Duhamel, Alberta
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Duhamel is a
hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
in the
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 ...
, Canada within
Camrose County Camrose County is a municipal district in central Alberta, Canada. It is located in Census Division 10, around the City of Camrose. Geography Communities and localities The following urban municipalities are surrounded by Camrose Cou ...
. It is located on Highway 21, approximately southeast of
Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
and southwest of Camrose, Duhamel's closest major trading centre.


History

An early trading post was situated 2-3 miles northwest of the hamlet's current site, directly on a well-used ford of the Battle River. The trading post was a key point for exchange between the First Nations people, fur traders, and the
Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...
. The establishment of the Metis Settlement dates back to early 1800s. The settlement that grew around the post took the names Battle River Crossing and Salois's settlement or Abraham's settlement, after Abraham Salois, a prominent Metis farmer and freighter. It was also known as Laboucane, after the Laboucane brothers and their families, who were among the first local residents. A church was built in 1883 for the service of Father Bellevaire, and was visited by Bishop Grandin, who named the settlement after
Joseph-Thomas Duhamel Joseph-Thomas Duhamel (; 6 November 1841 – 5 June 1909) was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest and Archbishop of Ottawa. Born in Contrecœur, Lower Canada, he was educated at St. Joseph's College, Ottawa, and ordained in 1863. He became B ...
. Around 1886, the post was moved to the site where Highway 21 now crosses the river (). In 1910, Duhamel moved to its present location on the newly constructed Grand Trunk Pacific rail line from Tofield to
Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
. The Duhamel/Battle River rail bridge was one of the largest wooden rail bridges ever constructed, at 3,972 feet (1210 m) in length and 120 feet (32 m) in height.


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; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...
, Duhamel had a population of 46 living in 17 of its 18 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 47. 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, Duhamel had a population of 47 living in 18 of its 18 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 30. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.


Crop circles

Crop circles A crop circle, crop formation, or corn circle is a pattern created by flattening a crop, usually a cereal. The term was first coined in the early 1980s. Crop circles have been described as all falling "within the range of the sort of thing ...
appeared in a farmer's field in Duhamel in 1967. At the time, crop circles were virtually unknown. The discovery of the circles was preceded by reports of
UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...
sightings around the town. A farmer by the name of Schielke discovered the strange occurrence on Saturday, August 5, 1967, after a night of heavy rains. This was the first time he had been to his fields in weeks, so the circles could have appeared at any time during that period. The circles were composed of four circular marks approximately in diameter. Schielke always stressed that the marks could not have been made by his equipment, and that he did not believe in UFOs. The marks varied from five to seven inches wide, and the smallest circular mark was 31 ft., 9 in. in diameter. Three of the rings were essentially circular, with the largest mark being slightly elliptical, varying from 34 ft., 5 in. to 36 ft., 3 in. There were no
exhaust Exhaust, exhaustive, or exhaustion may refer to: Law * Exhaustion of intellectual property rights, limits to intellectual property rights in patent and copyright law ** Exhaustion doctrine, in patent law ** Exhaustion doctrine under U.S. law, i ...
blasts, scorch marks or disturbances of the soil, and vegetation within the circles had apparently been removed by the object that made the marks. The official investigation report implies that the marks were most likely left by a 135-ton
aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...
or
spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle that is designed spaceflight, to fly and operate in outer space. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including Telecommunications, communications, Earth observation satellite, Earth observation, Weather s ...
.Unidentified Flying Objects: The Search for the Unknown
at Library and Archives Canada This case is described as "unsolved" by Canada's
Department of National Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...
.


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 ...
*
List of designated places in Alberta A designated place is a type of geographic unit used by Statistics Canada to disseminate census data. It is usually "a small community that does not meet the criteria used to define incorporated municipalities or Statistics Canada population ce ...
*
List of hamlets in Alberta Hamlet (place), Hamlets in the Canadian province of Alberta are Unincorporated area, unincorporated communities administered by, and within the boundaries of, Specialized municipalities of Alberta, specialized municipalities or List of communit ...


References

* ''Memory Opens the Door (New Norway and District 1972)'' - local history book, no ISBN
Canada's Unidentified Flying Objects: The Search for the Unknown
at Library and Archives Canada {{Authority control Camrose County Hamlets in Alberta Designated places in Alberta