Hays is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

southern Alberta Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. In 2004, the region's population was approximately 272,017.Municipal District of Taber The Municipal District of Taber is a municipal district (MD) in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located in Census Division 2. Geography Communities and localities The following urban municipalities are surrounded by the MD of Taber. ; ...

. It is located at the intersection of Highway 524 and Highway 875 between

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...

and Redcliff. The

Bow River The Bow River is a river in Alberta, Canada. It begins within the Canadian Rocky Mountains and winds through the Alberta foothills onto the prairies, where it meets the Oldman River, the two then forming the South Saskatchewan River. These w ...

is to the north of the hamlet and the

Oldman River The Oldman River is a river in southern Alberta, Canada. It flows roughly west to east from the Rocky Mountains, through the communities of Fort Macleod, Lethbridge, and on to Grassy Lake, where it joins the Bow River to form the South Saskatchew ...

is approximately to the south. These two rivers converge to form the

South Saskatchewan River The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada that flows through the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. For the first half of the 20th century, the South Saskatchewan would completely freeze over during winter, creating spectacular ...

approximately to the southeast. Hays is named after David Walker Hays (1878–1958), chief engineer and manager of the Canada Land and Irrigation Company from 1911 to 1951. Hays celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2002.

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 are irrigated in the vicinity of Hays.Bow River Irrigation District, Vauxhall, AB. 2009. 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 The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

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 , 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 , 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

{{Authority control Designated places in Alberta Hamlets in Alberta Municipal District of Taber

History

Demographics

See also

References