Edson, Alberta

Edson is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is located in Yellowhead County, 192km west of Edmonton along the Yellowhead Highway and 10km east of the intersection with Highway 47. Residents of Edson are referred to as Edsonites. HistoryThe town was originally named Heatherwood, but the name was changed around 1911 in honour of Edson Joseph Chamberlin, vice-president of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. When Edson was declared the local rail centre, smaller communities such as Rosevear (abandoned), Wolf Creek, Carrot Creek and Niton Junction fell into a decline that continues today. In the 1950s, upgrading of Highway 16 caused a dramatic increase in private, commercial and industrial traffic. Today, the Yellowhead Highway carries some of the heaviest traffic flow in Alberta and has been officially declared the second Trans-Canada Highway. In the 1970s, a revitalized coal industry saw the Cardinal River Coal and Luscar Sterco mines launched in the area. The 1980s saw the development of Pelican Spruce Mills (now Weyerhaeuser Canada) and Sundance Forest Industries (now Edson Forest Products a division of West Fraser Mills Ltd. ) - two of Edson's major employers. The former hamlets of Glenwood and Grande Prairie Trail were annexed from Yellowhead County by the Town of Edson on 1 January 1984.

Edson is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is located in Yellowhead County, 192km west of Edmonton along the Yellowhead Highway and 10km east of the intersection with Highway 47. Residents of Edson are referred to as Edsonites. HistoryThe town was originally named Heatherwood, but the name was changed around 1911 in honour of Edson Joseph Chamberlin, vice-president of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. When Edson was declared the local rail centre, smaller communities such as Rosevear (abandoned), Wolf Creek, Carrot Creek and Niton Junction fell into a decline that continues today. In the 1950s, upgrading of Highway 16 caused a dramatic increase in private, commercial and industrial traffic. Today, the Yellowhead Highway carries some of the heaviest traffic flow in Alberta and has been officially declared the second Trans-Canada Highway. In the 1970s, a revitalized coal industry saw the Cardinal River Coal and Luscar Sterco mines launched in the area. The 1980s saw the development of Pelican Spruce Mills (now Weyerhaeuser Canada) and Sundance Forest Industries (now Edson Forest Products a division of West Fraser Mills Ltd. ) - two of Edson's major employers. The former hamlets of Glenwood and Grande Prairie Trail were annexed from Yellowhead County by the Town of Edson on 1 January 1984.