1909 Alberta Map

About the 1909 New Northwest Exploration Map

This historical document, titled "New Northwest Exploration," illustrates the vast regions of Northern Alberta and Saskatchewan surveyed between 1908 and 1909 by Frank Joseph Patrick Crean. The map features a distinct red-shaded boundary highlighting the specific territories explored during this expedition. It provides intricate details of the era's geography, including:

• Existing and proposed telegraph lines and wagon trails.
• Precise locations of Hudson's Bay Company posts and Northwest Mounted Police (NWMP) detachments.
• Hydrographic data showing major river systems and lakes, many of which were being mapped in detail for the first time by the Department of the Interior.

Alberta in 1909: Historical Highlights

As this map was being finalized, the young province of Alberta (only four years old at the time) was experiencing a period of massive transition and growth:

The First "Skyscraper": In 1909, construction was well underway on the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. While it didn't open until 1912, the massive granite and sandstone project signaled the province's transition from a frontier territory to a settled political power.

• The Railway Boom: 1909 was a peak year for "Railway Fever." The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was aggressively expanding through Central Alberta, leading to the "birth" of dozens of new townsites almost overnight as the steel tracks moved west.
• A Record Harvest: This year is often cited in agricultural history for a massive influx of settlers. Encouraged by the surveys like the one shown in this map, over 100,000 people moved to the prairies in 1909 alone, drawn by the promise of "Free Land" and record-breaking wheat yields.