Hinton, Alberta

Hinton is a town in the foothills of Alberta, Canada, with a population of 9,817. It is in Yellowhead County, northeast of Jasper and about west of Alberta's capital city, Edmonton, at the intersection of the Yellowhead and Bighorn Highways. Situated on the south bank of the Athabasca River, Hinton is on Treaty 6 territory.

The Town of Hinton is named after William P. Hinton, Vice President and General Manager of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway.

History

Early habitation

The area around present day Hinton deglaciated 12,800–11,600 BCE. Archeological sites up the Athabasca River from Hinton show repeated habitation from 8,000 BCE until approximately 1500 AD. Other sites around Hinton demonstrate that the foothills were also an important travel and trade corridor for Indigenous peoples for thousands of years prior to European contact, dating to at least 7,000 BCE.

Before Europeans arrived in North America, the upper Athabasca region was relatively sparsely inhabited by groups speaking Athabascan/Dene languages (including the Tsuut’ina, Tsa’tinne, and Tse’khene), Siouan languages (specifically Nakoda) and, potentially, Salish languages (such as Secwepemctsín, now present west of the Rockies). European settlement in eastern Canada resulted in waves of western migration of Indigenous groups in the 18th and 19th centuries including Algonquian language-speaking groups (in particular Woodland Cree and Salteaux), Iroquoian speakers, and Métis.

Around the start of the 19th century, furs supplied by these groups, and a desire to access the Columbia River, encouraged the Hudson's Bay Company and North West Company to finally establish trade and supply posts in the vicinity of the Divide. When the Peigan closed Howse Pass to David Thompson, his guide Thomas the Iroquois led a brigade over Athabasca Pass. Shortly after passing through present day Hinton in late 1810, they found what they took to be Iroquois huts. In 1813, François Decoigne built a supply depot on Brûlé Lake, from which a handful of North West Company employees facilitated trips into present day British Columbia. It became known as Jasper House after its 1817 manager, Jasper Hawse; the company moved it further upriver around 1830. Indigenous people continued to visit, sometimes remaining to hunt and trade with the Jasper House employees. For example, the post’s new factor Henry John Moberly said that in 1855, upon reaching Brûlé Lake, they found Iroquois encamped, waiting to trade with him.

Cache Percotte Creek, just east of present-day Hinton may have been named after an Indigenous smallpox camp during the 1870 epidemic. (A 19th century French Canadian word for smallpox was .)

In 1888, Jack Gregg established a trading post at Prairie Creek to serve travellers along the Jasper trail. In 1894, trapper and trader Jack Gregg settled on Prairie Creek, southwest of present day Hinton.Gainer, Brenda, and Parks Canada. 1981
The Human History of Jasper National Park, Alberta
ttawa Parks Canada. p. 78–82 To reduce duplication, the creek name was officially changed to Maskuta Creek (: Plains Cree for prairie, bald prairie, or plain) in 1956, although the Cree name had been used much earlier.

Jasper Forest Park (renamed Jasper National Park in 1930) was established in 1907; in 1909, the government dispatched John W. McLaggan to buy out and evict Métis homesteaders. Among those removed from the new park was the family of John Moberly (son of Henry John Moberly). In the spring of 1910, they were given $1,000 and a quarter section next to their cousins, the Greggs' homestead.

Railroads

The construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTPR) saw the establishment of a construction camp at the mouth of Prairie Creek at the Athabasca River in 1908. A steel trestle bridge was built over the creek and is still in use by the Canadian National Railway today. In 1911, the GTPR built a station house at mile 978 west of Winnipeg. The station was named Hinton, and the community was born. Mary Schäffer, on her 1911 government-sponsored trip to Maligne Lake, arrived at the end of the line in Hinton in June. The Prairie Creek construction camp was just about to break up and relocate to Moose Lake to support the next stage of construction from Hinton to Tête Jaune Cache. Schäffer wrote that they were glad to leave the, "rubbishy little town to finish its pathetic history."

The Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) established a parallel line between Edmonton and Tête Jaune Cache. The CNoR ran just north of the GTPR line at Hinton, establishing the stations of Dalehurst ( northeast of Hinton), Bliss ( northeast of Hinton), and Dyke (renamed Entrance, now Old Entrance; southwest of Hinton). In 1917 when the heavier gauge GTP rail was dismantled and sent to Europe for the war effort, trains used the CNoR line and Dalehurst became the postal station for Hinton; Dyke served as its communications centre.

The Canadian National Railway became the owner of both the CNoR and GTPR, and various portions of both lines were used by the new railway. In 1927, the company moved the track back to the better-constructed GTPR grade between Obed and Entrance, and once again the rail line through Hinton was opened.

Coal boom

The coal-fired steam engines of the railroads both opened access to, and provided a market for, coal from a thick seam underlying the Hinton area. The Coal Branch was completed in 1912 and created work camps such as Mountain Park, Cadomin, Luscar, Robb, Mercoal, and Coalspur, which grew into communities with populations in the hundreds, surpassing Hinton's. By the late 1920s, the region contributed 22% of Alberta's total coal production.

Coal had long been reported closer to the Hinton station, along the Athabasca River. For example the priest Pierre-Jean De Smet wrote during his 1845 trip through the area that, "coal abounds east of the Rocky Mountains on the borders of the Missouri and Yellowstone, on the Saskatchewan and Athabasca." A 1925 report for the Research Council of Alberta said that although prospectors had explored coal indications at the mouths of Happy and Prairie (Maskuta) Creeks, they were not considered practical or economic to exploit at the time.

By 1928, Jasper Collieries Ltd. operated the Drinnan coal mine on the eastern end of present-day Hinton. It produced nearly 2 million tons of coal before closing in 1940. Another, smaller mine opened a short distance southwest in 1943.

On the west side of town, Frank Seabolt, R. W. Jones, and Harry King opened the Hinton Collieries near Happy Creek in 1931. The mine operated for 10 years despite the Great Depression, which temporarily reduced demand for coal. At 4:30 pm on March 30, 1938 an explosion in the Hinton Collieries killed five miners and wounded five more. The mine's manager L. G. Chavignaud was found to have breached several provisions of the Alberta Mines Act and fined a total of $200. In 1940, Chavignaud's hiring as fire boss at the Mountain Park mine sparked a 3-week strike. The Hinton Collieries were abandoned in 1941 and reported flooded in 1944.

Pulp industry and incorporation

On September 1, 1954, North Western Pulp and Power entered into an agreement with the province to construct a pulp mill on the Athabasca River, near the hamlet of Hinton. The province leased of pulpwood on condition that the company invest at least $28.5 million in the mill.

The Calgary-based Athabasca Valley Development Corporation, began plans to provide town services and a shopping centre, prompting the Minister of Municipal Affairs Ted Hinman to clarify that the province was in charge of planning and Hinton would not be a company town. In December 1955, Frank. E. Ruben, the vice president and general manager of Athabasca Valley Development Corporation announced plans to build 500 houses in the new town. Ruben, who was also the Chairman of the Board of North Western Pulp and Power, followed that up with an announcement that the pulp mill would be expanded within 18 months to a total cost of $100 million and that the town would be named New Hinton. This was swiftly denied by Minister of Lands and Forests Norman Willmore. Ruben responded that, "the matter is entirely out of Mr. Willmore's department," and clarified that he was expressing his personal opinion that they would, "expand the mill at the earliest possible date." '' The Financial Post'', in 1959, reported that the pulp mill cost $42 million.

The New Town of Hinton was incorporated on November 1, 1956. The community grew rapidly, as did a new village to the east called Drinnan. On March 27, 1957, the two communities amalgamated, with a population of about 3,500. The mill was completed in April 1957, with the first pulp produced on May 29. It became Alberta's first pulp mill. By 1959, Northwest Pulp and Power employed 562 people at the mill, with a further 600 in woodland operations.

The New Town of Hinton incorporated as the Town of Hinton on December 29, 1958, and William A. Switzer was elected as its first mayor. Three years later, the 1961 Canadian census recorded Hinton's population as 3,529.

Hinton train collision

On February 8, 1986, a Canadian National Railway freight train collided with a Via Rail passenger train called the '' Super Continental'', killing twenty-three people. The Hinton train collision was the deadliest rail disaster in Canada since the Dugald rail accident of 1947, which had thirty-one fatalities, and was not 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 labour practices.

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.

Climate

Under the Köppen climate classification, Hinton is classified as Dfc: subarctic, a subcategory of the continental climates. This is defined as having its coldest month averaging below , three months averaging above , and no season contributing more than 70% of the annual precipitation.

The closest Environment Canada weather station was located at Entrance, about southwest of Hinton. It supplied climate normals data up to 2010. Current Environment Canada weather forecasts and climate normals data up to 2020 rely on the Jasper Warden Station near Maligne Canyon, southwest of Hinton.

Demographics

In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, 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.

The 2021 census also found that 52.1% of the population in Hinton were men (Canada-wide: 49.3%). Hinton's proportion of population that are under 15 years of age was 18.8% (Canada-wide: 16.3%), between 15 and 64 was 68.0% (Canada-wide: 64.8%), and 65 or over was 13.2% (Canada-wide: 19.0%).Statistics Canada. 2023. (table). ''Census Profile''. 2021 Census of Population. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316-X2021001. Ottawa. Released November 15, 2023. https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E (accessed April 24, 2025).

The median employment income in 2020 in people 15 years or older was $45,600 in Hinton (Canada-wide: $37,200). The percentage of 25–64 year olds in Hinton who completed high school was 77.9% (Canada-wide: 88.4%). Hinton's English-French bilingualism rate was 8.5% (Canada-wide: 18%). Immigrants make up 11.3% of Hinton's population (Canada-wide: 23.0%).

In the Canada 2016 Census 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).

Arts and culture

The Performing Arts Theatre of Hinton exhibits films, live theatre, music, dance, and other events. The Wild Mountain Music Festival is held on the third weekend of July across the Athabasca River from Hinton at the Entrance Ranch. The 3-day event has 2 concert stages, a beer tent, food stalls, tent and RV camping, and runs a shuttle between Hinton and the festival. The annual event began in 2008.

The Northern Rockies Museum of Culture and Heritage is in the original GTP Hinton station. It was moved from its original location across the highway and, after renovations, opened May 20, 2017.

Recreation

In town

The Beaver Boardwalk consists of three kilometres (1.9 miles) of boardwalk through the forest, meadow, and wetland near Maxwell Lake, at the south side of town. It is named for the active beaver lodge that it passes beside. Large sections of the boardwalk were rebuilt in early 2025, with more rehabilitation planned for future winters.

The Hinton Mountain Bike Park has 23 trails of varying difficulty, a skills area, pump track, and jumps. The bike park is connected to the Happy Creek trail network, which has an additional 39 maintained trails. The Bighorn Ridge trails begin south of the bike park and offers an additional of maintained mountain bike trail.

Hinton has both an 18-hole golf course and an 18-hole disc golf course. The town has numerous parks with a boat launch, rodeo grounds, sports fields, picnic facilities, and trails.

The Dr. Duncan Murray Recreation Centre has a 25m pool, sauna, hot tub, kids pool, two skating rinks, a bouldering wall, and courts for basketball, racquetball, and squash. It also includes the Hinton Municipal Library.

Regional

Hinton is a short drive from several popular parks and recreation areas:

* Jasper National Park's east gate is southwest on Highway 16.
* Obed Lake Campground is east on Highway 16.
* The Hinton Nordic Centre is northwest on Highway 40.
* Switzer Park Visitor Centre is northwest.
* Rock Lake is northwest.
* Whitehorse Creek Campground is south on Highway 40.
* Cardinal Divide is south

Hinton is a staging area for expeditions into the Willmore Wilderness Park, via Rock Lake or Big Berland Provincial Recreation Area. The other common staging area is Grande Cache.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Hinton Transit is the municipal public transportation service, operated under contract by First Student Canada, which is responsible for providing the vehicles, drivers and maintenance.

The bus service operates on Monday to Saturday from 7 am to 1 pm and 2:30 pm to 8:30 pm. No service is provided on Sunday or statutory holidays. It alternately runs a hill district loop and a valley district loop, returning to each stop at the same minute after the hour.

There is also an accessible, door-to-door transit service available upon request for residents with physical and cognitive disabilities called The Freedom Express.

Regional bus service is provided by SunDog Transportation and Tour Co. which has a daily route between Edmonton and Jasper, with one stop in Hinton. A provincially-funded route between Jasper and Hinton is planned for summer 2025.

As a flag stop, Via Rail's '' The Canadian'' calls at the Hinton station two times per week, in each direction.

Health care

Emergency and other medical care is provided at the Hinton Healthcare Centre. The hospital offers a wide range of diagnostic testing, chronic and acute care, and recovery services. As of 2022, it has 23 acute care beds. Beginning in 2024, physician shortages have resulted in repeated closures of the emergency department, prompting the town to declare a local healthcare crisis.

Education

Education in Hinton includes:

* Grande Yellowhead Public School Division No. 77
**Crescent Valley Elementary School (K-7)
**Mountain View Elementary School (K-7 English, French)
** Harry Collinge High School (8-12 English, French)

* Evergreen Catholic Separate School Division
**St. Gregory Catholic Elementary School (K-4)
**Father Gerard Redmond Community Catholic School (5-12)

*Post secondary
** Northwestern Polytechnic
** Hinton Employment and Learning Place
** Hinton Training Centre
** Northern Lakes College

Media

Newspapers

One weekly newspaper is produced in Hinton: the
Hinton Voice
', an independent newspaper that started up in June 2009. Hinton also had a weekly tabloid-format newspaper called the '' Hinton Parklander'', which was founded in 1955 and printed its final issue on January 13, 2020.

Radio

* CBXI-FM 88.1 CBC Radio One
*CFXH-FM 97.5 Newcap Broadcasting ( Stingray Radio)
* CFHI-FM 104.9 Newcap Broadcasting

* CHFA-FM-4 100.7 Ici Radio-Canada Première
* CKUA-FM-7 102.5 CKUA Radio Network

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), former leader of the Alberta Party, former mayor

See also

*List of communities in Alberta
* List of francophone communities in Alberta
*List of towns in Alberta

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

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{{Authority control

1956 establishments in Alberta
Towns in Alberta
Former new towns in Alberta