Fox Creek, Alberta
Encyclopedia
Fox Creek is a town in northwest Alberta
Northern Alberta
Northern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.Its primary industry is oil and gas, with large heavy oil reserves being exploited at the Athabasca Oil Sands and Wabasca Area in the east of the region...
, Canada
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...
. It is located on Highway 43, approximately 259 km (160.9 mi) northwest of Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
and 199 km (123.7 mi) southeast of Grande Prairie, and has an elevation of 820 m (2,690.3 ft).
The town is within 12 km (7.5 mi) of three lakes – Smoke Lake
Smoke Lake (Alberta)
Smoke Lake is a lake in northwest Alberta within the Municipal District of Greenview No. 16. It is located southwest of Fox Creek, approximately from Highway 43.- Provincial recreation area :...
to the southwest, Iosegun Lake
Iosegun Lake (Alberta)
Iosegun Lake is a lake in northwest Alberta within the Municipal District of Greenview No. 16. It is located north of Fox Creek, approximately from Highway 43.- Provincial recreation area :...
to the north, and Raspberry Lake to the northeast. The Fox Creek flows through the community, which empties into Iosegun Lake.
Fox Creek is within Statistics Canada's
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada is the Canadian federal government agency commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. Its headquarters is in Ottawa....
Census Division No. 18
Division No. 18, Alberta
Division No. 18 is a census division in Alberta, Canada. It is located in the southeast corner of northern Alberta and its largest urban community is the Town of Grande Cache. The boundaries of the division are coextensive with the outer boundaries of the Municipal District of Greenview No...
, and is surrounded by the Municipal District (M.D.) of Greenview No. 16
Greenview No. 16, Alberta
The Municipal District of Greenview No. 16 is a municipal district in northwest Alberta, Canada.It covers the full extent of Census Division 18. The municipal seat is in Valleyview.- Demographics :...
.
Its provincial and federal electoral districts are Grande Prairie-Smoky and Yellowhead
Yellowhead (electoral district)
Yellowhead is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1979. The district is in west-central Alberta, and represents the counties of Yellowhead, Woodlands, Lac Ste. Anne, Barrhead, the improvement districts No. 9 and No...
respectively.
Fox Creek's mascot is "Sporty the Fox".
History
On June 6, 1952, the townsiteTownsite
A townsite is a legal subdivision of land for the development of a town or community. In the historical development of the United States, Canada, and other former British colonial nations, the filing of a townsite plat or plan was often the first legal act in the establishment of a new town or...
for a future community was selected by Ryan Krause and Victor Heath. It was named Fox Creek after the watercourse adjacent to the western edge of the townsite, which drains towards Iosegun Lake to the north. The original survey of the townsite occurred over three days in late October, 1955.
At the same time, a townsite for another future community was surveyed to the north of Fox Creek on Iosegun Lake's eastern shore. This townsite turned out to be too wet, resulting in no development interest. The provincial government subsequently abandoned plans to develop a community at this location.
Residents began settling in Fox Creek shortly after Highway 43 officially opened in the fall of 1955, attracted by opportunities in the forestry and oil and gas exploration industries. The first two houses were built by Alberta Forest Services in 1956 to support a new ranger station that opened in 1957. Fox Creek's first two roadways, 1 Street West (the initial stage of Kaybob Drive) and Highway Avenue, were also constructed in 1956.
In 1957, the first significant oil field was discovered north of Fox Creek, known as the Kaybob North Field, and the community's first two businesses were established. Both businesses were services stations – under the British American and Imperial Oil
Imperial Oil
Imperial Oil Limited is Canada's largest petroleum company. The company is engaged in the exploration, production and sale of crude oil and natural gas. It is controlled by US based ExxonMobil, which owns 69.6% of its stock...
banners – each with associated restaurants. The first residents of Fox Creek included, among others, members of the Coulson, Fabrick, Junk, McArthur, Psikla, Sturko, and Watt families.
The community's post office was founded on March 18, 1958. It was named the Iosegun Lake Post Office, which was not officially renamed to the Fox Creek Post Office until 10 years later.
The late 1950s and early 1960s brought much activity to the Hamlet of Fox Creek as numerous sawmills, drilling rigs, and camps supporting drilling and road construction activities had established in the area. A total of 12 oil and gas fields were discovered over a six-year span between 1957 and 1962, of which included the discovery of a significant gas field to the south of Fox Creek in 1961 known as the Kaybob South Field. These discoveries triggered the construction of five gas plants in the Fox Creek area over the eleven years that followed the discovery of the Kaybob South Field.
The 1961 Census of Canada was the first census to record Fox Creek's population, but under the name of Iosegun Lake after the post office in the community. Its population in 1961 was 144. Over the following five years, Fox Creek grew to 187 residents according to the 1966 Census of Canada.
Under the signature of Premier Ernest Manning
Ernest Manning
Ernest Charles Manning, , a Canadian politician, was the eighth Premier of Alberta between 1943 and 1968 for the Social Credit Party of Alberta. He served longer than any premier in the province's history, and was the second longest serving provincial premier in Canadian history...
on July 19, 1967, the Province of Alberta incorporated the community as the New Town of Fox Creek. A three-member Board of Administrators was appointed at the time of incorporation, which included resident and businessman Otto Ritter as chairman and two public administrators from Alberta Municipal Affairs
Alberta Municipal Affairs
Alberta Municipal Affairs is a ministry of the Executive Council of Alberta. Its major responsibilities include assisting municipalities in the provision of local government, administering a safety system for the construction and maintenance of buildings and equipment, and managing Alberta's...
, Earl Briscoe (deputy chairman) and Len Gurel.
Demographics
According to the 2006 Census of CanadaCanada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
, Fox Creek had a population of 2,278 living in 937 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 2.5% decrease from 2001. The town had a land area of 11.54 km² (4.5 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 197.3 /km2.
According to the 2001 Census of Canada
Canada 2001 Census
The Canada 2001 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 15, 2001. On that day, Statistics Canada attempted to count every person in Canada. The total population count of Canada was 30,007,094. This was a 4% increase over 1996 Census of 28,846,761. In...
, Fox Creek had a population of 2,337 living in 864 dwellings, a 0.7% increase from its 1996 population of 2,321. The town had a land area of 7.63 km² (2.9 sq mi) and a population density of 306.4 /km2.
The 2001 census indicated that the town had a median family income of $79,655 in 2000 and an average value of dwelling of $97,724.
Economy
Fox Creek's economy is driven by the resource industry with oil and gas playing the primary role. The major oil and gas employer in the area is SemCAMS, which is part of the SemGroup Corporation. SemCAMS owns and operates of two sour gas processing plants (Kaybob South No. 3 and Kaybob Amalgamated), a sweet gas processing plant (West Fox Creek), and numerous pipelines in the area. These facilities were previously owned by a mix of ChevronChevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
, BP Amoco
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
and Petro-Canada under various percentage ownership/operation agreements. The oilfield service industry supports oil and gas activities in the area, with numerous drilling and well service companies having branch offices in Fox Creek.
Fox Creek's secondary resource-based industry is forestry. Its role in Fox Creek’s economy was threatened after a fire destroyed the area’s lone sawmill – owned and operated by Millar Western Forest Products Ltd. – on August 29, 2008. After nearly two years of uncertainty about forestry's re-emergence in the local economy, Millar Western announced on June 18, 2010 that it would rebuild the Fox Creek sawmill. The sawmill, named the Fox Creek Wood Products Division, will employ 55 full-time staff producing dimension lumber. It will operate on a single shift upon full startup, which is anticipated before the end of 2011. The Fox Creek sawmill was acquired by Millar Western from Mostowich Lumber on August 1, 2007.
Other employers in Fox Creek are small in comparison to SemCAMS, Millar Western, and the oilfield service industry. Due to the town’s location on Highway 43, the town has numerous service industry businesses that cater to travelers and workers supporting the oil and gas industry, as well as trucking operations.
Education
Fox Creek School, operated by Northern Gateway Public Schools, is the primary educational institution in Fox Creek, serving students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. The school was attended by 455 students during the 2009/2010 school year, including 14 students in the Fox Creek Talent Developmental Centre program.See also
- List of communities in Alberta
- List of towns in Alberta
- Fox Creek AirportFox Creek AirportFox Creek Airport, , is located southeast of Fox Creek, Alberta, Canada.-External links:* on COPA's Places to Fly airport directory...