Wanham () is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

northern Alberta Northern Alberta is a geographic region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. An informally defined cultural region, the boundaries of Northern Alberta are not fixed. Under some schemes, the region encompasses everything north of the cen ...

, Canada within Birch Hills County. It is located east of Rycroft along Highway 49 and approximately north of

Grande Prairie Grande Prairie is a city in northwest Alberta, Canada within the southern portion of an area known as Peace River Country. It is located at the intersection of Highway 43 (part of the CANAMEX Corridor) and Highway 40 (the Bighorn Highway), a ...

, in the farmlands of

Peace River Country The Peace River Country (or Peace Country; french: Région de la Rivière-de-la-paix) is an aspen parkland region centring on the Peace River in Canada. It extends from northwestern Alberta to the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbi ...

. Saddle River, a tributary of

Peace River The Peace River (french: links=no, rivière de la Paix) is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in ...

, flows immediately north of the community. The origin of the name Wanham could have come from Wanham in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. The local economy is based on

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

and

ranching A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most ofte ...

, the settlement being an agricultural service centre for the surrounding farms. A wood products plant, Newpro, was previously the largest employer in the settlement. It was announced it was closing in January 2006.

History

It was established in 1916 as a station on the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway. The first post office was built in 1918. It was incorporated as 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 ...

, but dissolved and merged with Birch Hills County in 1999 by

Order in Council An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council (''Kin ...

458/99. Birch Hills County's municipal office is located in Wanham.

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 ...

, Wanham had a population of 141 living in 58 of its 76 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 124. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. As a designated place in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Wanham had a population of 124 living in 62 of its 78 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 127. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Attractions

A yearly plowing competition takes place in Wanham since 1971. It is currently named Alberta Provincial and Canadian Plowing Match and includes a horse drawn antique parade, live music and fashion show. The Grizzly Bear Prairie Museum is seasonally opened in Wanham. It was founded in 1979 by a group called the Community of Cooperating Organization (COCO for short). It was officially opened in 1981.

Climate

References

Birch Hills County Designated places in Alberta Former villages in Alberta Hamlets in Alberta Populated places disestablished in 1999 {{NorthernAlberta-geo-stub

History

Demographics

Attractions

Climate

See also

References