Westlock, Alberta
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- For other uses, see Westlock.
| Town of Westlock | |
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| Area | 9.6 km² |
| Population | 4,820 (2005) |
| Pop'n density | 502 /km² |
| Location | |
| Altitude | 655 metres |
| Incorporation | 1912 |
| Province | Alberta |
| Census Division | 13 |
| MP | Brian Storseth |
| MLA | Ken Kowalski |
| Mayor | Bruce Lennon |
| City Manager | Darrell Garceau |
| Governing Body | Westlock Town Council |
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) |
| Postal code | T7P |
| Area Code | +1-780 |
| Town of Westlock.AB.ca | |
Westlock is a town in central Alberta located 85 km north-northwest of Edmonton at the junction of Highway 44 and Highway 18. It is surrounded by Westlock County within Census Division 13.
Population:
65 (1916)
854 (1947)
4,820 (2005)
Contents |
[edit] History
Prior to European settlement, the area around Westlock was inhabited by First Nations people, notably the Cree. Although the fur trade had been active in Alberta since 1754 when Anthony Henday explored the area, the Westlock district was not mentioned in writing until David Thompson came through in April, 1799.
White settlement did not begin until 1902 at that time centred around a rural community about 3 milies east of present-day Westlock. The founder's name was Edgison, but this was considered too hard to pronounce, Edson, Alberta already existed, so the site was called Edison by its Irish - American founders after Thomas Edison the American inventor. The E.D. & B.C. Railway (later the Northern Alberta Railway, now part of CN) chose to build its nearest siding 3 miles to the west in modern day Westlock, and that is where development shifted.
The townsite was mapped in 1912. Its name came from a combination of two men: William Westgate and William Lockhart who owned the property.
Westlock became a village in 1916 the first mayor was Geo. MacTavish, that same year the first grain elevator was built, the first bank branch on the Sunday after Armistice, November 11th, 1918. A permanent brick schoolhouse was built in 1925. Westlock became a town in 1947.
[edit] Media
Newspaper: Westlock News (originally Westlock Witness which began in 1919)
[edit] Economy
Primary economy: agriculture
[edit] Politics
Westlock's current MP is Brian Storseth and the MLA is Ken Kowalski.
The town's mayor is Bruce Lennon.
[edit] Notable Westlockians
- David Chatters former MP
- Kyle Chipchura hockey player
- Herbert Greenfield former Premier of Alberta
- Carolyn Dawn Johnson Country Music Singer
- Dale C. Thomson Ph.D. DFC, important academic, author, Prime Ministerial advisor
[edit] External links
| Census divisions | 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 |
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| Cities | Airdrie - Brooks - Calgary - Camrose - Cold Lake - Edmonton - Fort Saskatchewan - Grande Prairie - Leduc - Lethbridge - Lloydminster - Medicine Hat - Red Deer - Spruce Grove - St. Albert - Wetaskiwin |
| Communities | Counties and Municipal Districts of Alberta - Towns of Alberta - Villages of Alberta - Hamlets of Alberta - Indian Reserves in Alberta - Métis in Alberta |
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