Redcliff

Redcliff, Alta, incorporated as a town in 1912, population 5588 (2011c), 5116 (2006c). The Town of Redcliff is located adjacent to Medicine Hat and named for the outcroppings of red shale occurring along the banks of the nearby South Saskatchewan River. Although a modest coal mine and brickworks existed in the area in the 1880s, the community really began in 1907 with the construction of the Redcliff Brick Company plant. In that year the townsite was surveyed, a water system was installed, and brick cottages and associated buildings were erected.

By 1912 the town referred to in early promotional materials as the "Smokeless Pittsburgh" had attracted more than 3000 people to work in the numerous industries lured by a plentiful supply of natural gas. At that time 3 major brick plants were operating, as well as the Dominion Glass Co, an ironworks and crayon, glove, shoe and truck manufacturing plants. The boom ended in 1915 when a tornado destroyed many of the plants, with the exception of Dominion Glass and Redcliff Brick.

The Dominion Glass plant shut down in 1989, but I-XL Industries Ltd continues to manufacture clay bricks at its original site. The town's major industry is now horticulture with over 30 greenhouse producers growing cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, trees and flowers.