Hinton is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is located in Yellowhead County, northeast of

Jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref ...

and about west of Alberta's capital city,

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 an ...

, at the intersection of Yellowhead and Bighorn Highway, in the

Athabasca River The Athabasca River (French: ''Rivière Athabasca'') is a river in Alberta, Canada, which originates at the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park and flows more than before emptying into Lake Athabasca. Much of the land along its banks is ...

valley.

Geography

Hinton lies in the Alberta Plateau Benchlands physiographic subdivision of the Interior Plains. Soils around town are influenced by deposits of carbonate-rich, wind-blown sand and silt which usually have surface textures of loam, sandy loam or silt loam. They are moderately alkaline, in contrast to the varying, mostly moderate acidity which prevails beyond the zone of calcareous aeolian material.

History

The Town of Hinton was named for William P. Hinton, Vice President and General Manager of the

Grand Trunk Pacific Railway The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway running from Fort William, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, a Pacific coast port. East of Winnipeg the line continued as the National Tra ...

. The community was named in 1911 and remained a hamlet for the next 45 years. Settlement in the area was scattered along a line some twelve kilometres (7.5 mi) in length. A site along Hardisty Creek is where an aboriginal group from the Jasper area had left members stricken with

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

while the rest of the group travelled to Lac Ste. Anne to find medical aid for the

epidemic which was ravaging the indigenous population in Alberta. The area was thus dubbed Cache Picote (Smallpox Camp) in 1870. In 1888, Jack Gregg established a trading post at Prairie Creek to serve travellers along the Jasper trail. The creek is now known as Muskuta Creek after an incorrect interpretation of the

Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations. In Canada, over 350,000 people are Cree o ...

name by white settlers. The construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway saw the establishment of a construction camp at the mouth of Prairie Creek (at the Athabasca River) in 1908. A trestle was built over the creek and is still in use by CN today. In 1911 the Grand Trunk Pacific built a station house at mile 978 west of Winnipeg. The station was named Hinton, and the community was born. 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 ...

also established a station called Bliss in 1914. The Canadian Northern Railway ran north of the Grand Trunk Pacific line and the Bliss station was located about 4 miles east of Hinton in the Athabasca River valley. In 1916 when the Grand Trunk Pacific rail line was temporarily closed, Dalehurst became the postal station for Hinton. Entrance (formerly Dyke), another important centre to Hinton, served as its communications centre. The original community known as Entrance was so named due to its location at the entrance to

Jasper National Park Jasper National Park is a national park in Alberta, Canada. It is the largest national park within Alberta's Rocky Mountains spanning . It was established as a national park in 1930 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Its locatio ...

and was located on the Canadian Northern rail line north of the Athabasca River from where Entrance (formerly Dyke) is located. The original site of Entrance is now known as Old Entrance. Hinton Alberta looking west Trans-Canada highway

Hinton Alberta looking west Trans-Canada highway

The Canadian National Railway became the owner of both rail lines, the Canadian Northern and the Grand Trunk pacific and various portions of both lines were used by the new parent company. The company, however, abandoned the use of the rail line through Bliss in 1926 and once again the rail line through Hinton was opened. The population of Hinton experienced a boom during the 1930s when American entrepreneur Frank Seabolt and two partners opened the Hinton coal mine in 1931. Shortly thereafter, a

recession In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various ...

caused the population to dwindle to fewer than 100 people, but the town began to rebound in 1955 with the construction of a pulp mill. The mill brought rapid growth to Hinton and a new village was developed and was named the Village of Drinnan in 1956. The two communities amalgamated on April 1, 1957, to form the present Town of Hinton.

Hinton train collision

On February 8, 1986 a collision between a

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

freight train and a

Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian Crown corporation that is mandated to operate intercity passenger rail service in Canada. It receives an annual subsidy from Transport Canada to offset the cost of operating ...

passenger train called the '' Super Continental'' occurred, killing twenty-three people. It was the deadliest rail disaster in Canada since the Dugald accident of 1947, which had thirty-one fatalities, and would not be surpassed until the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster in 2013 which resulted in forty-seven fatalities. It was surmised that the accident was a result of the crew of the freight train becoming incapacitated, and the resulting investigations revealed serious flaws in Canadian National Railway's employee practices.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultu ...

, the Town of Hinton had a population of 9,817 living in 4,006 of its 4,405 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 9,882. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Hinton recorded a population of 9,882 living in 3,930 of its 4,343 total private dwellings, a increase from its 2011 population of 9,640. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. The population of the Town of Hinton according to its 2009 municipal census is 9,825. The census originally counted 9,812 people within the town limits but an additional 13 were added when a long-standing annexation application was approved shortly after the census was conducted. It is the site of the Foothills Ojibway Society (Non-status First Nation).

Attractions

Hinton is one of two

staging area A staging area (otherwise staging point, staging base, or staging post) is a location in which organisms, people, vehicles, equipment, or material are assembled before use. It may refer to: * In construction, a designated area in which vehicles, ...

s for expeditions in the

Willmore Wilderness Park Willmore Wilderness Park, located in Alberta, Canada, is a wilderness area adjacent to Jasper National Park. It is lesser known and less visited than Jasper National Park. There are no public roads, bridges or buildings. There are, however, seve ...

, the other being

Grande Cache Grande Cache is a hamlet in west-central Alberta, Canada within and administered by the Municipal District of Greenview No. 16. It is located on Highway 40 approximately northwest of Hinton and west of Edmonton. Grande Cache overlooks the Sm ...

. Nature lovers are drawn to Hinton to visit the Beaver Boardwalk, a 3 kilometre walk where they can see beavers and other wildlife.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Hinton Transit is the municipal

public transportation Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

service, operated under contract by

First Canada First Student is the largest provider of school bus services in North America. The company works with districts in thirty-eight states and seven Canadian provinces, carrying approximately five million students daily. In addition to its regular ...

, which is responsible for providing the vehicles, drivers and maintenance. The bus service operates on Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 8:00pm and on Saturday from 8:00am to 6:00pm. No service is provided on Sunday or statutory holidays. There is also an accessible transit service available for residents with physical and cognitive disabilities called The Freedom Express Service. As a flag stop

's '' The Canadian'' calls at the Hinton CN railway station three times per week, in each direction.

Health care

Emergency and other medical care is provided at the Hinton Healthcare Centre.

Education

;Post Secondary ;* Yellowhead Regional Educational Consortium (YREC) - Grande Prairie Regional College ;Grande Yellowhead Regional Division No. 35 *Crescent Valley Elementary School (K-7) * Harry Collinge High School (8-12 English, French) *Mountain View Elementary School (K-7 English, French) ;Evergreen Catholic Separate Regional Division No. 2
St. Gregory Catholic Elementary School
(K-4) * Gerard Redmond Community Catholic School (5-12)

Media

;Newspapers One weekly newspaper is produced in Hinton; the Hinton Voice, a weekly independent newspaper that started up in June 2009. ;Radio * CBXI-FM 88.1

CBC Radio One CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent of C ...

CFXH-FM CFXE-FM is a Canadian radio station licensed to Edson, Alberta. Owned by Stingray Group, it broadcasts a country format branded as ''Real Country''. Alongside its main signal in Edson, the station maintains three rebroadcasters in northwestern A ...

97.5

Newcap Broadcasting Stingray Radio (formerly Newcap Radio) is a Canadian radio broadcasting conglomerate owned by Stingray Group. It owns and operates 101 radio stations in Canada—making it the second-largest radio conglomerate in Canada behind Bell Media. It also ...

* CFHI-FM 104.9 Newcap Broadcasting * CHFA-FM-4 100.7

Première Chaîne A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its firs ...

* CKUA-FM-7 102.5

CKUA Radio Network The CKUA Radio Network is a Canadian donor-funded community radio network based in Edmonton, Alberta. Originally located on the campus of the University of Alberta in Edmonton (hence the UA of the call letters), it was the first public broadcaste ...

Notable people

* Bob Nystrom (born 1952), Swedish-Canadian professional ice hockey player * Dave Scatchard (born 1976), professional National Hockey League ice hockey player * Glenn Taylor (born 1961/62), leader of the

Alberta Party The Alberta Party, formally the Alberta Party Political Association, is a political party in the province of Alberta, Canada. The party describes itself as a centrist and pragmatic in that is not dogmatically ideological in its approach to politi ...

, former mayor

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1956 establishments in Alberta Towns in Alberta Former new towns in Alberta