Marie Reine, Alberta
Encyclopedia
Marie Reine is a hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
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...
within Northern Sunrise County
Northern Sunrise County, Alberta
Northern Sunrise County is a municipal district in northern Alberta, Canada. It is located in Census Division 17.On July 10, 2002, the name changed from Municipal District of East Peace No. 131 to Northern Sunrise County...
. It is located approximately 18 km (11.2 mi) south of the Town of Peace River
Peace River, Alberta
Peace River is a town in northwestern Alberta, Canada, situated along the banks of the Peace River, at its confluence with the Smoky River, the Heart River and Pat's Creek. It is located northwest of Edmonton, and northeast of Grande Prairie, along Highway 2. The Peace River townsite is nearly ...
on four quarter section
Quarter section
A quarter section, often shortened to quarter, is an area of one-fourth of a square mile, or . It was a common size of a tract in homesteading in the United States and Canada.For details on its use, see*Dominion Land Survey in Canada...
s split by Highway 744.
The French Canadian community got its start in 1949-1952 when settlers from Quebec and France migrated west for a better future. The hamlet has a unique community plan laid out by L’Abbe Pierre Paul Pothier where each lot is a twenty-acre strip abutting Highway 744.