Kirkcaldy, Alberta

Etymology

According to the Government of Alberta, it is likely that Kirkcaldy was named after the Scottish town of Kirkcaldy. The settlement was founded in 1911 when the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) established a stop. At the time, a significant number of Scots worked for the CPR, and they commonly bestowed Scottish names upon new outposts in Canada.

History

Kirkcaldy was founded in 1911 when the Canadian Pacific Railway established a stop in the area.

On January 15, 1915, Wallace E. McKenzie opened a general store that also contained a post office, serving as both postmaster and store owner. The presence of a railroad allowed for mail to be received in, and directly delivered from, Calgary. One notable postmaster in the years that followed was Lorena Mallory, wife of Grant Mallory, who ran the operation between December 1920 and July 1924. The operation closed in February 1970.

Military presence during the Second World War

During the Second World War, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) participated in the British Commonwealth Air Training project to train military aircrew. In 1942, the RCAF established RCAF Station Vulcan, which was geographically closer to Kirkcaldy than the town of Vulcan.

After the war ended in 1945, the site remained in use by the RCAF as a depot for cutting military aircraft down to scrap until the late 1950s. It briefly operated as an airport but lay mostly abandoned until 2011, when it was reopened as the Vulcan/Kirkcaldy Aerodrome.

Connection to the Ware family

Two daughters of pioneering ranchers Mildred and John Ware, Mildred Jr. and Janet Amanda "Nettie," moved to Kirkcaldy in 1921 to run a farm with their grandmother and uncle. They stayed in Kirkcaldy until relocating to Vulcan in 1960, though the sisters remained involved in Kirkcaldy's social events for the rest of their lives.

The sisters maintained a long friendship with Don Mallory, Kirkcaldy resident and descendant of Lorena and Grant Mallory, who had operated the post office in the 1920s. Mallory was also an amateur historian, and the sisters entrusted their family archives to him. In the early 2000s, journalist Cheryl Foggo worked with Don to research the Ware family for her 2020 documentary, John Ware Reclaimed. Some of the documentary was filmed in Kirkcaldy.

Demographics

The Calgary Herald reported that Kirkcaldy had a population of 20 as of 1986. In 2007, as recorded by Vulcan County's municipal census in 2007, Kirkcaldy's population stood at 12. Vulcan County Council identified Kirkcaldy as containing 14 residential properties in 2017.

Governance

Kirkcaldy falls within the municipal district of Vulcan County.

Water

Prior to 2017, Kirkcaldy residents did not have access to the municipal water supply network. In April 2017, Vulcan County Council greenlit funding to connect a total of 14 properties to a water line running from Vulcan to Carmangay.

Connectivity

In July 2023, the Government of Alberta and Government of Canada announced joint funding to implement high-speed internet access for a selection of rural and remote communities, including Kirkcaldy.

Economy

Kirkcaldy's proximity to Vulcan, which flourished quickly into a town, hampered Kirkcaldy's commercial development early on in its existence. Aside from the combined store and post office, the longest-running businesses were several grain elevators and the railroad's section depot. Between 1911 and 1980, other businesses that operated in Kirkcaldy included a lumber yard, boarding house, pool room and dairy barn.

References

References

1. "Alberta Population Summary: Alberta's Hamlets Alphabetically, 2010". Alberta Population.
2. {{AltaML
3. Alberta, Geographical Names Program. "Kirkcaldy". [[Government of Alberta]].
4. Canadian Board on Geographical Names. (1928). "Place-names of Alberta". F. A. Acland, printer.
5. Speirs, Dale. (1 June 2016). "Kirkcaldy". Journal of Alberta Postal History.
6. Calder, Jenni. (2013-11-15). "Scots in Canada". Luath Press Ltd.
7. Bruce, Duncan A.. (2014-06-16). "Mark Of The Scots - Cl". Citadel Press.
8. (1 February 1915). "Monthly Supplement to Canadian Official Postal Guide". J. de L. Taché.
9. Canada, Library and Archives. (2016-11-25). "Kirkcaldy Archives / Post Offices and Postmasters".
10. Forsyth, Bruce. (2009). "Abandoned WWII training aerodrome reborn". Vulcan Advocate.
11. O'Malley, Dave. (10 August 2022). "The Ghosts of Southern Alberta". [[Vintage Wings of Canada]].
12. Dulewich, Jenna. (28 June 2014). "Support and opposition voice opinions over proposed motor sports facility at former air base west of Vulcan". Vulcan Advocate.
13. (1 February 2025). "Exploring Vulcan County Business & Community Profile". TNC Publishing Group.
14. Ducatel, Simon. (22 February 2012). "Remembering a legend". Vulcan Advocate.
15. Burke, Richard. (28 April 1980). "Profile: 'Fan' Nettie Ware treasures her famous father's memory". Calgary Herald.
16. Fanfair, Ron. (2020-03-30). "Cheryl Foggo documents the Black presence in Canada's West".
17. Lidell, Ken. (30 August 1967). "Ken Liddell's Column - Kirkcaldy". Calgary Herald.
18. (1 May 1987). "Mallory family of Kirkcaldy, Alberta.". Glenbow Library and Archives Collection.
19. Nicoll, Doreen. (2020-09-23). "'John Ware Reclaimed' is empowering and uplifting".
20. Tipper, Stephen. (2020-09-25). "New John Ware documentary debuts at Calgary International Film Festival". Vulcan Advocate.
21. Masterman, Bruce. (4 December 1986). "Train crash cleanup continues". [[Calgary Herald]].
22. Tipper, Stephen. "Kirkcaldy project water given the green light".
23. Morey, Lindsay. (13 July 2023). "Feds, province come together to provide $96 million for high-speed internet access in rural, remote Alberta". sherwoodparknews.
24. Shiels, Bob. (17 July 1980). "The store is run by a 'history nut'". [[Calgary Herald]].
25. (1958). "Aerial view of Kirkcaldy, Alberta.". Glenbow Library and Archives Collection.