About Our Community
Local History
- Town of Wainwright
-
The original town site was established by James Dawson in 1907 and was named Denwood. The Grand Truck Pacific Railway (now CNR) arrived in 1908 and established a new town site 2.5 miles west of Denwood. The new site was to be a major divisional point and was named Wainwright after Mr. William Wainwright, 2nd Vice-President of the railway. As divisional point, it was intended that branch lines would extend from here to such places as North Battleford, Medicine Hat, Calgary and the Peace River area. These intentions triggered a quick growth of Wainwright, which became a Village in 1908 (pop. 450) and was incorporated as a Town on August 14, 1910 (pop. 1,000). Although the plans of the GTPR did not materialize, Wainwright maintained its position as a railroad center and became the major service center for the surrounding agricultural industry.
-
At the time, Buffalo National Park was located immediately south of town, which was used to preserve the endangered bison. In 1940, the animals were removed and the land was turned over to the Department of National Defense, who established a training camp known as Camp Wainwright. Camp Wainwright, which has been extensively developed over the years and is now known as Land Forces Western Area Training Centre, is one of the primary training areas in Canada, regularly hosting international exercises.
Today, Wainwright is a thriving community of 5,300 people. In addition to the defense, industry, oil and gas as well as agriculture has resulted in Wainwright experiencing steady growth, a trend expected to continue in the future.
- Municipal District of Wainwright #61
-
The area surrounding Wainwright was homesteaded in 1905-06. The M.D of Wainwright #392 was formed in 1942 from the amalgamation of the municipal districts of Vale, Ribstone, Gilt Edge, Battle River, and the part of Merton and Grizzly Bear lying south of the Battle River. The re-numbering of the M.D. from 392 to 61 came into effect in 1945. In 1955, the M.D. was enlarged by order of the provincial government into coterminous boundaries, which made the M.D. and school district the same size. In 1957, the M.D. of Wainwright #61 built a 50 bed Senior Citizen’s Home, being the first one of its kind in Alberta. The M.D. also built a Seed Cleaning Plant at Wainwright in 1958 and one in Edgerton in 1966.
