View source for Exshaw

{{For|people named Exshaw|Exshaw (surname)}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
 | name                     = Exshaw
 | nickname                 = 
 | settlement_type          = Hamlet
 | motto                    = 
<!-- images and maps  ----------->
 | image_skyline            = Heart Mountain and the Cement Plant at Exshaw, Alberta.jpg
 | imagesize                = 200px
 | image_caption            = [[Heart Mountain (Alberta)|Heart Mountain]] and the Cement Plant at ''Exshaw''. Community is east (left) of the plant.
 | image_flag               = 
 | flag_size                = 
 | image_seal               = 
 | seal_size                = 
 | image_shield             = 
 | shield_size              = 
 | image_blank_emblem       = 
 | blank_emblem_type        = 
 | blank_emblem_size        = 
 | image_map                = 
 | mapsize                  = 
 | map_caption              = 
 | image_map1               = 
 | mapsize1                 = 
 | map_caption1             = 
 | image_dot_map            = 
 | dot_mapsize              = 
 | dot_map_caption          = 
 | dot_x                    = | dot_y                    = 
 | pushpin_map              = Alberta<!-- the name of a location map as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Location_map -->
 | pushpin_label_position   = none<!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
 | pushpin_map_caption      = Location of Exshaw in [[Alberta]]
 | pushpin_mapsize          = 200
<!-- Location ------------------>
 | subdivision_type         = Country
 | subdivision_name         = Canada
 | subdivision_type1        = [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Province]]
 | subdivision_name1        = [[Alberta]]
 | subdivision_type2        = [[List of regions of Alberta|Region]]
 | subdivision_name2        = [[Alberta's Rockies]]
 | subdivision_type3        = [[List of census divisions of Alberta|Census division]]
 | subdivision_name3        = [[Division No. 15, Alberta|15]]
 | subdivision_type4        = [[List of municipal districts in Alberta|Municipal district]]
 | subdivision_name4        = [[Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8|M.D. of Bighorn No. 8]]
<!-- Politics ----------------->
 | government_footnotes     = 
 | government_type          = [[Municipal incorporation|unincorporated]]
 | leader_title             = Governing body
 | leader_name              = [[Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8|M.D. of Bighorn No. 8]] Council
 | leader_title1            = 
 | leader_name1             = 
 | established_title        = <!-- Settled -->
 | established_date         = 
 | area_footnotes           =&nbsp;(2021)<ref name=2021census/>
 | area_land_km2            = 1.55
 | population_as_of         = 2021
 | population_footnotes     = <ref name=2021census/>
 | population_note          = 
 | population_total         = 449 <!-- 2021 StatCan census population only per [[WP:CANPOP]]; do not replace with latest municipal census population count; this municipal census population count can go in the population_blank1_title and population_blank1 parameters further below and can be noted in the article body (so long as it doesn't replace the 2021 StatCan census population in the body). -->
 | population_density_km2   = 289.3
 | population_blank1_title  = 
 | population_blank1        = 
 | timezone                 = [[Mountain Standard Time|MST]]
 | utc_offset               = −7
 | timezone1_DST            = MDT
 | utc_offset1_DST          = −6
 | coordinates              = {{coord|51.0617|-115.1628|region:CA-AB|display=inline,title}}
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->
 | postal_code_type         = <!-- enter ZIP code, Postcode, Post code, Postal code... -->
 | postal_code              = 
 | area_codes                = [[Area code 403|403]], [[Area codes 587 and 825|587, 825]]
 | website                  = 
 | footnotes                = 
}}

'''Exshaw''' is a [[Hamlet (place)|hamlet]] in [[Alberta]], Canada, within [[Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8|Municipal District (MD) of Bighorn No. 8]].<ref>{{AltaML}}</ref> Located approximately {{convert|90|km|mi}} west of downtown [[Calgary]] and {{convert|15|km|mi}} east of [[Canmore, Alberta|Canmore]], Exshaw is situated within the [[Bow River]] valley north of the [[Bow River]].

The hamlet was once located within Rocky Mountains Park later [[Banff National Park]], with the original park entrance being only a couple miles east of Exshaw.

== History ==
Sir [[Sanford Fleming]] named Exshaw after his son-in-law, [[E. William Exshaw]] (15 February 1866, [[Bordeaux]] – 16 March 1927; of Anglo-Irish descent; and [[Sailing at the 1900 Summer Olympics – 2 to 3 ton|sailing]] Olympic gold medalist at the Paris 1900 Summer Olympics), who with Fleming helped establish the Western Canada Cement and Coal Company. William Exshaw visited in 1908 when a banquet was held in his honour by the staff of WCC&C.

Robert D. Hassan, an American mechanical engineer, was hired in 1906 to build a mill in Exshaw, Alberta for the Western Canada Cement and Coal Company. He was assisted in building the plant by [[Alexander Graham Christie]]. In 1911, the plant was acquired by the [[Canada Cement Company]].

Although the original cement plant was further west, the community has had a large plant for many years.

In the 1970s, a portion of Exshaw was demolished – 47 homes, a church, and a school – to make way for expansion of the cement plant.<ref name=Lafarge>{{cite web | url=https://www.lafargeexshaw.ca/lafarge-exshaw-plant-history | title=Our History | publisher=Lafarge | accessdate=September 28, 2024}}</ref>

== Geography ==
East of Exshaw are smaller [[company town]] communities of Kananaskis (lime plant), which is not the [[Kananaskis, Alberta (community)|recreational area]] of the same name, and [[Seebe, Alberta|Seebe]] (power dam), which is now closed but proposed for future residential redevelopment. A small [[ranch]] area, now mainly [[dude ranch]]es, is also near the hamlet. Of note is the Brewster's Kananaskis Ranch & Golf Course, which sits on the original homestead property of Bud Brewster and has remained in the family's possession since the 1880s.

A number of smaller parks with camping facilities have also developed in the east [[Bow Valley]]. Directly across the Bow River south from Exshaw is the Hamlet of Lac des Arcs although no bridge connects the two hamlets.

A dam on the [[Bow River]] is east of Seebe.

The smaller Exshaw Mountain, {{convert|1783|m|ft|abbr=off}}, is north of the hamlet, and is locally known as [[Cougar]] Mountain. Across from the community south beyond Lac des Arcs is [[Heart Mountain (Alberta)|Heart Mountain]] is easier to scale. This mountain is sometimes used as a wedding venue because of the heart shape.

Exshaw Creek, locally known and identified on the [[Alberta Highway 1A|Highway 1A]] bridge as Canyon Creek, runs through the hamlet. In 1958, [[Alan McGugan]] et al., identified a new species of the [[pelecypod]] [[Megalodon (bivalve)|''Megalodon'']] in a river cliff of Exshaw Creek and gave the new [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]] ''M. banffensis'', for the proximity of the [[Banff, Alberta|Banff]] area.

The eastern portion of the hamlet is on the flood plain for Jura Creek. In 1937, P.S. Warren described outcrops on the banks of Jura Creek, naming these the [[Exshaw Formation]]. The Jura Creek valley is known to provide a good introduction to some Front Range geology, with the exposed formations including the Palliser ([[Devonian]]), Exshaw and Banff ([[Mississippian age|Mississippian]]). The naming of Jura Creek was from misidentified Jurassic fossils, which are actually [[Paleozoic]], not [[Jurassic]].

Grotto Creek, 3&nbsp;km west, has pictographs, including a possible "fluteplayer" [[Kokopelli]] image that may{{according to whom|date=May 2024}} be from the [[Flute Clan]] of the [[Hopi]] tradition.

The local area is known for wildlife, despite the industrial development. [[Duncan McGillivray|Duncan MacGillivray]], with explorer [[David Thompson (explorer)|David Thompson]] on his survey of the Canadian Rockies, first encountered a [[bighorn sheep]], near Exshaw, on 30 November 1800, which led to the specimens collected and subsequent scientific naming. Mount MacGillivray, to the west of Heart Mountain, is his namesake.

== Demographics ==
{{stack|{{Historical populations
| title       = Population history<br/>of Exshaw
| type        = Canada
| align       = left
| width       =
| shading     =
| percentages =
| state       = 
| footnote    = 
| source      = ''[[Statistics Canada]]''<br/><ref name=1951census>{{1951CDNcuipr}}</ref><ref name=1956census>{{1956CDNcuipr}}</ref><ref name=1961census>{{1961CDNcuipr}}</ref><ref name=1966census>{{1966CDNcuipr}}</ref><ref name=1971census>{{1971CDNcuipr}}</ref><ref name=1976census>{{1976CDNcuipr}}</ref><ref name=1981census>{{1981CDNcuipr}}</ref><ref name=1986census>{{1986CDNcuipr}}</ref><ref name=1991census>{{1991CDNcuipr}}</ref><ref name=1996census>{{1996CDNcdplr}}</ref><ref name=2001census>{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/census01/products/standard/popdwell/Table-CSD-D.cfm?PR=48 | title=Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada, Provinces and Territories, and Census Divisions, 2001 and 1996 Censuses – 100% Data (Alberta) | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | date=August 15, 2012 | accessdate=September 19, 2024}}</ref><ref name=2006census>{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/hlt/97-550/Index.cfm?TPL=P1C&Page=RETR&LANG=Eng&T=1302&SR=1&S=1&O=A&RPP=9999&PR=48&CMA=0 | title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2006 and 2001 censuses – 100% data (Alberta) | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | date=July 20, 2021 | accessdate=September 19, 2024}}</ref><ref name=2011census>{{cite web | url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table-Tableau.cfm?LANG=Eng&T=1302&PR=48&S=51&O=A&RPP=25 | title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2011 and 2006 censuses (Alberta) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=February 8, 2012 | access-date=September 19, 2024}}</ref><ref name=2016censusABdpls/><ref name=2021census/>
|1941|308
|1951|538
|1956|608
|1961|678
|1966|587
|1971|548
|1976|389
|1981|353
|1986|348
|1991|383
|1991{{abbr|A|adjusted}}|386
|[[Canada 1996 Census|1996]]|374
|[[Canada 2001 Census|2001]]|231
|[[Canada 2006 Census|2006]]|382
|[[Canada 2011 Census|2011]]|362
|[[Canada 2016 Census|2016]]|412
|[[Canada 2021 Census|2021]]|449
}}}}

In the [[2021 Canadian census|2021 Census of Population]] conducted by [[Statistics Canada]], Exshaw had a population of 449 living in 170 of its 185 total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|{{#expr:449-412}}|412|1}} from its 2016 population of 412. With a land area of {{cvt|1.55|km2}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|449|1.55|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.<ref name=2021census>{{cite web | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/cv.action?pid=9810001201 | title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada and designated places | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | date=February 9, 2022 | accessdate=February 10, 2022}}</ref>

As a designated place in the [[2016 Canadian census|2016 Census of Population]] conducted by Statistics Canada, Exshaw had a population of 412 living in 164 of its 178 total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|{{#expr:412-362}}|362|1}} from its 2011 population of 362. With a land area of {{convert|1.58|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|412|1.58|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2016.<ref name=2016censusABdpls>{{cite web | url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=1301&SR=1&S=45&O=A&RPP=9999&PR=48&CMA=0#tPopDwell | title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta) | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | date=February 8, 2017 | access-date=February 13, 2017}}</ref>

== Economy ==
The cement plant, now owned by [[Lafarge (company)|Lafarge]] North America, is the main industry in the community. The limestone is quarried on the mountain north of the plant.

A number of other plants and quarries are in the area east and west, such as [[Baymag]]'s [[magnesium oxide]] [[calcination]] plant, with technology that minimizes energy consumption,<ref name="bm1">{{cite news |url=https://www.baymag.com/about/ |title=About }}</ref> and [[Graymont Inc]]'s [[Lime (mineral)|lime]] and limestone products plant.

Baymag had its 40th anniversary in 2022; it had one year earlier reached a milestone of 150,000 metric [[tonne]]s per annum capacity.<ref name=bm1/>

== Administration ==
Exshaw is the largest hamlet in the M.D. of Bighorn No. 8, which also includes the hamlets of [[Benchlands, Alberta|Benchlands]], [[Dead Man's Flats, Alberta|Dead Man's Flats]], [[Harvie Heights, Alberta|Harvie Heights]] and [[Lac des Arcs, Alberta|Lac des Arcs]], as well as rural ranchland west of [[Cochrane, Alberta|Cochrane]]. The M.D. of Bighorn No. 8's [[List of municipal districts in Alberta#Office locations|municipal office]] is located in Exshaw.

== See also ==
*[[List of communities in Alberta]]
*[[List of designated places in Alberta]]
*[[List of hamlets in Alberta]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{Commons category|Exshaw, Alberta}}
{{Refbegin}}
* Alexander, Rob, and Dene Cooper. Exshaw: Heart of the Valley. Exshaw, Alta: Exshaw Historical Society Centennial Project, 2005. {{ISBN|1-55383-093-8}}
* https://web.archive.org/web/20100825162358/http://www.geo.ucalgary.ca/DIY/jura1.htm
* McGugan, A. (1960). "A New Species of the Pelecypod ''Megalodon'' from the Permo-Carboniferous of the Banff Area, Alberta". Journal of Paleontology 34 (1): 101–106.
{{Refend}}

{{Geographic location
 | Centre = Exshaw
 | North = [[Lake Minnewanka]]
 | Northeast = 
 | East = <small>[[Alberta Highway 1A|Highway 1A]]</small> [[Cochrane, Alberta|Cochrane]]
 | Southeast = <small>[[Trans-Canada Highway]]</small> [[Calgary, Alberta|Calgary]]
 | South = [[Kananaskis Country|Kananaskis Country (park)]]
 | Southwest = [[Spray River]]
 | West = [[Canmore, Alberta|Canmore]]
 | Northwest = [[Banff, Alberta|Banff]]
}}
{{Alberta|hamlets=yes}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8]]
[[Category:Hamlets in Alberta]]
[[Category:Designated places in Alberta]]
[[Category:Lime kilns in Canada]]