Whiskey Gap, Alberta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Whiskey Gap
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Unincorporated community
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 Whiskey Gap, Alberta
Location in Alberta
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| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Region | Southern Alberta |
| Census division | 3 |
| Municipal district | Cardston County |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Postal code span |
T0K 2P0
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| Area code(s) | +1-403 |
| Highways | Highway 501 |
| Waterways | Milk River |
Whiskey Gap, originally known as "Fareham", is a ghost town in Cardston County, Alberta, Canada. The former community is approximately 80 km (50 mi) south of the city of Lethbridge, 31.2 km (19.4 mi) southeast of the town of Cardston and 18.2 km (11.3 mi) west of Del Bonita on Highway 501.
History
Taken from the road side historical marker
In the 1860s and 1870s American traders crossed into what would become Alberta to trade goods and alcohol for buffalo robes and furs. One of the main routes for this trade, the Riplinger Road, crossed the border just west of Whiskey Gap.
During the Prohibition period in Alberta between 1916-1924 alcohol was smuggled through this area from the United States. Later it flowed in the opposite direction when the Americans declared Prohibition.
The local post office was named Fareham in 1918, and when the railway reached the area a community consisting of 3 grain elevators, a store, and other businesses and houses grew up around this post office. In 1929 the community was officially renamed Whiskey Gap. Although little remains of this once thriving community, its name reflects its long and colorful past and strategic location.
Geography
The town site is in a pass through the Milk River range of hills on a water shed between the Missouri and Saskatchewan River drainage system, which suggests the name "gap" at first glance.
Images for kids
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Whiskey Gap Storefronts now located in the community of Del Bonita, Alberta. Formally known as The Little Ghost Town on the Prairie Ltd. the buildings were used as antique store, bed & breakfast, cafe and ice-cream parlor for visitors crossing the Del Bonita Border Crossing.
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