Medicine Hat
From World travel guide
Medicine Hat is in Alberta.
It's also known as the Gas City thanks to its vast reserves of natural gas. Rudyard Kipling famously described it as "the city with all hell for a basement".
The name comes from the word Saamis, which is a native word that means Medicine Man's Hat. According to the 1983 centennial song "Hats Off to 100 Years!":
- In eighteen-eighty-three, the Blackfoot fought the Cree
- in a battle raging on near the South Saskatchewan.
- In a ritual of defeat, the Medicine Man fell to the ground
- and laid his feathered headdress down as a legend for our town.
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Get in
You'll probably arrive in Medicine Hat on the TransCanada Highway (the #1), which is the principal highway crossing Canada. If you're travelling across Canada by car, you're almost certain to pass through this city. Alternatively, you can fly into the city from Calgary. Given the time that it takes to transfer within the airport, check in luggage and board (plus the inevitable delays that often accompany small planes), voyagers almost always better off going by car, bus or shuttle.
Get around
Medicine Hat buses run regularly 6:45am to 10:30 pm Monday through Friday, 10:45am to 10:45pm Saturday. It is important to note that you need to telephone Transit Dispatch (529-8214) in order to schedule a pick-up after peak hours (6:45pm). They will ask for your name and telephone number, and tell you what time your bus will pass by your stop. All passengers must wear shirts and shoes.
Transit does not provide any service on Sundays and Holidays.
There are a lot of pickup trucks, but there's nothing wrong with that.
See
The Medicine Hat Tourism office can be reached at 800-481-2822.
- Like many smaller prairie towns, Medicine Hat has a "largest" something. The World's Largest Teepee was originally constructed for the 1988 Winter Olympic games in Calgary. The city has added original First Nations artwork to the interior panels. There is a small interpretive centre and gift shop attached.
- Downtown Medicine Hat is lit with 277 old-fashioned gas lights that burn around the clock.
- Saint Patrick's Church is one of the largest continuously-poured concrete structures in the world, and a Heritage Site. It's a good example of "Gothic Revival" architecture
- The city is currently building a multi-million dollar arts and heritage center called The Esplanade, which will house the municipal museum, an art gallery, and a state-of-the-art performance space for touring and local productions, concerts, etc.
- *Medicine Hat Clay Industries National Historic District; 713 Medalta Avenue SE; 529–1070, Fax: 580–5868, e-mail:info@medalta.org. May 14 Through September 5, 2005 9:30 To 5:00, daily. A rich abundance of fine clay made Medicine Hat a center for industrial cermaics. Most of the businesses are gone but the area has been set aside as a historic district. The district features examples of over 20,000 pieces of ceramic and pottery as well as a guided tour of the facilities and watching resident artists at work. Adults $6.00, Seniors 65 + $5.00, Youths 7 - 16 $5.00, Children 6 & under Free, Family Day Pass $25.00, 2005 Family Season Pass $45.00.
Do
- "Hatters" are proud supporters of their local WHL hockey team, the Medicine Hat Tigers. The games are fun and inexpensive. Girls who become regulars at the games are referred to as "Tiger Tails".
- There is a permanent pottery exhibition at the Clay Products Interpretive Centre, which houses the "Great Wall of China" (referring to the ceramic China, as opposed to the country). Medicine Hat was the home of both Medalta Pottery and Hycroft China, two of the most important industrial pottery factories in the early twentieth century.
- Downtown Walking Tour; Maps for a self-guided walking tour can be found at the Tourism Office. Free
Buy
Medicine Hat obviously isn't a large metropolis, and downtown Medicine Hat does not offer megastores with an excellent variety at excellent prices. However, if you'll put your big-city condescension away for a minute, you'll find it to be funky, hip and small-town sincere. Especially look for second hand stores, which have yet to be picked over.
Eat
Drink
Sleep
Get out
- Elkwater Provincial Park , Cypress Hills
- Echo Dale Regional Park; West of Medicine Hat; 527-7344; Site of restored 1887 house, a blacksmith shop and a coal mine.
- Dinosaur Provincial Park; 107 kilometers northwest of Medicine Hat on Trans-Canada Highway 1; 378-4342; Hiking and guided tours through fossil beds. The Park is designated as a World Heritage Site. Adults - $8, Children (7-17) - $6
