Whiskey Gap, Alberta

Whiskey Gap is a ghost town in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located approximately 80 km (50 mi) south of Lethbridge on Highway 501.

For other uses, see Whisky (disambiguation).
Whiskey Gap
Unincorporated community
Whiskey Gap
Location of Whiskey Gap in Alberta
Coordinates: 49°01′57″N 113°01′53″W
Country Canada
Province Alberta
RegionSouthern Alberta
Census division3
Municipal districtCardston County
Government
 • Governing bodyCardston County Council
Time zoneUTC-7 (MST)
Postal code span
T0K 2P0
Area code(s)+1-403
HighwaysHighway 501
WaterwaysMilk River

History

In the 1860s and 1870s American traders crossed into what would become Alberta to trade goods and alcohol for buffalo robes and furs. One of the main routes for this trade, the Riplinger Road, crossed the border just west of Whiskey Gap.

During the prohibition period in Alberta between 1916 and 1924 alcohol was smuggled through this area from the United States. Later it flowed in the opposite direction when the Americans declared prohibition.

The local post office was named Fareham in 1918, and when the railway reached the area a community consisting of 3 grain elevators, a store, and other businesses and houses grew up around this post office. In 1929 the community was officially renamed Whiskey Gap.[1] Although little remains of this once thriving community, its name reflects its long and colorful past and strategic location.

Geography

The town site is in a pass through the Milk River range of hills on a water shed between the Missouri and Saskatchewan River drainage system, which suggests the name "gap" at first glance.

Media

In 1976 hundreds of people came to Whiskey Gap for the production of Terrence Malick's period film Days of Heaven. The quiet little village was once again booming as it was back in its heyday. Covered wagons, coaches, old-fashioned trucks, and people dressed in period clothing bustled about the area.

See also

References
  1. Shaw, Keith (1978). Chief mountain country : a history of Cardston and district. Volume I. Cardston: Cardston and District Historical Society. p. 79. ISBN 0-919213-89-8.

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