Village of Stirling
The village of Stirling is a proud member of the Canadian
Badlands Ltd. (this cache may not be located near the community
represented.) Stirling is a village in the County of Warner No. 5,
Alberta, Canada. The village is located approximately 31 km (19 mi)
southeast of Lethbridge and 72 km (45 mi) northwest of the United
States-Canada border. The Village of Stirling is also referred to
as Stirling Agricultural Village due to its designation as a
National Historic Site. It is one of only three Canadian
communities designated as such, Quebec City and Louisbourg, Nova
Scotia being the other two.
Stirling was founded on May 5, 1899, by Theodore Brandley. The
town was one of two communities that owed its existence to a
partnership between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
and Charles A. Magrath of the North Western Coal and Navigation
Company, and is one of only three communities designated as a
National Historic Site of Canada. Stirling was named after John A.
Stirling, Managing Director of The Trusts, Executors and Securities
Corporation of London, which owned shares in the Alberta Coal and
Railway Company.
After arriving at the Stirling siding, Theodore Brandley quickly
started planning the layout of the town. The town site was made up
of one square mile (640 acres), then divided into lots of 10 acres
(40,000 m2); each with a surveyed road around the entire area with
a lane running north and south, dividing it into two parcels. The
parcels were then again divided, east and west, making four lots,
each 2.5 acres (10,000 m2), giving the residents room to build
homes, barns and shelters for animals, with large gardens. Theodore
planned the town site after the Plat of Zion, which Stirling still
follows today, and is recognized as the most well-preserved,
Canadian example of the Plat of Zion. For this reason, Stirling is
known as Stirling Agricultural Village.
This cache is part of the Legacy Trail produced by the Canadian
Badlands Geocaching Association for the Best of the Bad Mega
Event.
The Legacy Trail
The Legacy Trail is a collection of geocaches that circles its
way over 100 miles on country roads traversing some of the most
scenic and spectacular landscape in this part of the Canadian
Badlands. A large number of caches in a variety of types, sizes and
difficulty are placed on the Trail. Every town, village and
hamletin the Canadian Badlands has its own cache. Some caches were
named after local historic events and people, as well as
celebrities who grew up in this area. Some caches were sponsored by
geocachers who attended the Best of the Bad Mega Event. The Legacy
Trail was produced by the Canadian Badlands Geocaching Association
for the Best of the Bad Mega Event.
The Canadian Badlands
The Canadian Badlands in Alberta are home to the world's most
extensive dinosaur bone beds, badlands and hoodoos, and a
world-class museum that shelters a 75 million-year-old legacy. The
region is rich in culturally and and a complex and diverse modern
society that is still deeply rooted in the spirit of the
frontier.
