Medicine Hat, Alberta: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Medicine Hat, a city in the province of Alberta, Canada, has a population of about 50,000 and is located in southeastern Alberta on the Trans-Canada Highway Number 1 and the South Saskatchewan River. Nearby towns considered part of the Medicine Hat area include Dunmore, Seven Persons, Redcliff, and Irvine. Its major claim to fame is Rudyard Kipling's famous line "all hell for a basement" referring to the vast reserves of natural gas beneath it.

The name "Medicine Hat" has its origins from Aboriginal legends about a battle long ago between the Blackfoot and the Cree Indian tribes in which a retreating "medicine man" (shaman) lost his headdress in the South Saskatchewan River. The story is related in detail at the world's tallest teepee known as the "Saamis Teepee"; it stands over 20 stories high and overlooks the Blackfoot buffalo jump into Seven Persons Creek Coulee. Police Point Park was an early North West Mounted Police outpost and the park is now a nature-lovers' dream with shale paths next to the South Saskatchewan River.

When missionaries and fur traders arrived from Europe in the eighteenth century Alberta was inhabited by several Aboriginal nations. Wrangling between the French and British (a continuing theme in Canadian history) kept Alberta from being fully exploited at first, but with the creation of trading posts near Edmonton and up north the squabbling subsided somewhat.

With the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway (completed 1885) and the increasing flow of people into the area, a territorial government was created in 1875. The vast herds of bison on which the Indians depended were hunted nearly to extinction and the land was distributed to European homesteaders. Several years later the region overseen by the territorial government was split into four portions, one being named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, daughter of Queen Victoria and Albert.

When Canada was formed in 1867, Alberta was still very much the uncontrolled frontier. It was not until 1874 that the North West Mounted Police (precursors to the modern Royal Canadian Mounted Police) established their presence in the area. Alberta was established a province of Canada in 1905.

Medicine Hat is also home to The South Alberta Light Horse (SALH), an army reserve unit. The SALH is one of Alberta’s oldest and most prestigious army reserve units. The SALH dates back to 1885 when it took part in the North-West rebellion. Since then it has gained battle honours in the First and Second World Wars and today its members continue to serve overseas on UN and NATO missions.

Politics

Medicine Hat has recently seen a number of divisive political issues, most recently the Adult Business bylaw which places restrictions on pornography sales. Advocates for the rights of pornography businesses, led by Jim Ogston suffered a defeat.