Hays, Alberta

History

The area was devoted to short-grass prairie ranching during the late 1800s and early 1900s. As early as 1912, a canal and irrigation works were constructed to deliver water to the area from the Bow River at Carseland, but no land was irrigated there until 1952 after PFRA (Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration), an agency of the Canada Department of Agriculture, purchased the assets of the Canada Land and Irrigation Company in 1950 for $2.25 million. It began a five-year construction program to renovate and expand the existing irrigation and water delivery works, and re-settle farmers to the area. The area was administered by PFRA as part of the Bow River Irrigation Project until 1974 when the irrigation works, its operation and maintenance were taken over by the formation of the Bow River Irrigation District. Currently about 33000 acre are irrigated in the vicinity of Hays. A unique feature of the landscape is the allotment of land by irregular shaped parcels, rather than regular shaped quarter sections. This was a design feature by PFRA engineers to minimize development costs, and to integrate surface drainage with water delivery to the irrigated parcels. This feature somewhat restricted the later development of these parcels for sprinkler irrigation.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Hays had a population of 196 living in 79 of its 81 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 150. With a land area of 1.51 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

As a designated place in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Hays had a population of 150 living in 68 of its 76 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 115. With a land area of 1.54 km2, it had a population density of in 2016.

The Municipal District of Taber's 2016 municipal census counted a population of 163 in Hays, a change from the hamlet's 2013 municipal census population of 163.

References

References

1. {{AltaML
2. Between the Forks, Hays 1952-2002. Hays 50th Book Committee. 2002. Warwick Printing Co.Ltd., Lethbridge, Alberta. p.198
3. Hays 25th Book Committee. (1977). "From Sod to Silver". The Herald Printers.
4. Bow River Irrigation District, Vauxhall, AB. 2009.
5. (February 9, 2022). "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and designated places". [[Statistics Canada]].
6. (February 8, 2017). "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta)". [[Statistics Canada]].
7. "About Us: Population & Statistics". Municipal District of Taber.
8. (October 2017). "MD Connection (newsletter): Fountain of Youth?". Municipal District of Taber.