Picture Butte
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Picture Butte
| official_name = Town of Picture Butte
| other_name =
| native_name =
| nickname = Livestock Feeding Capital of Canada
| settlement_type = Town
| motto =
| pushpin_map = Alberta
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Picture Butte in Alberta
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = Canada
| subdivision_type1 = Province
| subdivision_name1 = Alberta
| subdivision_type2 = Region
| subdivision_name2 = Southern Alberta
| subdivision_type3 = Census division
| subdivision_name3 = 2
| subdivision_type4 = Municipal district
| subdivision_name4 = Lethbridge County
| government_footnotes = {{AMOS}}
| government_type =
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = Cathy Moore
| leader_title1 = Governing body
| leader_name1 = Picture Butte Town Council
| leader_title2 =
| leader_name2 =
| leader_title3 =
| leader_name3 =
| leader_title4 =
| leader_name4 =
| established_title = Founded
| established_date =
| established_title1 = Incorporated{{cite web | url=http://www.municipalaffairs.alberta.ca/cfml/MunicipalProfiles/basicReport/TOWN.PDF | publisher=Alberta Municipal Affairs | title=Location and History Profile: Town of Picture Butte | page=477 | date=October 7, 2016 | access-date=October 13, 2016}}
| established_date1 =
| established_title2 = • Village
| established_date2 = February 4, 1943
| established_title3 = • Town
| established_date3 = January 1, 1960
| area_land_km2 = 3.02
| area_urban_km2 =
| population_as_of = 2021
| population_footnotes = {{cite web | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810001101 | title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada and population centres | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=February 9, 2022 | accessdate=February 13, 2022}}
| population_note =
| population_total = 1930
| population_density_km2 = 639.7
| population_urban =
| population_density_urban_km2 =
| population_blank1_title =
| population_blank1 =
| population_density_blank1_km2 =
| population_density_blank1_sq_mi =
| timezone = MST
| utc_offset = −7
| timezone_DST = MDT
| utc_offset_DST = −6
| coordinates = {{coord|49|52|23|N|112|46|48|W|region:CA-AB|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_m = 905
| postal_code_type = Postal code span
| postal_code = T0K 1V0
| area_code =
| blank_name = Highways
| blank_info = Highway 25
Highway 519
| blank1_name = Waterway
| blank1_info = Oldman River
| website = {{official website|www.picturebutte.ca}}
| footnotes =
| mapsize = 150px
}}
Picture Butte is a town in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located {{convert|27|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of the city of Lethbridge. It claims the title of "Livestock Feeding Capital of Canada."
Name
In 2010, Ernest and Austin Mardon stated that "the name is descriptive, being a translation of the Blackfoot 'the beautiful hill.'"{{Cite book |last=Mardon |first=Ernest G. |title=Community names of Alberta |last2=Mardon |first2=Austin |publisher=Golden Meteorite Press |year=2010 |isbn=9781897472170 |edition=3rd |location=Edmonton |pages=262 |language=English}}
History
Picture Butte received its name from a prominence southeast of town. By 1947, however, the prominence's soil had been reworked and used for street improvements, highway construction and a dyke on the shore of the Picture Butte Lake Reservoir. The prominence no longer exists.
Homesteading in the area began in the early 20th century. The building of the Lethbridge Northern Irrigation System in 1923 and the CPR rail line in 1925 stimulated an influx of settlers. The first post office opened in 1925.{{cite book|last=Coyote Flats Historical Society|title=Coyote Flats : historical review, 1905-1965. Volume 1|year=1967|publisher=Southern Printing|location=Lethbridge|page=275|url=http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/loc_hist/page.aspx?id=3729403}}
In 1943, Picture Butte became a village, and it attained town status in 1961 with a population of 978.
The Canadian Sugar Factory closed in 1978 and resulted in the loss of tax revenues and employment opportunities to the town. Industrial activity consists of small service, warehousing and wholesaling industries.
The town annexed approximately {{Convert|165|acre|km2}} in 1991, significantly changing the town's boundary since the general municipal plan of 1980.{{cite web | title = Town of Picture Butte Municipal Development Plan | publisher = Oldman River Regional Services Commission |date=March 2004 | url = http://www.picturebutte.ca/town/reports/development_plan.pdf |format=PDF| access-date = 2007-08-27 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928010710/http://www.picturebutte.ca/town/reports/development_plan.pdf |archive-date = 2007-09-28}}
A number of farms and properties in the Picture Butte area have changed and adapted over time; for example, in 2016, the Natural Resources Conservation Board approved Scholten Farms' request to convert swine feeders to cattle feeders.{{Cite news |date=December 13, 2016 |title=Confined Feeding Operations |pages=8 |work=The Sunny South News |location=Coaldale |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sunny-south-news-dec-13-2016-p-8/}}
Demographics
{{stack|{{Historical population
|width = 10em
|shading = off
|percentage = on
|1946 |689
|1951 |865
|1971 |1,062
|1976 |1,177
|1981 |1,393
|1986 |1,576
|1991 |1,559
|1996 |1,669
|2001 |1,701
|2006 |1,592
|2011 |1,650
|2016 |1,810
|footnote=Sources: [http://www.municipalaffairs.gov.ab.ca/documents/ms/2007pop.pdf] [https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/daab9fce-c2f6-49d1-a433-375b2b7aee24/resource/990e5587-6f76-4b6b-aeff-62e38e27d816/download/793034-2002-official-population-list.pdf] [http://www.municipalaffairs.alberta.ca/documents/ms/1997population.pdf] [http://www.municipalaffairs.alberta.ca/documents/ms/1992population.pdf] [http://www.municipalaffairs.gov.ab.ca/documents/ms/1987population.pdf] [http://www.municipalaffairs.alberta.ca/documents/ms/1981population.pdf] [http://www.municipalaffairs.alberta.ca/documents/ms/1977population.pdf] [http://www.municipalaffairs.alberta.ca/documents/ms/1972population.pdf] [https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/daab9fce-c2f6-49d1-a433-375b2b7aee24/resource/b98fe7c0-8524-47d5-a717-70489b9613c6/download/population1952.pdf] [https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/daab9fce-c2f6-49d1-a433-375b2b7aee24/resource/6855a743-c07c-4f9b-8478-e62f027fdf27/download/population1947.pdf]
}}}}
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Picture Butte had a population of 1,930 living in 689 of its 729 total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|{{#expr:1930-1810}}|1810|1}} from its 2016 population of 1,810. With a land area of {{cvt|3.02|km2}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|1930|3.02|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.{{cite web |date=February 9, 2022 |title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities) |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000202&geocode=A000248 |accessdate=February 9, 2022 |publisher=Statistics Canada}}
In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Picture Butte recorded a population of 1,810 living in 672 of its 706 total private dwellings, a {{percentage|{{#expr:1810-1650}}|1650|1}} change from its 2011 population of 1,650. With a land area of {{convert|2.85|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|1810|2.85|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2016.{{cite web |date=February 8, 2017 |title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta) |url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=302&SR=1&S=86&O=A&RPP=9999&PR=48 |access-date=February 8, 2017 |publisher=Statistics Canada}}
Attractions
As of 2023, Picture Butte has an art gallery, three schools, three churches, a sports complex, a community league, a museum and a historical village.{{Cite web |last=Buzz |date=2013-05-23 |title=ROAD TRIP: What Is There To Do In Picture Butte? |url=https://buzzbishop.com/travel/daytrips/road-trip-calgary-nanton-picture-butte-vulcan-calgary/ |access-date=2023-10-14 |website=The Blog According To Buzz |language=en-US}}
Governance
= List of mayors of Picture Butte =
- John Maurice Gibbons
- Heber Jones
- Harry Watson
- Sydney P. Johnson
- Wilfrid Hague
- Victor Edward (Ted) Crapnell
- Morgan W. Heninger
- Rick Casson
- Bert Foord
- Alex Chronik
- Elton Anderson
- Jon Stevens
- Terry Kerkhoff
- Wendy Jones
- Cathy Moore
- John F. Kennedy
= Current municipal council =
The current Picture Butte town council was elected on October 18, 2021 in the 2021 Alberta municipal elections.{{cite web |title=Council Members |url=http://www.picturebutte.ca/content.php?p=32 |access-date=March 9, 2023 |publisher=Town of Picture Butte}} As of 2023, the Mayor of Cathy Moore and councilors include Henry deKok, Teresa Feist, Cynthia Papworth and Crystal Neels.{{cite web |title=Council Members |url=http://www.picturebutte.ca/content.php?p=32 |access-date=March 9, 2023 |publisher=Town of Picture Butte}}
Gallery
{{Gallery
| title = Photographs of Picture Butte
| align = Center
| footer =
| style =
| state =
| height =
| width =
| captionstyle =
| File:Baseball Game at Picture Butte School (6232132206).jpg
|Baseball game at Picture Butte School|Picture Butte Alberta Grain Elevator (24836364381).jpg| alt2=
|Picture Butte grain elevator| File:Mrs. Teodor Fedaj feeding turkeys at Picture Butte (22047610312).jpg
| alt1=
|Chicken farm in Picture Butte
| File:Feedlot at Picture Butte (3390339729).jpg
| alt3=
| Cattle feedlot in picture butte
}}
Notable people
- Alex Brown Johnston, politician
- Rick Casson, politician
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{official website}}
{{Geographic location
| Centre = Picture Butte
| North = Lomond
| Northeast = Vauxhall
| East = Bow Island
| Southeast = Taber
| South = Lethbridge
| Southwest = Coalhurst
| West = Nobleford
| Northwest = Barons
}}
{{Subdivisions of Alberta|towns=yes}}