Alberta Estonian Settlements
The following statistics are documented population totals in Alberta's Estonian communities in a given year. Much of the statistical data presented below is gleaned from "Estonians in Alberta" by Howard and Tamara Palmer in Peoples of Alberta: Portraits of Cultural Diversity.
Sylvan Lake1899 - Kingseps settle near Sylvan Lake.
1900-1901 - The arrival of Kristjan Kingsep's family along with the Piht and Kask families bringing the total number of Estonians living in the area to 16.
1902 - Kingseps and other Estonian families moved to Medicine Valley.
1904 - 22 Estonian families living in Sylvan Lake (exact numbers are unavailable).
1920 - Nearly 200 Estonians living in Medicine Valley.
Stettler1903 - Estonians settlers located land in Stettler area.
1905 - 60 Estonians living near Stettler.
Barons1904 - Estonians from Crimea, via South Dakota, settled in the Barons area.
1908 - 26 families living near Barons (exact numbers are unavailable).
Alberta1918 - Approximately 500 Estonians living in Alberta.
1918 - 1941 - Approximately 50 Estonians immigrated to Alberta.
Post Second World WarDuring the late 1940s and throughout much of the 1950s, approximately 400 Estonians immigrated to Alberta. Generally, they settled in either Calgary or Edmonton.
1951 - The Government of Canada Census states that there are 819 people of Estonian ethnic origin living in Alberta.
1961 - The Government of Canada Census states that there are 1,115 people of Estonian ethnic origin living in Alberta.
1996 - The Government of Canada Census states that there are 1,735 people of Estonian ethnic origin living in Alberta.
2006 - The Government of Canada Census states that there are 2,160 people of Estonian ethnic origin living in Alberta. Of the 2,160, 360 responded that both parents are of Estonian ethnicity. The remaining 1800 identified multiple ethnic origins, including Estonian, reflecting the assimilation of Alberta's Estonian population.
Medicine Valley:
1899: First Estonian settlers arrive at Sylvan Lake
1902: Estonians settle at Medicine Valley
1916: 160 Estonian settlers farm 10,000 acres of land
1920s and 30s: 46 new Estonian settlers arrive in Medicine Valley
1948-1954: 58 Estonian immigrants arrive
1965: 74 Estonians living in Medicine Valley area
1990s: Approximately 10 Estonian families living in Medicine Valley
Other Estonian settlements in Alberta:
Sylvan Lake: 61 Estonians settled by 1903
Stettler: 171 Estonians settled by 1910
Big Valley: 15 Estonian families living here in 1905
Barons: 77 Estonians settled by 1908
Foremost: 9 Estonian homesteads started by 1912
Walsh: 12 Estonian families living here in 1907
Peace River: 30 Estonians living here by the 1920s
