Beiseker

History

Lying in a belt of rich black soil, Beiseker was developed as an agricultural service centre. It was founded by the Calgary Colonization Company, whose purpose was to promote settlement by demonstrating the grain-growing potential of the area. The village's name came from Thomas Lincoln Beiseker (1866-1941), a partner and vice president of the company. Initial colonization took place in 1908 when the company recruited a number of ethnic German settlers from the Great Plains of the Dakotas. This is reflected in the number of German family names which predominate the area.

The village began to grow in 1910 when the branch line of the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed. In 1910, the first general store was opened in a large two-story building which housed the school and dance hall. The Grand Trunk Pacific line - now owned by Canadian National Railway - was constructed in 1912 to the east of the central business district. Telephone arrived in 1912 and electricity in 1928. With the construction and intersection of Highways 9, 72 and 806 at the northeast edge of the village, Beiseker came to have a very favourable location in terms of road and rail access. Since it is located almost equidistant from Calgary and Drumheller, Beiseker began to emerge as a local service and trade centre for the surrounding rural agricultural area. Village status was achieved in 1921.

Beiseker-area farmers, including Jerry Leiske and Larry Hixt, repeatedly won prestigious 'Wheat King' titles at international events, including the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto. This recognition led to Beiseker becoming called the "World Wheat King Capital", or as a top producing area of wheat.

Infrastructure

Beiseker Community School is located in the village, and was first opened in 1914. It is part of the Rocky View Schools system, and teaches from kindergarten to grade 12.

The village is also home to Baptist, Catholic and Anglican congregations. As Beiseker is at the intersection of three provincial highways, and hosts a campground and motel, it is a popular stop for campers and other travelers coming to and from Saskatoon and Drumheller. There is also a small airport which serves the community, located a five kilometres east of town along Alberta Highway 9.

Economy

Beiseker currently serves as a centre for local agricultural services including fertilizer, seed cleaning, and soil testing. There is a local UFA outlet, and a Canadian Malting Co. grain elevator serving farmers in the area. Local industries serve the oilpatch, and there are many sites extracting natural gas in the immediate area surrounding Beiseker, as well as several major pipelines.

Beiseker also has a number of small businesses on its main street (6 Street) offering a variety of services, including a local credit union, grocery store, pharmacist and hair dressers, as well as several small restaurants.

The Canadian office of Lampson International, a large international company specializing in construction cranes, is based in Beiseker.

Notable people

William Samuel McGee (born 1868, Lindsay, Ontario - d 1940, Beiseker) lived for several years on a farm with his wife and daughter just outside Beiseker and is buried in the area. His name was to be the inspiration for the poem The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert W. Service.

Arts and culture

Several locations in and around Beiseker were featured in the filming of Ang Lee's Academy Award-winning film Brokeback Mountain, including the site of the 'Twist Ranch' that figures importantly in the penultimate scene of the film.

In 2016, Beiseker was selected as a filming location for the third season of FX Network's show Fargo, as well as an episode of TBS's series The Detour. In 2018, Beiseker hosted the production for the Netflix series Black Summer. In 2019, Beiseker hosted on-location shooting for Ghostbusters: Afterlife. In 2023, Beiseker hosted productions of Wind River: The Next Chapter as well as the fifth season of the Fargo TV series.

The Beiseker Station Museum, which showcases local history and artifacts dating from the village's founding in the early 1900s, is located in the former Canadian Pacific Railway station and village offices.

The village also hosts an annual festival, the Beiseker Country Fair, on the second Saturday in June. The festival, known for many years as Beiseker Sports Day, has been held since 1912.

Mascot

In the early 1990s, the Village of Beiseker began promoting itself with the mascot, "Squirt the Skunk", which included promotional items such as pins and postcards. A "Squirt the Skunk" statue, 13 ft in height, was first erected in the municipal campground near Highway 72, but later moved to Centennial Park near the village's Main Street. A "Squirt the Skunk" costume was also made, so the mascot may appear at village events.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Village of Beiseker had a population of 754 living in 314 of its 333 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 819. With a land area of 2.85 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Village of Beiseker recorded a population of 819 living in 331 of its 338 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 785. With a land area of 2.85 km2, it had a population density of in 2016.

References

References

1. {{AMOS. iso
2. (October 14, 2016). "Location and History Profile: Village of Beiseker". [[Alberta Municipal Affairs]].
4. (30 June 2017). "Beiseker, Alberta, Canada".
5. Jennings, A. Owen. (1911). "Merchants and manufacturers record of Calgary". Jennings Publishing Company.
6. "Canadian Colonization Association".
7. Read, Tracy. (1983). "Acres and Empires : a history of the Municipal District of Rocky View no. 44".
8. Schissel, Wendy. (1977). "Beiseker's Golden Heritage". Beiseker Historical Society.
9. [http://www.rockyview.ab.ca/beiseker/ Beiseker Community School web site] {{webarchive. link. (June 21, 2008)
10. (July 2017)
11. (July 18, 2019). "Notification of Filming in Beiseker, Alberta". Village of Beiseker.
12. (April 17, 2023). "Filming for crime thriller near Airdrie has begun". Discover Airdrie.
13. (February 27, 2023). "Popular series filming close to Airdrie". Discover Airdrie.
14. (June 21, 2012). "Beiseker Station Museum". Village of Beiseker.
15. "BEISEKER LION'S COUNTRY FAIR IS BACK!". Village of Beiseker.
16. (December 16, 2025). "Beiseker’s Squirt finds new home". Discover Airdrie.
17. "Our Mascot – Squirt | Village of Beiseker".
18. (February 9, 2022). "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities)". [[Statistics Canada]].
19. (February 8, 2017). "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta)". [[Statistics Canada]].