Elk Point, Alberta
Encyclopedia
Elk Point is a town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
located in the east central part of the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
of Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. It is located on Highway 41.
A number of oil related businesses have located in Elk Point. Agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
is also important in the Elk Point area.
Elk Point is located on the North Saskatchewan River
North Saskatchewan River
The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows east from the Canadian Rockies to central Saskatchewan. It is one of two major rivers that join to make up the Saskatchewan River....
which was an fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
route. Both the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
and the North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
had posts on the river near Elk Point. Alberta Culture has built an interpretive centre near the remains of Fort George and Buckingham House
Buckingham House (fur trade post)
Buckingham House was a fur-trade post of the Hudson's Bay Company, located near the current hamlet of Elk Point, Alberta.During the late 18th century both the North West Company and the Hudson’s Bay Company began moving farther up the North Saskatchewan River as pelts became ‘trapped out’...
.
There is a large carved statue of Peter Fidler
Peter Fidler (explorer)
Peter Fidler was a British surveyor, map-maker, chief fur trader and explorer who had a long career in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company in what later became Canada. He was born in Bolsover, Derbyshire, England and died at Fort Dauphin in present day Manitoba...
(a figure from fur trade days) near Elk Point and a mural of Elk Point history near the town centre. The Iron Horse Trail, a rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
, is nearby. Elk Point was a fur trading post in the fur trade days.
Elk Point celebrated its Centennial on June 30 and July 1, 2007.
Demographics
The population of the Town of Elk Point according to its 2007 municipal census is 1,512.In 2006, Elk Point had a population of 1,487 living in 624 dwellings
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
, a 2.9% increase from 2001. The town has a land area of 4.88 km² (1.9 sq mi) and a population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 304.5 /km2.
Climate
Elk Point has a dry continental climateContinental climate
Continental climate is a climate characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby...
(Koppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Dfb). The hottest recorded temperature was 38.9 °C (102 °F) on July 14, 1941. The coldest recorded temperature was -55.6 C on December 13, 1911.
Notable residents
- Sheldon SouraySheldon SouraySheldon Sharik Souray is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League . He has previously played for the Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, who originally drafted him 71st overall in 1994, and the Montreal Canadiens...
- Edmonton OilersEdmonton OilersThe Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
Defenceman - Mark LetestuMark LetestuMark Letestu is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently with the Columbus Blue Jackets organization.Letestu played three season of junior hockey with the Bonnyville Pontiacs of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, before playing one season at Western Michigan of the Central Collegiate...
- Pittsburgh PenguinsPittsburgh PenguinsThe Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
Forward - Adam KleebergerAdam KleebergerAdam Kleeberger is a Canadian rugby union player. Previously, Kleeberger had played for Canadian clubs University of Victoria and Bayside as well as Rotherham Titans of the RFU Championship. In 2010 he joined Auckland in the ITM Cup...
- Team CanadaCanada national rugby union teamThe Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and seven tier two nations, the...
rugby player