Cardston

Town in southwestern Alberta, Canada, on Lee Creek, near the St Mary River, 24 km/15 mi north of Port of Piegan, Montana, and 68 km/42 mi southwest of Lethbridge; population (1996 est) 3,400. Cardston is a trade centre for local ranches and farms; dairying, banking, cabinet making, and commercial printing are also important. There are a number of cooperatives here, including a sawmill and a cheese factory.

Charles Ora Card, US Mormon religious leader Brigham Young's son-in-law, led a band of Mormons here from Utah in 1887 and later built the first irrigation works on the St Mary. His log cabin is now a museum. Other features include the Mormon Temple (1923), which is the only such structure in Canada and is made out of marble, and the courthouse (1907), which has been made into a museum. The Blood Indian Reserve (population (1991 est) 4,000) is to the north.