Picture Butte

Name

In 2010, Ernest and Austin Mardon stated that "the name is descriptive, being a translation of the Blackfoot 'the beautiful hill.'"

History

Picture Butte received its name from a prominence southeast of town. By 1947, however, the prominence's soil had been reworked and used for street improvements, highway construction and a dyke on the shore of the Picture Butte Lake Reservoir. The prominence no longer exists.

Homesteading in the area began in the early 20th century. The building of the Lethbridge Northern Irrigation System in 1923 and the CPR rail line in 1925 stimulated an influx of settlers. The first post office opened in 1925.

In 1943, Picture Butte became a village, and it attained town status in 1961 with a population of 978.

The Canadian Sugar Factory closed in 1978 and resulted in the loss of tax revenues and employment opportunities to the town. Industrial activity consists of small service, warehousing and wholesaling industries.

The town annexed approximately 165 acre in 1991, significantly changing the town's boundary since the general municipal plan of 1980.

A number of farms and properties in the Picture Butte area have changed and adapted over time; for example, in 2016, the Natural Resources Conservation Board approved Scholten Farms' request to convert swine feeders to cattle feeders.

Demographics

|1946 |689 |1951 |865 |1971 |1,062 |1976 |1,177 |1981 |1,393 |1986 |1,576 |1991 |1,559 |1996 |1,669 |2001 |1,701 |2006 |1,592 |2011 |1,650 |2016 |1,810 In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Picture Butte had a population of 1,930 living in 689 of its 729 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 1,810. With a land area of 3.02 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Picture Butte recorded a population of 1,810 living in 672 of its 706 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 1,650. With a land area of 2.85 km2, it had a population density of in 2016.

Attractions

As of 2023, Picture Butte has an art gallery, three schools, three churches, a sports complex, a community league, a museum and a historical village.

Governance

List of mayors of Picture Butte

• John Maurice Gibbons
• Heber Jones
• Harry Watson
• Sydney P. Johnson
• Wilfrid Hague
• Victor Edward (Ted) Crapnell
• Morgan W. Heninger
• Rick Casson
• Bert Foord
• Alex Chronik
• Elton Anderson
• Jon Stevens
• Terry Kerkhoff
• Wendy Jones
• Cathy Moore

Current municipal council

The current Picture Butte town council was elected on October 18, 2021 in the 2021 Alberta municipal elections. As of 2023, the Mayor of Cathy Moore and councilors include Henry deKok, Teresa Feist, Cynthia Papworth and Crystal Neels.

Gallery

| File:Baseball Game at Picture Butte School (6232132206).jpg |Baseball game at Picture Butte School|Picture Butte Alberta Grain Elevator (24836364381).jpg| alt2= |Picture Butte grain elevator| File:Mrs. Teodor Fedaj feeding turkeys at Picture Butte (22047610312).jpg |Chicken farm in Picture Butte | File:Feedlot at Picture Butte (3390339729).jpg | Cattle feedlot in picture butte

Notable people

• Alex Brown Johnston, politician
• Rick Casson, politician

References

References

1. {{AMOS
2. (October 7, 2016). "Location and History Profile: Town of Picture Butte". [[Alberta Municipal Affairs]].
3. (February 9, 2022). "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and population centres". [[Statistics Canada]].
4. (January 2012). "Alberta Private Sewage Systems 2009 Standard of Practice Handbook: Appendix A.3 Alberta Design Data (A.3.A. Alberta Climate Design Data by Town)". Safety Codes Council.
5. Mardon, Ernest G.. (2010). "Community names of Alberta". Golden Meteorite Press.
6. Coyote Flats Historical Society. (1967). "Coyote Flats : historical review, 1905-1965. Volume 1". Southern Printing.
7. (March 2004). "Town of Picture Butte Municipal Development Plan". Oldman River Regional Services Commission.
8. (December 13, 2016). "Confined Feeding Operations". The Sunny South News.
9. (February 9, 2022). "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities)". [[Statistics Canada]].
10. (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]].
11. Buzz. (2013-05-23). "ROAD TRIP: What Is There To Do In Picture Butte?".
12. "Council Members". Town of Picture Butte.
13. "Council Members". Town of Picture Butte.