Jim Butcher (American, B. 1944) "Alberta Farming" Signed and dated (1986) lower right. Original Mixed Media/Watercolor painting on Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting is the original painting which was published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the Canadian 17c Alberta stamp issued August 27, 1980. In 1857, John Palliser led a British survey party into Alberta. His conclusion was that this province was semi-desert, almost unfit for human habitation. But, in 1870, determined Canadians set out to prove how wrong a man could be. The Canadian Confederation bought three prairie provinces, including Alberta, from the Hudson Bay Company. This purchase multiplied Canada's land mass over six times. And, at only one-tenth of a cent per acre, it was one of the best real estate transactions in history. Alberta, Canada's western prairie province, bordered on the east by Saskatchewan and on the west by British Columbia, joined the Canadian Confederation in 1905. Since that time it has become a bulwark of prosperity. Initially, Alberta was an agricultural area where successful irrigation turned the and southern section into rich farm land. Today, cowboys and ranch houses still decorate the landscape, but they compete with oil refineries and mining operations that have brought sudden wealth to Alberta, Canada. The magnificent Rocky Mountains, unseen by Palliser in 1857, are Alberta's greatest resource. The rugged Rockies provide the geological foundation for the rich minerals buried beneath the ground, while supporting the timbered forests that support a thriving lumber business. John Palliser would be shocked to see the land he once labeled a semi-desert. And, as if to taunt him with his errant prophecy, Calgary, Alberta's fastest growing city, named her new urban center Palliser Square. Image Size: 17.5 x 14 in. Overall Size: 24.75 x 22 in. Unframed. (B06809)