Windfall is a former
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
and
ghost town
A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
in the northwest portion of
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
Woodlands County.
It is located on Township Road 604 approximately west of
Whitecourt
Whitecourt is a town in Northern Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by Woodlands County. It is approximately northwest of Edmonton and southeast of Grande Prairie at the junction of Alberta Highway 43, Highway 43 and Alberta Highway 32, Highw ...
, southwest of
Highway 43, and south of the
Athabasca River
The Athabasca River (French: ''Rivière Athabasca'') in Alberta, Canada, originates at the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park and flows more than before emptying into Lake Athabasca. Much of the land along its banks is protected in nationa ...
.
History
Windfall was founded by Canadian Fina Oil Ltd. shortly after the company drilled a well and discovered gas in the Windfall field in March 1955. As a result of this discovery, and discoveries in two nearby fields by two other companies, the company developed a pilot project plant to recover gas, sulphur, and hydrocarbons from the three fields through an interlocking recovery process.
Built over two phases, the community included an apartment complex, 17 houses in excess of on basements with paved driveways and detached garages, and a school consisting of three rooms,
[ and by 1961, Windfall had a population of 101.][
Due to the success of the pilot project plant, a larger plant was built by the Pan American Petroleum Corporation. It opened in April 1962 and was named the West Whitecourt Plant. A bridge over the Athabasca River, between Windfall and Highway 43, was built in time for the opening of the plant. As a result, the up to four-hour commute from Whitecourt was reduced to a commute. An extension of the ]Canadian National
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 ...
rail line from Whitecourt to Windfall was completed later that year in November 1962.[
By 1966, the population of Windfall declined to 78.][ approximately to the east, or away via Township Road 604 and Highway 43, rendering it a ghost town despite the adjacent West Whitecourt Plant remaining in operation.
The community's houses were later relocated to Fox Creek,][ approximately to the northwest, or away via Township Road 604 and Highway 43.
To this date, directional signs along Highway 43 approaching its intersection with Township Road 604 still indicate the presence of Windfall.]
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 ghost towns in Alberta
The province of Alberta has several ghost towns that have been completely or partially abandoned. Many of Alberta's ghost towns exist as a result of a number of failed coal mining operations in the area during the early 20th century.
Ghost t ...
References
Ghost towns in Alberta
Localities in Woodlands County
{{CentralAlberta-geo-stub