Wainwright, Alberta
Encyclopedia
Wainwright 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...
on the prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
s of east-central Alberta
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...
, 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 the north side of the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
, with CFB Wainwright
CFB Wainwright
Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, commonly referred to as CFB Wainwright is a Canadian Forces Base located in Denwood, Alberta, adjacent to the town of Wainwright.-Military Camp Wainwright:...
(Denwood) located on the southwest side. The town lies 61 kilometres (37.9 mi) south of Vermilion
Vermilion, Alberta
Vermilion is a town in Vermilion River County, central Alberta, Canada. It is located along Highway 41 and Highway 16 .The economy is largely service industry to agriculture....
, in the Battle River
Battle River (Canada)
Battle River is a river in central Alberta and western Saskatchewan. It is a major tributary of the North Saskatchewan River.The Battle River flows for and has a total drainage area of...
valley, along Highway 41, called the Buffalo Trail. Highway 14 also passes through this town. Wainwright is 206 kilometres (128 mi) southeast of Edmonton on Highway 14 and 69 kilometres (42.9 mi) west of the Alberta–Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
border.
History
The town was originally named Denwood, but was later relocated by the Grand Trunk Pacific RailwayGrand Trunk Pacific Railway
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historical Canadian railway.A wholly owned subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railway , the GTPR was constructed by GTR using loans provided by the Government of Canada. The company was formed in 1903 with a mandate to build west from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the...
5 kilometres (3.1 mi) west-northwest and renamed after General William Wainwright, the second vice-president of GTPR.
The railway is important to Wainwright. Wainwright is a divisional point
Divisional point
In Canada, a divisional point is a railway depot that includes more than just a basic siding or station.- Overview :In the coal and steam era, a divisional point would include such amenities as a substantial passenger station, freight and baggage sheds, a roundhouse, water tank, coaling and sanding...
on the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
main line. Wainwright railway station
Wainwright railway station
The Wainwright railway station is on the Canadian National Railway mainline in Wainwright, Alberta. The station is served by Via Rail's The Canadian three times per week in each direction as a flag stop .- External links :*...
is served by Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
's The Canadian
The Canadian
The Canadian is a Canadian transcontinental passenger train originally operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway between 1955 and 1978. It is currently operated as an Inter-city rail service by Via Rail Canada with service between Union Station in Toronto, Ontario and Pacific Central Station in...
.
Demographics
The population of the Town of Wainwright according to its 2008 municipal census is 5,775.In 2006, Wainwright had a population of 5,426 living in 2,310 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 6.0% increase from 2001. The town has a land area of 8.55 km² (3.3 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 634.6 /km2.
Education
Buffalo Trail Public Schools Regional Division No. 28- Wainwright Elementary School;
- Wainwright High SchoolWainwright High SchoolWainwright High School is a public high school for grades 7–12 in Wainwright, Alberta, Canada. It is located next to Highway 14 and is a part of the Buffalo Trail Public Schools Regional Division No 28....
;
East Central Alberta Catholic Separate Schools Regional Division No. 16
- Blessed Sacrament SchoolBlessed Sacrament School (Wainwright, Alberta)Blessed Sacrament School is located in Wainwright, Alberta, Canada. BSS is a K-12 school that serves to about 500 students. It presently has a Junior Kindergarten available for ages 3-5. The school team is the THUNDER. The school was originally established in 1933 but has been rebuilt recently...
; - Blessed Sacrament Outreach School;
Greater North Central Francophone Education Region No. 2
Greater North Central Francophone Education Region No. 2
The Greater North Central Francophone Education Region No. 2, known in French as the Conseil scolaire Centre-Nord is Alberta’s largest French language school board. French language education is intended for children who are eligible under section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms...
- École Saint-Christophe
Portage College
Portage College
Portage College is a publicly-funded community college in Lac La Biche, Alberta, Canada.-Mission:Portage College mission is to provide education, training and services to facilitate learning and development of knowledgeable, skilled citizens in a caring, supportive and dynamic college environment...
- Wainwright Campus
Media
Radio- CKKY/Key 83 "Cat Country" – provides country music
- CKWY-FMCKWY-FMCKWY-FM is a Canadian radio station that broadcasts an adult hits format at 93.7 FM in Wainwright, Alberta. The station is branded as 93.7 Wayne FM and is currently owned by Newcap Broadcasting....
/Wayne-FM – provides a mix of classic hitsClassic hitsClassic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
and top 40 music
Newspapers
- The Star (formerly the Star Chronicle) – published weekly on Monday
- The Edge
Notable natives
- Pat McCallumPat McCallumPat McCallum is a Canadian curler.-Record:He was Alberta's Junior Runner-Up in 1988, losing out to Mike Sali, of Calgary. In 1989 he was NACA Bonspiel champion, with skip Randy Ferbey, third Don Walchuk, and lead, Greg Muzechka...
, Canadian curlerCurlingCurling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
. - Glen SatherGlen SatherGlen Cameron "Slats" Sather is the President and general manager of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He has also served as the head coach of the Rangers, as well as General Manager and coach of the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association and later NHL...
, NHL player, coach, general manager and member of the Hockey Hall of FameHockey Hall of FameThe Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
. - Lynn SeymourLynn SeymourLynn Seymour is a retired Canadian ballerina and choreographer.She was born Lynn Springbett and studied ballet in Vancouver....
, ballerina
Stampede
Wainwright has the third-largest stampede in Canada. It occurs at the end of June, and includes a rodeoRodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
, chuckwagon races, parade, midway, and an agricultural fair.