Palliser's Triangle
Palliser's Triangle (French: Triangle de Palliser), or the Palliser Triangle, is a semi-arid steppe occupying a substantial portion of the Western Canadian Canadian Prairies, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba, within the Great Plains region. While initially determined to be unsuitable for crops outside of the fertile belt due to arid conditions and dry climate, expansionists questioned this assessment, leading to homesteading in the Triangle. Agriculture in the region has since suffered from frequent droughts and other such hindrances.
History
Before
In the middle of the 19th century, a large variety of factors contributed to an increase in Canadian expansionism, and eyes fell upon what would become western Canada for this purpose given that the cold and uncultivatable Canadian Shield was found in the north whereas the expanding United States controlled the south. This American expansionism also drove Canadian expansionism due to the fear that the United States would look north and lay claim to the land before they could. With this said, it became apparent that no sources existed that had a full and reliable assessment of the land. While the HBC had a working knowledge of the land inasmuch as it was useful to their end and business interests, it was insufficient to the needs of the Canadian government. In addition, the HBC was hesitant to share information about the land they controlled for the sake of protecting their monopoly in the region. Even the Royal Geographical Society was uninformed about the North West. All the above drove the United Kingdom and the Dominion of Canada to organize the Palliser and Hind expeditions, respectively,[4] especially since the 1840s discovery that latitude alone did not determine climate, which in turn suggested that good farmland may exist in the region.[5]
The area was named after John Palliser, the leader of the aforementioned British Palliser expedition into Western Canada from 1857 to 1859.[6] The expedition had the objective of spending two or three seasons:
- In examining "the region along the Southern frontier of our territories, between the parallels of 49° and 53° north latitude, and from 100° to 115° west longitude" with a view to surveying "the watershed between the basins of the Missouri and the Saskachewan [sic]; also the course of the south branch of the Saskachewan and its tributaries; and... the actual line of the frontier, on the parallel of 49°";
- In exploring "the Rocky Mountains, for the purpose of ascertaining the most southerly pass across to the Pacific, within the British Territory" since the well-known Athabasca Portage was too far north and "totally useless" for horses;
- In reporting on "the natural features and general capabilities of the country" and mapping it. The R.G.S. also advised that scientific assistants should accompany Palliser.[4]
The expeditions came to the conclusion that what would become western Canada was divided into three regions: a northern
In this period of expansionism, one prominent figure advocating homesteading in the North West was botanist
With Macoun's assessment in hand, the Canadian government undertook an advertising campaign to encourage European immigration to western Canada,[9] which was joined by the distribution of 160-acre tracts of farmland for a token fee of ten dollars under the federal Dominion Lands Act.[10] In addition, the planned Canadian Pacific Railway was moved southwards from its original route through the Parklands to instead pass through Palliser's Triangle for the sake of facilitating homesteading and grain shipment, thus further encouraging settlement in the region. Were it not for this fact, it is very likely that cities such as Calgary, Brandon and Regina would not exist as they do today.[9]
Many farmers who did settle in the semi-arid portion of the Triangle between the period of the expedition and 1914 saw success, especially as the demand for wheat was driven up by the outbreak of the
During the
Modern agriculture
This area was and is still very productive in terms of both
Saskatchewan is currently the province with the largest amount of farmland, and the leading crops are
Despite the frequent and sometimes disastrous droughts, the Triangle did become and still is the metaphorical breadbasket of the nation as he expected. However, the region has also suffered a major loss in terms of biodiversity over the course of settlement. Canada as a whole has found itself with under 20% of its mixed grass prairies, under 5% of its fescue prairies, and less than a half-percent of its tall grass prairies. In addition, the prairies have a very high rate of endangered species.[9]
See also
References
- ^ "The Plains People - Groups in this Region". firstpeoplesofcanada.com. Retrieved 2018-03-28.
- ^ "The Plains People - Food / Hunting / Tools". firstpeoplesofcanada.com. Retrieved 2018-03-28.
- ISBN 9780889773400.
- ^ JSTOR 1790499.
- ^ a b c d "Hind and Palliser expeditions: 1857-1860" (PDF). Ms. Lalonde's Website. The Critical Thinking Cooperative.
- ^ "The Encyclopedia Saskatchewan - The Palliser and Hind Expeditions". Archived from the original on 2014-07-27. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
- ^ ISBN 978-1552382301.
- ^ a b McInnise, Amy (May 2004). "The story of Palliser's Triangle, the structure of Saskatchewan soils, the reality of Saskatchewan weather" (PDF). Western Development Museum. pp. 3, 6. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- ^ a b c Robson, Diana (4 January 2016). "John Macoun: The Botanist Who Changed the Map of Western Canada". The Manitoba Museum.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8020-6648-0.
- PMID 24829518.
- ^ "CBC News Indepth: Agriculture". 2009-01-24. Archived from the original on 2009-01-24. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
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- ^ Nemanishen, Walter (January 1998). "Drought in the Palliser Triangle (A Provisional Primer)" (PDF). Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration. p. 1. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
- ^ Canada, Government of Canada, Statistics. "Saskatchewan remains the breadbasket of Canada". www.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Canada, Government of Canada, Statistics. "Alberta has the most beef cattle in Canada and the second largest total farm area". www.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Canada, Government of Canada, Statistics. "Crops - Hay and field crops". www.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Canada, Government of Canada, Statistics. "Land use, land tenure and management practices". www.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)