Wainwright is a town in east-central Alberta, Canada. It is 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 ...

. Located west of the

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

–

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

border, Wainwright is south of

Vermilion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color family and pigment most often used between antiquity and the 19th century from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide). It is synonymous with red orange, which often takes a moder ...

in the Battle River valley. Highway 41, called the Buffalo Trail, and Highway 14 go through the town. CFB Wainwright is located in Denwood, southwest of Wainwright. Wainwright Entrance

History

Originally named Denwood by settler James Dawson in 1905, the town was relocated by the

Grand Trunk Pacific Railway The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway running from Fort William, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, a Pacific coast port. East of Winnipeg the line continued as the National ...

west-northwest and renamed Wainwright after General William Wainwright, the second vice-president of railway. The original townsite opened with post office in 1907 along with Denwood Hotel and store. The post office and hotel (becoming Wainwright Hotel) relocated to Wainwright in 1908 with the old townsite later becoming CFB Wainwright. The town is a

divisional point In Canada and also in the United States, a divisional point (or division point) is a local operational headquarters for a railway. Divisional points are significant in railway maintenance of way operations. Especially historically, they could be the ...

on the

Canadian National Railway 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 a ...

main line. Wainwright railway station is served by

Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada. As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...

's ''

The Canadian ''The Canadian'' () is a transcontinental passenger train operated by Via Rail with service between Union Station in Toronto, Ontario, and Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Canadian Pacific introduced this serv ...

''.

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 ...

, the Town of Wainwright had a population of 6,606 living in 2,664 of its 2,914 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 6,285. 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 Wainwright recorded a population of 6,270 living in 2,524 of its 2,770 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 5,925. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. The Town of Wainwright's 2013 municipal census counted a population of 6,289, an 8.9% increase over its 2008 municipal census population of 5,775.

Arts and culture

Wainwright has the third-largest stampede in Canada. It occurs at the end of June, and includes a

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

, chuckwagon races, parade, midway, an agricultural fair, and a town wide horse race for anyone over 18.

Education

Buffalo Trail Public Schools Regional Division No. 28 *Wainwright Elementary School * Wainwright High School East Central Alberta Catholic Separate Schools Regional Division No. 16 * Blessed Sacrament School *Blessed Sacrament Outreach School Greater North Central Francophone Education Region No. 2 *École Saint-Christophe

Media

;Radio * CKKY-FM/K-Rock 101.9 – provides old and new

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

* CKWY-FM/Wayne-FM – provides a mix of classic hits and

top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

music ;Newspapers The ''Edge'' and ''The Star'' (formerly the ''Star Chronicle'') merged to be the ''Star/Edge'' in 2013. It is published weekly on Fridays.

Notable people

Glen Sather Glen Cameron Sather (born September 2, 1943) is a Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and executive. He is the current senior advisor and alternate governor of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the Rangers' general m ...

, former

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

player, coach, and general manager, and member of the

Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...

* Lynn Seymour, ballerina *

Frank C. Turner Francis Charles Turner (born June 2, 1951) is a Canadian actor and iconographer born in Wainwright, Alberta and now living in British Columbia. He has appeared in numerous films, made-for-television films, television shows, and plays. Biography ...

, film and television actor, iconographer *

Bobby McMann Robert William Lucas McMann (born June 15, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career While playing for the Bonnyville Pontiacs of the Alberta Junior Hockey ...

, NHL player for the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

* Jacob Middleton, NHL player for the

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...

* Keaton Middleton, NHL player for the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...

* Mason Shaw, AHL player for the

Manitoba Moose The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre. The fran ...

* Kim Dorland, contemporary Canadian painter

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1909 establishments in Alberta Towns in Alberta