Industry

While some immigrants to the area found work with mining companies or the Canadian Pacific Railway, most accepted the government’s offer of 160 acres of land in exchange for breaking and developing the soil. The development of the steel plow made it possible to till the grassland. As a result, until after World War II, Central Alberta was primarily an agricultural region.

Farming was a difficult life for settlers in Central Alberta, especially before homes were equipped with indoor plumbing, electricity, and modern appliances. While their husbands worked in the fields, women were occupied with never-ending chores including baking bread, growing and canning vegetables, preserving meat, and sewing and washing clothes for the whole family. Among the tasks that needed to be done on the farms were sewing and harvesting crops, clearing land of trees and roots, mowing, raking, and hauling grain, and taking care of livestock. Although farms were often isolated, people would try to get together as much as possible. When it was time to thresh, men in a community would form a group and go from homestead to homestead. At each farm, women would provide food for the workers. Women in Aspenland, using both historical content and personal stories, provides an in-depth look at the lives of women at this time.

The rich natural resources of the Aspen Parkland have played a large role in the development of the region. The fertile soil made the area ideal for agriculture, while the rich coal, petroleum, and oil reserves brought another successful industry into the area. Alberta’s Natural Resources and Canada’s Petroleum Heritage provide a more comprehensive look at the resources that have led to the prosperity of Central Alberta.

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