Edson, Alberta
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Edson is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is located in Yellowhead County, west 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 ...
along the Yellowhead Highway and east of the intersection with Highway 47.


History

The town was founded as Heatherwood, but the name was changed around 1911 in honour of Edson Joseph Chamberlin, vice-president of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. When Edson was declared the local rail centre, smaller communities such as Rosevear (abandoned), Wolf Creek, Carrot Creek and Niton Junction fell into a decline that continues today. In the 1950s, upgrading of Highway 16 caused a dramatic increase in private, commercial and industrial traffic. Today, the Yellowhead Highway carries some of the heaviest traffic flow in Alberta and has been declared the second
Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the A ...
. In the 1970s, a revitalized coal industry launched the Cardinal River Coal and Luscar Sterco mines in the area. In the 1980s Pelican Spruce Mills (now Weyerhaeuser Company Limited) and Sundance Forest Industries (now Edson Forest Products a division of West Fraser Timber) became two of Edson's major employers. The former hamlets of Glenwood and Grande Prairie Trail were annexed from Yellowhead County by the Town of Edson on 1 January 1984. In 2023, Edson was evacuated twice due to
wildfires A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...
and later declared a local state of emergency due to floods.


Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population 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 ...
, the Town of Edson had a population of 8,374 living in 3,386 of its 3,768 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 8,414. 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 Edson recorded a population of 8,414 living in 3,359 of its 3,762 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 8,475. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. The Town of Edson's 2012 municipal census counted a population of 8,646.


Geography

Edson lies in the McLeod River valley, immediately east of the Canadian Rockies foothills. The surrounding landscape consists of primarily
taiga Taiga or tayga ( ; , ), also known as boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. The taiga, or boreal forest, is the world's largest land biome. In North A ...
forest with sand hills and
muskeg Muskeg (; ; , lit. ''moss bog'') is a peat-forming ecosystem found in several northern climates, most commonly in Arctic and boreal ecosystem, boreal areas. Muskeg is approximately synonymous with bogland, bog or peatland, and is a standard te ...
. The town is located at an altitude of . Two provincial parks are located west of Edson: Sundance Provincial Park along Sundance Creek and Obed Lake Provincial Park surrounding the three Obed Lakes.


Climate

Due to Edson's high elevation, the community experiences a
subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...
(
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
''Dfc''). The highest temperature ever recorded in Edson was on 30 June 2021, with the humidex reaching 41. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 22 January 1943, and 14 January 1950. Summers in Edson are generally mild to warm with chilly nights and moderate precipitation. Winters are long and severely cold with relatively high snowfall, higher than surrounding areas due to the town's high elevation.


Economy

The main industries that drive the local economy are resource based – coal, oil, natural gas and forestry products.


Sports

Edson was home to Canada's largest slo-pitch tournament until 2017.


Culture

The Galloway Station Museum, established in 1981, explores the history of Edson and the surrounding area. It contains an original Canadian Northern Railway station used by several communities around Edson as well as large modern gallery spaces, an archives and public events space. The museum is located in RCMP Centennial Park, a large park at the centre of town created in 1974 to honour the 100th anniversary of the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...
in Alberta. The park, run by the Town of Edson, also contains an event pavilion, a Canadian National Railway caboose, a preserved RCAF Lockheed T-33 Silver Star aircraft, and giant squirrel statue that depicts the town's mascot, "Eddie the Squirrel".


Infrastructure

Edson is connected to the Yellowhead Highway from east to west and to Coal Valley via Highway 47 to the south. Via Rail's '' The Canadian'' calls at the Edson railway station twice per week in each direction as a flag stop.


Education

; Grande Yellowhead Public School Division No. 77 * Mary Bergeron Elementary School (K-5) * Parkland Composite High School (9-12 English, French) * École Pine Grove Middle School (6-8 English, French) * Westhaven Elementary School (K-5 English, French) ; Living Waters Catholic Regional Division No. 42 * Holy Redeemer Junior Senior Catholic High School (7-12) * Vanier Community Catholic School (K-6) ;Private * Yellowhead Koinonia Christian School (K-12)


Media

;Newspapers Edson has one weekly paper, ''The Weekly Anchor'', published every Monday. A second paper, ''
Edson Leader The ''Edson Leader'' was a weekly newspaper serving the Edson, Alberta, Edson, Alberta area. The Leader was owned by Postmedia Network and ceased publication on January 13, 2020. The Edson and area are still served by The Weekly Anchor Newspaper, ...
'', was established in 1911 before ceasing publication in 2020. ;Radio stations * CBXD 1540
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 o ...
* CFXE 94.3 Newcap Broadcasting * CKUA-FM-8 103.7 CKUA Radio Network


Coat of arms

On 15 October 2019, the town was granted a
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
by the Canadian Heraldic Authority, while the announcement of the
Letters Patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...
was made on 28 March 2020, in Volume 154, page 692 of the Canada Gazette.


Notable people

* George VanderBurg, Canadian politician, Progressive Conservative MLA (2001-2013)


See also

* Edson Airport *
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 towns in Alberta A town is an List of communities in Alberta#Urban municipalities, urban municipality status type used in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. Alberta towns are created when communities with populations of at le ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control 1911 establishments in Alberta Towns in Alberta