Medicine Hat

Medicine Hat

Medicine Hat, city, southeastern Alberta, Canada. It lies along the South Saskatchewan River, 164 miles (264 km) southeast of Calgary, and is strategically located on both the Trans-Canada Highway and the transcontinental line of Via Rail Canada. It originated as a settlement around a North West Mounted Police post (1882) and a railroad construction camp (1883). The site, according to one legend, marks the spot in the river where a Cree medicine man lost his hat (saamis) after deserting his tribe and fleeing from Blackfoot warriors. Medicine Hat’s rich natural gas and clay deposits caused it to become a major centre for the manufacture of bricks, tiles, chinaware, and glass. Although these industries are less important today, the city still has a diversified industrial base. It is also the service centre for an extensive agricultural region, noted for ranching and the cultivation of wheat. The city’s best-known attractions are the Saamis Archaeological Site, a prehistoric buffalo camp and meat-processing site, and the historical Medalta Stoneware factory. The Cypress Hills, an area of considerable natural and historical interest, is located nearby. Inc. town, 1898; city, 1906. Pop. (2006) 56,997; (2011) 60,005.