Medicine Hat is a city of about 50,000 people located in the south-eastern part of the province of Alberta, Canada on the Trans-Canada Highway Number 1 and on the South Saskatchewan River. Nearby towns considered part of the Medicine Hat area include Dunmore , Seven Persons, Redcliff, and Irvine. Its major claim to fame is Rudyard Kipling's famous line "all hell for a basement" referring to the vast reserves of natural gas beneath it.

Origin of name

The name "Medicine Hat" has its origins from Aboriginal legends about a battle long ago between the Blackfoot and the Cree Indian tribes in which a retreating "medicine man" (shaman) lost his headdress in the South Saskatchewan River.

Tourist Attractions

Just south of the Trans-Canada Highway and overlooking the Blackfoot buffalo jump, is the world's tallest teepee known officially as the "Saamis Teepee ". Designed for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary as a symbol of Canada's native heritage, it was moved to Medicine Hat in 1991. It stands over 20 stories high and was designed to withstand extreme temperatures and winds up to 240 km/h (150 mph).

Parks

• Police Point Park was an early North West Mounted Police outpost and the park is now a nature-lovers' dream with shale paths next to the South Saskatchewan River.
• Strathcona Island Park
• Kin Coulee Park
• Echodale Park is a 650 acre park that includes a man-made swimming lake and boating lake.

Post Secondary

The first students were accepted to The Medicine Hat College in 1965. Now with over 2,500 students and 2 campuses, the college has grown into an integral part of the community.

Military

Canadian Forces Base Suffield

CFB Suffield is located 50 km west of the City. It is estimated that the base contributes $120 million annually to the local economy.

The South Alberta Light Horse

Medicine Hat is home to The South Alberta Light Horse (SALH), an army reserve unit. The SALH is one of Alberta’s oldest and most prestigious army reserve units. The SALH dates back to 1885 when it took part in the North-West rebellion. Since then it has gained battle honours in the First and Second World Wars and today its members continue to serve overseas on UN and NATO missions.

Politics

Medicine Hat has recently seen a number of divisive political issues.

New Arena

A committee has been formed under the direction of City Council. The committee will report back to Council in the first half of 2005 to report on the feasibility of a new arena and potential locations.

Adult Business Bylaw

The Adult Business bylaw places restrictions on pornography sales. Advocates for the rights of pornography businesses, led by Jim Ogston, suffered a defeat.

Esplanade

A new arts centre in downtown. Those for it argue Medicine Hat needs a new centre and locating it downtown helps revitalize the downtown core. Opponents argue the money could be better spent elsewhere (i.e. a new arena, more police) and that downtown is a poor location due to restricted parking.

The Esplanade is set to open in the Fall of 2005.

Famous Medicine Hatters

• Terri Clark - Country Singer
• Kalan Porter - Canadian Idol
• Trevor Linden - Hockey Player
• Murray Craven - Hockey Player
• Chris Osgood - Hockey Player
• Richard Edward Taylor - Co-recipient of the 1990 Nobel Prize for Physics