Vermilion is a town in

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. Agriculture and energy are important to the area's economy. Geography Central Alberta is bordered ...

, Canada that is surrounded by the

County of Vermilion River The County of Vermilion River is a municipal district located in the eastern part of central Alberta, Canada in Census Division No. 10. The municipal district was formerly named the County of Vermilion River No. 24 prior to an official name c ...

. It is at the intersection of

Highway 16 Route 16, or Highway 16, can refer to: International * Asian Highway 16 * European route E16 * European route E016 Australia - Thompsons Road (Victoria) - South Australia Canada ;Parts of the Trans-Canada Highway: *Yellowhead Hi ...

(

Yellowhead Highway The Yellowhead Highway (french: Route Yellowhead) is a major interprovincial highway in Western Canada that runs from Winnipeg to Graham Island off the coast of British Columbia via Saskatoon and Edmonton. It stretches across the four western ...

) and Highway 41 ( Buffalo Trail), approximately west of

Lloydminster Lloydminster is a city in Canada which has the unusual geographic distinction of straddling the provincial border between Alberta and Saskatchewan. The city is incorporated by both provinces as a single city with a single municipal administrati ...

and east of

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

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 the west. In 1904, a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...

was established at Breage approximately east of the present townsite.Town of Vermilion
– History In 1905, the

Canadian Northern Railway The Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway. At its 1923 merger into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton. Man ...

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 In Canada, a divisional point (or division point) is a local operational headquarters for a railway. Divisional points are significant in railway maintenance of way operations. Especially historically, they could be the location of facilities and in ...

. It had a

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towers often operate in conju ...

to resupply engines, a large roundhouse, an extensive yard, a wye, a

turntable A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

, and a

bunkhouse A bunkhouse is a barracks-like building that historically was used to house working cowboys on ranches, or loggers in a logging camp in North America. As most cowboys were young single men, the standard bunkhouse was a large open room with narr ...

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 and then as a town later in the same year. The name ''Vermilion'' comes from the red clay 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 to publish in the Vermilion area was the ''Vermilion Signal'' which was founded and edited by William Bleasdell Cameron. (a survivor of the Frog Lake Massacre). 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 Olds may refer to: People * The olds, a jocular and irreverent online nickname for old age, older adults * Bert Olds (1891–1953), Australian rules footballer * Carl D. Olds (1912–1979), New Zealand-born American mathematician * Chauncey N. Old ...

, 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 in 1975. Like other communities on the prairies in the early years of the 20th century, Vermilion experienced an extensive fire. Occurring on April 10, 1918, the fire destroyed 28 stores and business blocks. 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.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Vermilion had a population of 3,948 living in 1,678 of its 1,976 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 4,084. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. The population of the Town of Vermilion according to its 2017 municipal census is 4,150, a change of from its 2012 municipal census population of 4,545. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Vermilion recorded a population of 4,084 living in 1,753 of its 1,988 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 3,930. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Mayor and council

The Mayor of Vermilion is Gregory Throndson.

Economy

The economy is largely service industry to agriculture.

Arts and culture

The Vermilion Agricultural Society hosts an annual fair which started in 1906. The fair begins with a parade on Thursday morning. The fair lasts a total of three days the last weekend in July.

Attractions

The Vermilion Provincial Park is located on the northwest side of the town. It includes camping, fishing, canoeing and trails for hiking, cycling and cross-country skiing.

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 College. 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.

Media

Vermilion's local weekly newspapers are the ''Vermilion Standard'' and the ''Vermilion and Area Voice''.

Notable people

* Brandon Baddock (born 1995), a professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

player. * Bill Flett (1943–1999), a former NHL player. *

Ernie Isley Ernest Isley (born March 7, 1952) is an American musician, best known as a member of the musical ensemble The Isley Brothers, and also the splinter group Isley-Jasper-Isley. Biography Ernie was born in Cincinnati, where his older brothers for ...

(born 1937), a

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

in the

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. The Legislative Assembly currently has 87 members, elected first past the post from sin ...

. * Alison Jackson (born 1988), an Olympic

racing cyclist Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cycling s ...

. * Ron Jones (born 1951), a former NHL player. * Ernie Kenny (1907–1970), a former NHL player. * Susan Massitti (born 1962 or 1963), a Winter Olympic speed skater. * Brent MacNab (1931–2020), a former professional ice hockey player. * Grant McNeill (born 1983), a former NHL player. *

Charlie Mead Charles Richard Mead (April 9, 1921 – May 8, 2014) was a professional outfielder who played for the New York Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1943 to 1945. He stood 6'1½" and weighed 185 lbs. He was born in Vermilion, Alberta ...

(1921–2014), a former

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player. * Beckie Scott (born 1974), a Winter Olympic cross-country skier and

gold medalist A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have be ...

. *

Lloyd Snelgrove Lloyd Snelgrove (born March 27, 1956) is a Canadian politician, who represented the electoral district of Vermilion-Lloydminster in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. He was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party. Political caree ...

(born 1956), a politician in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. *

Jeff Woywitka Jeffrey Woywitka (born September 1, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars, and New York Rangers. Playing career Woywitka was drafted ...

(born 1983), a former NHL player

References

External links

* {{Coord, 53, 21, 15, N, 110, 51, 10, W, scale:60000_type:city_region:CA-AB, display=title, name=Vermilion 1906 establishments in Alberta Towns in Alberta Populated places established in 1906