city? Where did we get our name from? What is someone from here called?

As November 20 to 26 is Canada History Week, we thought we’d share some background on our city, from its traditional land to its relationship with coal and agriculture, to the High Level Bridge, to being a campus community and its place as Alberta’s Gateway To Opportunity.

Introduction:

• First off, southern Alberta is the traditional land of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) people who called Lethbridge ‘Sikoohkotoki’, meaning black rock, because of the coal they found
• The first European settlement in the area was connected to the whiskey trade and the establishment of Fort Whoop Up and other trading posts. That brought the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) to the area in 1874
• Before becoming Lethbridge, our city was a small mining town called Coalbanks. As the community grew, it was renamed Lethbridge – which was then incorporated as a town in 1890 and as a city in 1906
• Many people assume the name Lethbridge is related to the iconic High Level Bridge that spans across the river valley. In fact, Lethbridge is named after William Lethbridge, the first president of the North Western Coal and Navigation Company. Owner Sir Alexander Galt liked to entice investors to his company with the promise of naming streets and towns in their honour. This is how William Lethbridge became the namesake of our city

“The ‘bridge’ component of our name and the fact we have the longest and highest trestle bridge in the world is purely coincidental,” says Ross Kilgour, Senior Community Planner.

"Both Lethbridgite and Lethbridgian have been used for more than 100 years as the name for those of us who live in Lethbridge,” says Belinda Crowson, City Councillor and President of the Lethbridge Historical Society. “However, we have never definitively decided as a city on our preferred name. Always an interesting discussion whenever the issue arises." 

Historic Places and Events:

Lethbridge/Sikóóhkotok has nearly 30 Municipal Historic Resources, 15 Provincial Historic Resources (several sites have both Municipal and Provincial designation), four Federally-listed National Historic Events and one National Historic Person:

• Origins of Coal Industry in Alberta National Historic Event
• First Air Crossing of the Canadian Rockies National Historic Event
• Construction of the Lethbridge Viaduct National Historic Event
• Belly River Battle of 1870 National Historic Event
• Charles Alexander Magrath National Historic Person

Although, the Fort Whoop-Up National Historic Site of Canada is closely associated with Lethbridge, the original site is in Lethbridge County just outside the City boundary to the south.

Other Resources:

• Heritage Management Plan
• Information on Historic Places Preservation, including a map
• General information on Our History, including a video