Redwater

Redwater is a small town north of Edmonton about 52 km along highway 38, in the Sturgeon County area.  It has a population of just over 2000 people.  Federally, Redwater citizens vote in the Westlock-St Paul riding, while in provincial elections they vote in the Athabasca-Redwater riding.

In and around 1900 is when the area was first occupied by immigrants coming from the Ukraine generally, followed by people from England and France.  Redwater originated as the name of the city due to the close by Redwater River. 
 

According to the history books, the first settlement in the area was founded on September 7, 1906.  In 1919, it was moved to it’s current and present day location, and at this time it registered as a hamlet.  It was registered as a village in 1949 and a town in 1950.

In the beginning, the town was principally a farming community mainly because it was considered to be some of the best farmland in Alberta.  As with many areas of Alberta, the discovery of oil in 1948 transformed Redwater from a quiet little hamlet with a population of around 160 into a booming community with a population of about 4000 at it’s height in the 1950’s.  Since then, the population has settled to around 2000 citizens.

It is also known as the town where Todd Fedoruk of the Phoenix Coyotes grew up and learned how to play hockey.

The town is surrounded by some of the best farming land and soil in the entire province.  The Sturgeon river is just south east of town, and it joins with the North Saskatchewan nearby.  East of Redwater there is areas known as the sand hills, which provide for some of the thriving industries in the town.

To learn more about the town of Redwater visit their website at http://www.town.redwater.ab.ca/.