Wabamun 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 ...

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

Parkland County Parkland County is a municipal district in central Alberta, Canada. Located west of Edmonton in Census Division No. 11, its municipal office, Parkland County Centre, is located north of the Town of Stony Plain on Highway 779. History ;20 ...

. It is approximately 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 ...

on Highway 16. It held village status prior to 2021.

History

Wabamun was named for its location on the north shore of

Wabamun Lake Wabamun Lake (sometimes spelled Wabumun) is one of the most heavily used lakes in Alberta, Canada. It lies west of Edmonton. It is long and wide, covers and is at its deepest, with somewhat clear water. Its name derives from the Cree langu ...

. The first post office opened in Wabamun in 1903. In the early 1900s, Wabamun was a railway stop for homesteaders. Many brought goods and animals on train cars as far as Wabamun and then transferred to wagons drawn by oxen or horses for the remainder of trips to homesteads in the Lac Ste. Anne area. In 1984, it hosted the first ever

Grand North American Old Time Fiddle Championship The Grand North American Old Time Fiddle Championship is the longest-running annual fiddle contest in Alberta, held in mid-July. The event started in 1981, becoming part of Klondike Days (known as K-Days) in the 1990s, and with virtual contests ...

, which acted as a fundraiser for the community. Wabamun has twice incorporated as a village and twice dissolved from village status. Wabamun first incorporated as a village on July 18, 1912. It then relinquished its village status on January 1, 1946. Wabamun incorporated as a village a second time on January 1, 1980. It relinquished its village status for a second time on January 1, 2021, when it dissolved to become a hamlet under the jurisdiction of Parkland County.

Demographics

In the 2016 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 ...

, Wabamun recorded a population of 682 living in 270 of its 290 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 661. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. In the 2011 Census, Wabamun had a population of 661 living in 265 of its 295 total dwellings, a 10% change from its 2006 population of 601. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2011. The population of Wabamun according to its 2009 municipal census is 662.

Economy

The main source of income within Wabamun are power plants in the area operated by

TransAlta Utilities TransAlta Corporation (formerly Calgary Power Company, Ltd.) is an electricity power generator and wholesale marketing company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is a privately owned corporation and its shares are traded publicly. It o ...

. The power plant within Wabamun was closed because of increased pressure from environmental agencies and aging. The Wabamun power plant was the subject of heated debate among the residents and cottagers of Wabamun Lake. Due to the lack of a cool–off pond, the water used to cool the internal systems was deposited back into the lake, which enhanced the weed population dramatically. As of March 31, 2010, the

Wabamun Generating Station Wabamun Generating Station was a coal-fired power station owned by TransAlta, located next to the village of Wabamun, Alberta. The station's primary source of fuel was sub bituminous from the Whitewood mine. Unit 3 was retired in 2002; Units 1 ...

was decommissioned, with the smoke stacks being demolished on March 18, 2017.

Tourism

A large cabin-going community exists in Wabamun during the summer, while the community is populated year round. Local sites include Wabamun Lake, Waterfront Park, the Wabamun Marina, the pier and world's largest dragonfly. Businesses include four restaurants, hardware store, bowling lanes, post office, pharmacy, senior centre, realtor, liquor store, market, car wash, laundromat, motel, hotel, inn, tavern, bottle depot, convenience store, two banks, mechanic and a grocery store. there were plans for development to promote the community as a major visitor destination in central Alberta. These plans included further expansion of Waterfront Park, the largest boat launch on the lake, as well as Discovery Wharf, a project that would see the development of approximately of lakefront property. The lake itself is populated with

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (pikes). They are commonly found in brackish water, moderately salty and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). T ...

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the walleyed pike, yellow pike, yellow pikeperch or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern ...

, whitefish,

yellow perch The yellow perch (''Perca flavescens''), commonly referred to as perch, striped perch, American perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Samuel Latham Mitchill fr ...

, and white suckers. The main sailing club of the lake is Wabamun Sailing Club, approximately west of the community at the end of Range Road 43. A smaller club is on the opposite shore of the lake. It is home to "Canada's largest

dragonfly A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of dragonflies are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threat ...

", a metal statue similar to other attractions to be found across the region.

Oil spill

On August 3, 2005, 45 cars of a

CN Rail The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue an ...

train derailed on the shores of Wabamun Lake, west of Wabamun, spilling their contents of more than 700,000 litres of a variety of fuel oils and pole treating oils into the lake.

Infrastructure

* Wabamun and District Museum * Wabamun Public Library * Wabamun School - Parkland School Division (K-9) * Waterfront Park - lake-shore access, parking and full-sized boat launch, picnic area with shelter, washrooms and change rooms, playground and water spray park water spray park.

References

External links

* {{Subdivisions of Alberta, hamlets=yes 1912 establishments in Alberta 1946 disestablishments in Alberta 1980 establishments in Alberta 2021 disestablishments in Alberta Edmonton Metropolitan Region Hamlets in Alberta