Darwell is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in
central Alberta
Central Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.
Central Alberta is the most densely populated rural area in the province. Agriculture and energy are important to the area's economy.
Geography
Central Alberta is bordered ...
in
Lac Ste. Anne County. It is located north of
Highway 16
Route 16, or Highway 16, can refer to:
International
* Asian Highway 16
* European route E16
* European route E016
Australia
- Thompsons Road (Victoria)
- South Australia
Canada
;Parts of the Trans-Canada Highway:
*Yellowhead Hi ...
, northwest of
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
.
History
Darwell is located on the old Yellowhead Trail fur trade route, which ran from Lac Ste Anne to Jasper. The
Canadian Northern Railway
The Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway. At its 1923 merger into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton.
Man ...
was built through Darwell, roughly following the Yellowhead Trail. A railway station opened in 1912. Darwell was the site of a consolidated school which opened in 1947 to serve students who previously attended eight one-roomed schools in the area. That school burned in 1954, and a modern school was built. When the tracks were torn up in the mid-1930's, the railway bed became a road, now Highway 633.
Government
Darwell is located in the provincial riding of Lac Ste. Anne - Parkland and the
Yellowhead electoral district (federal).
Infrastructure
Darwell Community Hall
Darwell Public Library(Member of the Yellowhead Regional Library)
Darwell Schooloffers education from Kindergarten to Grade 7.
Notable people
Campbell, Bettie Jean (January 18, 1933 - January 12, 2023) (painter)
Carlier, Oneil
(June 22, 1962 -) (politician) Member of the Legislative Assembly (29th Legislative Assembly 2015 - 2019). Carlier was elected in the
2015 Alberta general election
The 2015 Alberta general election was held on May 5, 2015, following a request of Premier Jim Prentice to the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Donald Ethell to dissolve the Legislative Assembly on April 7, 2015. This election elected members to the ...
,
as the member representing the
electoral district of
Whitecourt-Ste. Anne and served as Minister of Agriculture and Forestry. Minister Carlier served until April, 2019.
Kinsella, William Patrick (WP) - (May 25, 1935 - September 16, 2016) - (Canadian writer/author) lived on a farm near Darwell until age 10.
See also
*
List of communities in Alberta
The province of Alberta, Canada, is divided into ten types of Local government in Canada, local governments – urban municipalities (including List of cities in Alberta, cities, List of towns in Alberta, towns, List of villages in Alberta, vil ...
References
Localities in Lac Ste. Anne County
{{CentralAlberta-geo-stub