St. Isidore, Alberta

St. Isidore is a small francophone farming community in northern Alberta and the hometown of my father-in-law. His family, searching for a better life, moved their large family from Québec to St. Isidore in 1958. What they encountered on their arrival was far from what they expected. There were no cleared fields, no house to move into, no running water or sewage and no telephone. It was a difficult adjustment but with a lot of hard work they made their way. 

Today the town of St. Isidore is surrounded by fields of barley, rapeseed and hay and by apiaries and dairy farms. The town itself consists of a small Catholic Church, fire hall, convenience store, neighbourhood of houses and a park. The gem of the town is the Cultural Centre, a large building with a red roof. The Cultural Centre has been recently renovated and has impressive catering facilities, a gym, library, museum and weaving room. It is well worth taking a moment to visit the museum and the weaving room where you can purchase hand woven blankets, place mats, table covers and hand towels. There is also a paved trail that loops around the Cultural Centre and the play park.

Because St. Isidore is so far north summer days are extremely long. Darkness does not descend until after eleven o’clock at night and creeps back around five in the morning. The days are warm but the nights are quite cool. We all appreciated our warm blankets and pyjamas as we snuggled close to each other throughout the night. North Alberta might not be listed on the top places to visit in Canada but it certainly has its charm.