My Favorite Place That I've Never Been

True story. A friend of mine--ok, it was me---was playing around on the net, and, well, you know how it goes: you start looking for one thing and you end up in an entirely different place. And I discovered my new favorite place to which I've never been.

 Medicine Hat is a city located in southern Alberta, Canada about 100 miles from the US border at Harve, Montana, and 190 miles southeast of Calgary. For those who are interested, it is geologically located at 50 N latitude and 110 42 W longitude. The city encompasses an area of roughly 45 square miles and is 2,365 feet above sea level.

The Legend

 But that’s enough statistics for now. Let’s tackle the burning question: Medicine Hat? Where did that come from? Well, like many place names, it came from Indian, or First Nation, history. The name Medicine Hat derives from the native word “saamis”, or medicine man’s hat. Here’s the legend as told on the city’s website:

The legend tells of a winter of great famine and hardship for the Blackfoot nation. The elders of the Council chose a young man to save his tribe from starvation. Setting out with his new wife and favourite wolf dog, he journeyed down the ice-bound South Saskatchewan River. After many arduous days they made their way to the “breathing hole”, an opening in the ice, located on the river between what is now Police point and Strathcona Park in Medicine Hat. This location was a sacred place to the First Nations’ people: a place where the water spirits came to breathe.

They made camp and summoned the spirits to appear. A giant serpent rose from the misty waters and demanded the sacrifice of the woman in exchange for a “Saamis” or “holy bonnet” which would endow the owner with special powers and great hunting prowess. The young man tried to trick the serpent by throwing the body of his dog into the river but the serpent was not fooled, and finally reluctantly, the woman was thrown into the frigid waters.

The man was told to spend the night on the small island (Strathcona) and “in the morning when the sun lights the cut-banks, go to the base of the great cliffs and there you will find your Medicine Hat”. And so aided by the magic of his Saamis, the young hunter located the much needed game, saved his people, and eventually became a great Medicine Man.

A City Is Born

Like many cities of the North American West, Medicine Hat was influenced by and has a history tied to the railroad. When the Canadian Pacific Railway came through the area, the builders had to stop to build a bridge across the South Saskatchewan River, and that’s when it all began. This was in 1883. Eventually the Northwest Mounted Police arrived to maintain law and order among the railroad and First Nations. Finally, in 1905, Alberta was incorporated as a province, and in 1906 Medicine Hat was incorporated as the new province’s largest city. The Railway’s mainline still goes through the city.

When the railroad first arrived in the area, a happy accident happened which still resonates. In fact, one of the city’s nicknames comes from it—The Gas City (other nicknames are "Canada's sunniest city" and "Oasis of the Prairies"). While drilling for water, the crew discovered a major natural gas deposit, found to be one of the largest in North America. The city leaders decided, in 1903, to form a city-owned utility to provide gas to all residents. This utility still exists today.

Speaking of city government, the leaders consist of a mayor (currently Dr. Keith Clugston), and eight aldermen, or council members. The mayor is also a council member, for a total of nine. Terms run for 3 years, and Mayor Clugston was elected in 2012. There are, of course, various committees within the council.

The People

 A city is only as good as the people who live there, and from what I’ve read, these are a young and vibrant people. According to the 2012 city census, the official population was 61,180 as of June 1st. Out of that, the largest age demographic is the 25 to 44 year old group, with 27 percent of the population, or 16, 681 people, with men in the slight majority. Overall, however, there are more women than men  in Medicine Hat, at 50.4 percent of the population. And it doesn’t cost much to live there. The city has one of the lowest property tax rates in Alberta, thanks in great part to the city gas utility.

What To Do

 According to the census, Medicine Hat has a great quality of life, in part to do the social life of the city. The Esplanade Arts and Heritage Center hosts all manner of concerts and shows. There are 618 acres of parks, and 57 miles of hiking/running/bike trails. The city was also on the Torch Relay for the Vancouver Winter Olympics. The torch passed through town on Saturday, January 16th, 2010. And that is not the only Olympics related event in Medicine Hat. In honor of the 1988 Calgary games, the city built the world's largest teepee.

This is just a little taste of the city. Overall—having obviously never been there—this city seems very interesting and I am looking forward to visiting our cousins to the Northwest.