Waskatenau ( ) is a
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...
in
central Alberta, Canada. It is surrounded by
Smoky Lake County
Smoky Lake County is a municipal district in north-eastern Alberta, Canada. Located in Census Division No. 12, its municipal office is located in the Town of Smoky Lake.
Geography Communities and localities
The following urban munici ...
, approximately northeast 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 ...
. Waskatenau is a
Cree
The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...
word meaning "opening in the bank" in reference to the clef in the nearby ridge through which the Waskatenau Creek flows. It is pronounced WAS-ET-NA, with a silent "k."
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 cultur ...
, the Village of Waskatenau had a population of 247 living in 118 of its 138 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 186. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
In the
2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Village of Waskatenau recorded a population of 186 living in 99 of its 129 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 255. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.
Home Run For Life softball marathons
Waskatenau is known for its repeated efforts to set a
world record
A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...
for the longest continuous game of
softball
Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
. The town held three such softball marathons, known as the "Home Run For Life", as fundraisers for the
Cross Cancer Institute
Cross Cancer Institute is the comprehensive cancer centre for northern Alberta. The institute, named for Wallace Warren Cross, is located in Edmonton near the southwest corner of the University of Alberta, and is one of two tertiary cancer centr ...
and
Stollery Children's Hospital in
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 ...
. In late June 2005, the first marathon went for 60 hours and 4 minutes and raised $75,000, unofficially holding the world record for less than 1 day before a team in
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
broke it. Waskatenau tried again in 2007, and played for 108 hours and 3 minutes from June 27 to July 1, raising over $91,000. However, the
Guinness Book of World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
disallowed the record for technical reasons. Finally, in 2009, Home Run For Life III successfully set the official, Guinness-approved record for the "longest game of softball", playing 115 hours and 3 minutes from June 30 to July 5, and raising more than $110,000.
History
The 1880s name for the area was Wah-Sat-now after the nearby cleft as mentioned above. The Wah-Sat-Now (Cree) band in residence there in the 1880s later moved to the Saddle Lake reserve.
The new spelling Waskatenau was in common use by 1920. About that time a CNR line was built from Edmonton to St. Paul. Waskatenau was the station built between Radway and Warspite.
The Village of Waskatenau was incorporated on May 19, 1932.
[Harrison, Place Names of Alberta, volume 3]
See also
*
List of communities in Alberta
The province of Alberta, Canada, is divided into ten types of local governments – urban municipalities (including cities, towns, villages and summer villages), specialized municipalities, rural municipalities (including municipal district ...
*
List of villages in Alberta
A village is an urban municipality status type used in the Canadian province of Alberta. Alberta villages are created when communities with populations of at least 300 people, where a majority of their buildings are on parcels of land smaller ...
References
External links
*
{{Subdivisions of Alberta, villages=yes
1932 establishments in Alberta
Villages in Alberta