Famous and Infamous Albertans - F
The following are mini biographies of famous and infamous Albertans, and some just plain interesting ones.
If you have a mini biography you would like to add please email Annette Bame Peebles with the information.
FAIRFIELD, William William Fairfield came to Alberta from Wyoming in the early 1900's to farm. Until his arrival farmers in southern Alberta were unable to grow alfalfa, a significant problem for early farmers. Fairfield, who had been an agriculture professor at the University of Wyoming, arranged to have a bag of Wyoming dirt from an alfalfa field sent to him. This dirt was spread around his alfalfa field which produced a healthy alfalfa crop the following year. Soil from this field was used on other fields in the area. The Alberta Rail and Irrigation Company heard about Fairfield and hired him to set up an experimental station to improve irrigation techniques. This farm became the Agriculture Research Station at Lethbridge.
  • Source - Alberta History Along the Highway by Ted Stone
FIDLER, Peter Peter Fidler was born in 1769 in England and came to Canada in 1787 to work for the Hudson's Bay Company where he helped establish Buckingham House on the North Saskatchewan River. In November of 1792 he set out with some Piegans to explore the prairies. He was the first white person to take compass bearings on the Rocky Mountains. He discovered coal along the banks of the Red Deer River. In 1802 Fidler was sent to establish posts in the Athabasca and Peace countries. These posts were Nottingham House on Lake Athabasca and Mansfield House on the Peace River. Peter Fidler died in 1822.
  • Source - Heritage Hunter's Guide to Alberta Museums by Roberta Hursey
  • Source - Alberta History Along the Highway by Ted Stone

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