| St. Isidore | |
|---|---|
| — Hamlet — | |
|
|
|
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Census division | No. 19 |
| Municipal district | Northern Sunrise County |
| Founded | 1953 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unincorporated |
| • Governing body | Northern Sunrise County Council |
| • Ward 4 Councillor | Evens Lavoie |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.05 km2 (0.4 sq mi) |
| Population (2006)[1] | |
| • Total | 221 |
| • Density | 200.3/km2 (518.8/sq mi) |
| Time zone | MST (UTC−7) |
St. Isidore is a hamlet in northwest Alberta, Canada, within Northern Sunrise County.[2] It is located approximately 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) east of the Town of Peace River on Range Road 204 off Highway 688. St. Isidore is flanked by deep ravines cut by Pat's Creek to the north and Pat's Creek tributary to the south. The ravines are surrounded by pine forests.
In 2007, the St. Isidore Development Committee organized the St. Isidore Cultural Marketing Project that involved a lot reservation draw. There was eight applicants for the sixteen lots that were made available in the southeast end of the community.[3]
Contents |
The Hamlet of St. Isidore is named after St. Isidore, a patron saint of farm workers who was known to be a model worker.[4] It was founded in 1953 by seven families from the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec. The group was aided by the Union des Cultivateurs Catholiques[5] (Group of Catholic Farmers) of Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean Quebec, a rural agricultural organization that promoted a cooperative approach to agriculture and rural living. Being the last community to be settled in a wave of migration from Quebec after the Second World War, it has managed to maintain much of its original cultural vibrancy. Over half a century later, the community still reflects the cultural, cooperative, and family spirit at the heart of this community.
The population of St. Isidore according to Northern Sunrise County's 2010 municipal census is 230.[6]
As of the 2006 Census of Canada, St. Isidore had a total population of 211 living in 72 dwellings. With a land area of 1.05 km2 (0.41 sq mi), it had a population density of 200.3 /km2 (519 /sq mi).[1]
During the third weekend of February each year, the hamlet hosts the Carnaval de St. Isidore in and around the St. Isidore Cultural Centre. Modeled after the Quebec Winter Carnival, this event celebrates the community's French-Canadian hertitage through a variety of events while retaining the Albertan nature of the surrounding French communities. Among the major events is the international snow sculpting competition in which the organizers, the St. Isidore Cultural Centre sets a theme for the sculpting. In 2009, the theme was Carnaval Super Z’héros whereby the competitors were advised of the ‘danger’ the event was in from the vicious Frères Maniaques and that only the local superheroes could stop.[7] In addition to the professional category, the snow sculpting event also includes amateur and youth categories.
The carnival also features a mixture of traditional French folk and contemporary music, traditional French cooking, sleigh rides, log sawing and other Franco-Canadian activities.[8]
Carnaval de St. Isidore crowns its teenaged volunteers Le Duc et le Chef (the King and the Queen) as the rulers of carnaval. The volunteers are required to sell tickets in order to be entered into a draw that crowns the Le Duc et le Chef.[9]
St. Isidore offers a large number of services to residents and tourists, including: the St. Isidore Co-op, a library, le Conseil Scolaire du Nord-Ouest, St. Isidore Housing Cooperative, la Société des Compagnons, la Caisse Horizon Credit Union, le Club du Bon Temps, le Club Barbar, the Weavers' Guild, a cultural centre, dance troup Plein Soleil, St. Isidore Museum, Family Community Support Services, a summer camp, a skating rink, and a Catholic church.
The roads in St. Isidore are both numbered and named, with avenues running east/west and rues (streets) running north/south.
The economy of St. Isidore is predominantly agricultural in nature. Entreprises Macay is a family farming business that runs a Timothy hay drying and processing operation for export to Asian markets. There are beekeeping operations as well as dairy farming, both of which employ mostly seasonal workers. Residents of the hamlet also work in the nearby DMI Peace River Pulp Mill, Shell Peace River Complex, and the Town of Peace River.
| Dixonville | Cadotte Lake | |||
| Peace River | ||||
| St. Isidore | ||||
| Marie Reine | Nampa | Reno |
|
||||||||||||||