86 Our Advertisers Appreciate Your Business Better Farming | November/December 2023 Ready-made farms were created in the early 1900s by the Canadian Pacific Railway as a strategy to increase British immigration to the Prairies while also growing rail traffic across the country. The first group of 24 farms were built east of Calgary, in an area that is now known as Nightingale, Alta. As the Prairies were settled, this area, which is located in Palliser’s Triangle, was initially considered too dry for agriculture. The Canadian Pacific Railway believed that this could be solved through the development of irrigation districts. The irrigation project began in 1904 and drew water from the Bow River to a reservoir, where it was then delivered to farms through ditches. When much of the land in the irrigation district was purchased by investors who had no intention of settling the land, the Canadian Pacific Railway needed to find a way to increase rail traffic by growing the local population. This led to the creation of ready-made farms. The farms would come with a house, a barn and a well. The properties would be fenced, and 50 acres of land would be plowed and planted to allow settlers to move in with their first crop already in the ground. The Canadian Pacific Railway wanted these colonies distinguished from the other settlements in the Prairies at the time. They were reserved for British immigrants, preferably those that were married, had previous farming experience and reasonable means. The farms required a 250 pound down payment. In 1910, the first group of settlers travelled from England to Nightingale to their new ready-made farms. This was the first attempt at this type of settlement, starting with 24 residences, which paved the way for nearly 500 more. When the group arrived, they found that the farms did not live up to the grand promises made by Canadian Pacific Railway. The company had hired contractors to put together cheap standardized houses and barns. This was initially with the goal of creating cohesive neighbourhoods with a particular aesthetic. The settlers discovered that many houses were unfinished on arrival, and those that were finished were described as flimsy and box-like. In addition to the disappointment related to the houses, 1910 was a poor year for farmers in the region. The requirement of “previous farm experience” was loosely followed, with some settlers having careers as engineers, innkeepers or civil servants, leaving some of the settlers without the experience to cope with the challenges of farming. The irrigation ditches were unfinished, and drought and hailstorms destroyed the crops growing on the farms. When winter arrived in the Canadian Prairies, the British settlers were unprepared for the cold. Many of the British families who immigrated for the purpose of taking over ready-made farms sold their property and moved when they became discouraged by irrigation farming. By 1914, Canadian Pacific Railway had largely discontinued their ready-made farm program. The farms left vacant by British settlers were taken up by other farmers, mostly Canadians and Americans, who were more prepared to deal with the Prairie conditions. The communities built by ready-made farms still hold a legacy in regions of Alberta, including Irricana, Acme, Crossfield and surrounding areas. BF RURAL ROOTS Glenbow Library and Archives Collection, Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary REMEMBERING READY-MADE FARMS A somewhat unsuccessful experiment to increase settlement of irrigated ground. By Emily Croft
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