Beazer, Alberta
Beazer | |
|---|---|
  Beazer Location of Beazer  Beazer Beazer (Canada) | |
| Coordinates: 49°06′54″N 113°29′01″W / 49.11500°N 113.48361°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Region | Southern Alberta |
| Census division | 3 |
| Municipal district | Cardston County |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unincorporated |
| • Governing body | Cardston County Council |
| Population (2008)[1] | |
• Total | 11 |
| Time zone | UTC−06:00 (Alberta Time) |
| Area codes | 403, 587, 825 |
Beazer is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada within Cardston County.[2] It is located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) south of Highway 5, approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) southwest of Lethbridge.
Toponymy
[edit]Beazer is named for Mark Beazer (1854–1937), who organized the locality's first congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and also served as its first postmaster.[3]
History
[edit]Pre-settlement
[edit]Between 1867 and 1870, the site that eventually became Beazer was occupied by William Samuel (or Samual) Lee, one of southern Alberta's earliest non-Indigenous settlers.[4][5] Originally from England, Lee established a trading post near a ford west of present-day Beazer, which is today known as Lee Creek.[4][5] He traded goods with local First Nations for bison hides.[4][5]
Beazer: 1890-present
[edit]Beazer's first homesteader was Mark Beazer, who bought land there in 1890 and served as the locality's first bishop for congregants of the LDS Church.[3][6][7]
A small community of primarily Mormon farmers developed around Beazer's homestead,[8][9] and, in December 1903, Beazer opened a post office for the area under his family name.[3][10] Beazer Chapel formed the centre of Beazer Ward, and was also used as a schoolhouse.[11][7][12] By December 1930, the Beazer Ward had a population of 141 LDS parishioners.[7]
Nonetheless, Beazer's subsequent growth was stunted by a lack of convenient transport links, and from a dearth of terrain suitable for irrigation.[13] Many children of its original settlers left for other opportunities upon reaching adulthood, though Beazer remained consistently populated enough that it was recognized as a hamlet by the federal government in 1942.[3][13]
Extended relations of Mark Beazer operated Beazer's post office until it permanently closed in April 1968, owing to its "limited usefulness."[10][13] The Beazer Chapel and Beazer Ward closed the next year.[12] By 1977, Beazer was a small residential and agricultural community with no commercial operations, except for a hotel.[14][15]
Demographics
[edit]As of the 2008 municipal census conducted by Cardston County, Beazer has a population of 11.[1]
Places of interest
[edit]A hotel, Chateau Isabella, serves tourists who visit the area to utilize its proximity to national parks in Alberta and Montana, including Waterton Lakes National Park and Police Outpost Provincial Park.[8][14][16][17]
Beazer Cemetery, founded in the 1890s, remains operational and accessible to the public as of 2025.[6]
Notable residents
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "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.
- 1 2 3 4 Alberta Culture (2025). "Beazer". Alberta Geographical Names Web Map. Text visible upon selecting the yellow circle.
- 1 2 3 "William Samual Lee". Galt Museum & Archives. December 1, 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Kelland, Ron (September 11, 2012). "Lee Creek (Or is it "Lee's Creek"?) – Part 1 of 2". RETROactive. Alberta Culture. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
- 1 2 Sanders, Harry. "Beazer Cemetery (Cardston County)". Discover Alberta Ancestors. Alberta Family Histories Society. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Plewe, Brandon (2025). "Beazer Ward". Mormon Places. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
- 1 2 Bryan, Liz (2007). Country Roads of Alberta: Exploring the Routes Less Travelled. Heritage House Publishing Co. p. 122. ISBN 978-1-894974-29-5.
- ↑ Cardston County. "Community Profiles". www.cardstoncounty.com. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
- 1 2 Canada, Library and Archives (November 25, 2016). "Beazer Archives / Post Offices and Postmasters". recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
- ↑ Wright, Don (2026). "Ministering Musings…"I Just Have to Go."". ca.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
- 1 2 Cardston and District Historical Society (December 24, 2020). "Cardston's Historic Organ". Cardston Temple City Star. p. 2.
- 1 2 3 Speirs, Dale (July 1, 2017). "Beazer" (PDF). Journal of Alberta Postal History. 1 (14): 16 – via Postal History Society of Canada (PHSC).
- 1 2 Galt Museum and Archives (1977). "Chateau Isabella, Resort at Beazer, Municipal District of Cardston, General". collections.galtmuseum.com. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
- ↑ Fryer, Harold (1976). Ghost towns of Alberta. Langley, B.C: Stagecoach Pub. Co. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-88983-004-2.
- ↑ Adelman, Charlotte; Schwartz, Bernard (June 6, 2013). Prairie Directory of North America: The United States, Canada, and Mexico. Oxford University Press. p. 490. ISBN 978-0-19-991351-0.
- ↑ Maher, Anne (August 6, 2003). "Upper Arlington seniors thrilled by trip to Canadian Rockies". Northwest Columbus News. p. 12.
- ↑ "Canadian grandmother wins second world record by doing over 1,500 push ups in an hour". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on March 30, 2026. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
- ↑ Wilford, Denette (November 26, 2024). "Grandmother of 12 breaks world record, does 1,575 pushups in one hour". Toronto Sun.
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