# 550 - Centennial of Alberta

Today I will show you the coin that Royal Canadian Mint issued to commemorate the "Centennial of Alberta".

It is a 2005 $5 CAD weighting 25.2g (0.81oz) with 99.99% silver purity and Proof finish.

Alberta and Saskatchewan joined Confederation in 1905 - long after Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec had formed the Dominion of Canada in 1867.

Up until Confederation, the development of the West was largely driven by the fur trade and any land beyond Ontario belonged to the Hudson’s Bay Company, but all that was about to change.

The fur trade had begun its fatal downturn and the Hudson’s Bay Company sold its territories to the Government of Canada. What’s more, Canada had been feeling expansionist pressure from the United States and could now solidify its claim to the West by settling the land with wheat fields.

That was not an easy task. Still, immigrants flooded in and those that came were strong and fiercely independent people.

A mosaic of cultures began to cover the prairies and as communities grew, so did the need for provincial self-government. After more than 30 years of confident growth, two provinces were created within the North-West Territory - Alberta and Saskatchewan.

On the reverse of the coin we see some of the main products from Alberta: wheat, oil and cattle.

The obverse shows the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II designed by Susanna Blunt.

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