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Irvine is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada within Cypress County. It is located approximately east of Medicine Hat on Highway 1 and has an elevation of . The hamlet is located in census division No. 1 and in the federal riding of Medicine Hat. == History == The vast prairies were home to the Cree and other indigenous groups who traversed the area in and around the nearby Cypress Hills, following the routes of the bison. By 1870, the bison were all but gone. The Palliser Expedition passed through the region in 1859. Métis settled in the hills during the mid-1860s, and the Cypress Hills Massacre occurred in 1873. A settlement developed around a trading post, and became known as 20 Mile Post - 20 miles from the next trading post at Medicine Hat. It later was renamed Irvine in honour of Colonel A. Irvine, a commissioner of the North-West Mounted Police who served with General F.D. Middleton during the North-West Rebellion of 1885. In early May 1883, the push was on to complete the Canadian Pacific Railway line from just east of Walsh to Medicine Hat. Crews of gandy dancers worked hard, building the rail line through 20 Mile Post, and reaching Medicine Hat on May 31.〔http://railways.library.ualberta.ca/Chapters-7-1/〕 Trains brought Europeans with high hopes for their futures to the area. Today, lengthy freight trains roll through Irvine in the blink of an eye. Many German-Russian settlers homesteaded in the area and some of their descendants remain in and around Irvine to this day. The century-old St. George's Parish Cemetery bares evidence of this history.〔http://www.grhs.org/research/america/canada/medicinehat_ab.htm〕 Prior to September 1, 1905, the community was within the jurisdiction of the Assiniboia District of the Northwest Territories. It then became part of the Province of Alberta. Irvine was once a thriving community, complete with an elected mayor and town council, several churches, businesses, etc. Several grain elevators once thrust their lofty towers to the sky. Blacksmith shops were kept busy making and repairing equipment for local ranchers and farmers. Agriculture is the mainstay of the district's economy. Over the decades, however, the demographic changed and the town dissolved into a hamlet within Cypress County. The old town office building is on the main street. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Irvine, Alberta」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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