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Taber was settled by homesteaders in the late 1890's and initially was a coal-mining town. Coal was mined in Taber and shipped to Medicine Hat, first on the Oldman River steamers and, later by narrow gauge railway. Mining declined dramatically in the late 1920's, however, the extensive development of irrigation in Southern Alberta led to a major recovery in the early 1930's.
Irrigation brought with it the production of sugar beets and by 1950, a sugar beet processing plant had been built. Roger's Sugar Ltd. (formerly, the Alberta Sugar Company) operates the only sugar factory in Alberta and it is the largest employer in Taber. The sugar factory is a landmark which can be seen clearly from Highways #3 and #36.
There are many stories of how the town received the name ‘Taber’, but the one usually accepted is that it was named for Mt. Tabor in Palestine. However, the story is told that in 1903, with the arrival of the first Mormon settlers from the U.S.A. They established a hamlet at what was known then as Tank No. 77 on the Medicine Hat-Lethbridge Railway.
Later, with the establishment of a post office, it was decided by the Canadian Pacific Railroad to name the station Tabor. The station's letterhead and various forms came through printed Taber. When the settlement was incorporated in 1907, the name was changed to Taber, making the name of the town and the post office uniform with the records of the CPR.
In 2005, Taber was one of five communities that celebrated its Centennial birthday concurrent with that of the Province.
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