Vermilion, Alberta
Encyclopedia
Vermilion is a town in Vermilion River County, 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 along Highway 41 (Buffalo Trail) and Highway 16 (Yellowhead Highway
Yellowhead Highway
The Yellowhead Highway is a major east-west highway connecting the four western Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Although part of the Trans-Canada Highway system, the highway should not be confused with the more southerly, originally-designated...
).
The economy is largely service industry to agriculture.
Vermilion is located 192 kilometres (119.3 mi) east of Edmonton, 38 kilometres (23.6 mi) south of Clandonald
Clandonald, Alberta
Clandonald is a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada within the County of Vermilion River. It is located approximately north of Highway 16 and northwest of Lloydminster.- References :...
, and 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) west of Lloydminster.
History
It was not until 1902 that a significant number of settlers arrived in this area of Alberta.Mostly of British ethnic background coming from the east. Just west of Vermilion is the line between British and those of Ukrainian ethnic background having travelled mostly from west.
In 1904, a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
was established at Breage approximately three miles east of the present townsite.
In 1905, the railway
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
arrived and a station was built. The post office was relocated from Breage. Throughout the days of steam, the railway was important to Vermilion. Vermilion was used as 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...
. It had a water tower
Water tower
A water tower or elevated water tower is a large elevated drinking water storage container constructed to hold a water supply at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system....
to resupply engines, a large roundhouse
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
, an extensive yard, a Y, a turntable
Turntable (railroad)
A railway turntable is a device for turning railroad rolling stock. When steam locomotives were still in wide use, many railroads needed a way to turn the locomotives around for return trips as their controls were often not configured for extended periods of running in reverse and in many...
, and a bunkhouse
Hostel
Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available...
for engine crews. With the decline of steam power in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the railway became less important.
In early 1906, Vermilion was incorporated as a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and reincorporated as 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...
later in the same year. The name Vermilion comes from the red clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
found in the river valley. In fact, one of the first businesses in Vermilion was the brick factory which operated from 1906 until 1914. Some Vermilion buildings built from brick from this factory are still standing.
The first newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
to publish in the Vermilion area was The Signal. In 1909, S.R.P. Cooper established the Vermilion Standard which continues to publish to this day.
In 1911, the provincial government established three demonstration farms near Olds, Fairview, and just west of the Vermilion townsite. The Vermilion Board of Trade had lobbied the government for a demonstration farm and or college. When The Vermilion School of Agriculture officially opened on November 17, 1913 it became the first of the provincial agricultural colleges to open its door. The Vermilion School of Agriculture has had several name changes in the intervening years including Vermilion Agricultural and Vocational College and Vermilion College before becoming Lakeland College
Lakeland College (Alberta)
Lakeland College is a post-secondary college in Alberta. It is publicly funded, and maintains two campuses in Vermilion and Lloydminster. Lakeland serves about 7,500 full- and part-time students....
in 1975.
Like other communities on the prairies in the early years of the 20th century, Vermilion experienced an extensive fire. The fire, which destroyed 28 stores and business blocks, occurred on April 10, 1918.
Two Vermilion businesses have operated since before the town was incorporated. Craig's, a department store, and Long's, a drugstore, have been at the same downtown locations since 1905.
The Vermilion Provincial Park is located on the northwest side of the town. It includes walking, running and crosscountry skiing trails, campsite, mini-golf, soccer pitches, wading pool, trout pond and is home to the town's former CN Station.
The Vermilion Agricultural Society hosts an annual fair.
In the 1970s, an instructor at the college designed a grain dryer. He established a company, Vertec, to manufacture and market this dryer and eventually a large grain dryer factory was built in Vermilion. For a brief time, Vermilion billed itself as "The Grain Dryer Capital of Canada". However, Vertec did not enjoy lasting success and went bankrupt. Today the large former factory is a storage facility for agricultural products.
Vermilion today
Vermilion is the hometown of several prominent Canadians, including cross-country skier Beckie ScottBeckie Scott
Rebecca "Beckie" Scott, MSM is a retired Canadian cross-country skiing athlete and as of February 23, 2006, an International Olympic Committee member by virtue of being elected to the IOC Athlete's Commission along with Saku Koivu....
, hockey player Jeff Woywitka
Jeff Woywitka
Jeff Woywitka is a professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing for the New York Rangers of the NHL.-Playing career:...
, and cookbook author Jean Paré
Jean Paré
Jean Paré, CM is a Canadian caterer, author of the Company's Coming cookbook series, and founder of Company’s Coming Publishing Limited. She is one of the top selling cookbook authors in the world, selling 23 million copies as of 2006. She had written over 200 cookbooks before her retirement in 2011...
.
Demographics
The population of the Town of Vermilion according to its 2007 municipal census is 4,472.In 2006, Vermilion had a population of 4,036, living in 2110 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 2.2% increase from 2001. The town has a land area of 13.69 km² (5.3 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 2940.7 /km2.
The town had a population of 3,948 in 2001, and the median age of the residents of the town was 36.2.
Education
The town has two public schools: Vermilion Elementary (K-6) and J.R. Robson Secondary (7-12), and one Catholic school, St. Jerome's School (K-12). The School of Hope, a home school, has its central office in Vermilion. The town also attracts students from throughout Canada to Lakeland CollegeLakeland College (Alberta)
Lakeland College is a post-secondary college in Alberta. It is publicly funded, and maintains two campuses in Vermilion and Lloydminster. Lakeland serves about 7,500 full- and part-time students....
. Lakeland offers certificate, diploma, applied degree, university transfer, apprenticeship, and pre-employment programs. Programming at the Vermilion campus includes agricultural sciences, business, environmental sciences, fire and emergency response, human services, interior design technology, and trades and technology. Lakeland's residence village is home to more than 500 students.