The village of Alix was named after Mrs. Alexia Westhead, a pioneer rancher and the first woman settler of the district. The first settlers in the district were English speaking and filed homestead leases after their arrival in the early 1890's. The majority of settlers came from Eastern Canada to Lacombe by railway and travelled by oxen, team or foot to their destinations.  Their supplies had to be freighted from Lacombe, a distance of approximately 25 miles. The trip required 11/2 days to accomplish as transportation consisted of horse drawn wagons and buggies. Among these early pioneers were Edward and Walter Parlby, Joseph Todd, J.R. Mackie and F.R. Mitchell. The early settlers carried on for almost 14 years before the village was established. Joseph Todd, owned the land on which the village now stands and for a short while, the settlement was called Toddsville.

 

 

Brothers Edward and Walter Parlby are "remittance men" from England who have settled in the Beaver Lake District, near a lake to be named for them.  A neighbour of the Parlbys returned from a trip to England in 1896 with a family friend, Irene Marriott.  She and Walter fell in love and married the following year.

 

 

.

The Alix creamery added greatly to the districts economy. N.A. Larson established the creamery in 1916 and during the first year of operation the plant produced 60,000 pounds (27,220 kilograms) of butter. The plant experienced peak production in 1934 when over 2,000,000 pounds (90,7200 kilograms) of butter were produced. The creamery was advertised at international exhibitions, where it won many prizes for its butter.

 

"In the spring of 1896 a young English woman named Irene Marryat made a long journey to the frontier of western Canada. Touched by the sudden beauty of the west and its freedom, Irene would adopt this new country as her home."

 

 

With the completion of the branch line of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) from Lacombe to Coronation in 1905, a large number of new settlers arrived. Sir William Van Horne, then president of the CPR, changed the village name to Alix, after Alexia Westhead. The population steadily increased with the start of new businesses.  On June 3, 1907 Alix was incorporated as a village but did not administer its own affairs until 1916 when an election was held to elect a council. The history of Alix would not be complete without the mention of Irene Parlby, who became a member of the Famous 5. The first woman cabinet minister in the British Empire, and she represented the Lacombe constituency under the United Farmers of Alberta government; her home was Dartmoor Ranch, near Alix. 

WWII AND AFTER