Athabasca

Athabasca, Alta, incorporated as a town in 1911, population 2990 (2011c), 2580 (2006c). The Town of Athabasca is located on the ATHABASCA RIVER, 150 km north of EDMONTON. It was known until 1904 as ATHABASCA LANDING. A major freighting departure point for the North, the Landing reached its zenith during the Klondike era and was incorporated as a town in 1911, changing its name to Athabasca in 1913. However, when the Canadian National Railway reached Athabasca in 1912, and with the completion of the Alberta and Great Waterways Railway and the Edmonton Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway in 1919, the town's importance as a transportation hub waned. It became a local agricultural service centre, and is today the home of ATHABASCA UNIVERSITY, Canada's "open university" (see DISTANCE LEARNING). The world's largest and technologically most sophisticated bleached kraft pulp mill is also located nearby.

Author FRITS PANNEKOEK

Links to Other Sites
Athabasca
The website for the Town of Athabasca, Alberta. Features links to interesting tourism and history sites.

Athabasca Landing
This online history of Athabasca Landing features an extensive photo collection and other archival data. From Library and Archives Canada.

The Athabasca Landing Trail
This website is devoted to the historic Athabasca Landing Trail, the first overland route between Edmonton and the southern loop of the Athabasca River.

Our Roots: Athabasca Landing
Check out the digitized copies of early 20th century documents about historic Athabasca Landing, Alberta.

Athabasca Landing Trail
Provides historical details about the Athabasca Landing Trail, a major 19th century trade route in northern Alberta. From the Atlas of Alberta Railways website.

AlbertaFirst.com
Profiles of AlbertaFirst member communities provide important business, economic and lifestyle information to compliment the statistical information available for all communities.