Beaverlodge is a town in

northern Alberta Northern Alberta is a geographic region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. An informally defined cultural region, the boundaries of Northern Alberta are not fixed. Under some schemes, the region encompasses everything north of the ce ...

, Canada. It is located on Highway 43, west of

Grande Prairie Grande Prairie is a city in Northern Alberta, northwestern Alberta, Canada, within the southern portion of an area known as Peace River Country. It is located at the intersection of Alberta Highway 43, Highway 43 (part of the CANAMEX Corridor) ...

and east of the

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

border.

History

The town was named for the Beaverlodge River, which was known as ''Uz-i-pa'' ("temporary lodge") by members of the

Beaver First Nation The Beaver First Nation () is a First Nation government or band, made up of members of the Danezaa people, also known as the Beavers. The Beaver First Nation is one of only two Danezaa bands in Alberta (the other being the Horse Lake First Nat ...

. The first European-Canadian settlers arrived in 1909. In 1953, a Specialized Canadian Forces Station was built five miles northeast of the town. It was a General Surveillance Radar Station built as part of the

NORAD North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ; , CDAAN), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and pr ...

pact with U.S. The buildings were operated by U.S military members, until the mid 60s when control was handed back to the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

. Operations at the base ceased on April 1, 1988, when the threat of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

decreased. The buildings were all eventually demolished in the mid 1990s.

Geography

Climate

Beaverlodge experiences a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Dfc'') that borders on a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(Köppen ''Dfb'').

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 Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, the Town of Beaverlodge had a population of 2,271 living in 923 of its 1,022 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 2,465. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Beaverlodge recorded a population of 2,465 living in 953 of its 1,024 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 2,365. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Attractions

In 2004, a Giant Beaver statue was unveiled in the town's park, which can be seen from Highway 43.

Sports

The town is the home of the Beaverlodge Blades, a

hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

team in the

North West Junior Hockey League The North West Junior Hockey League is a Junior "B" Ice Hockey league operating in the Peace River region of Alberta and British Columbia, Canada, sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The winner of Northwest "B" playoffs earns the chance to compete for t ...

(NWJHL). The team plays out of the Beaverlodge Arena and was established in 2000.

Amenities

The town has an arena, a public library, an indoor swimming pool and play parks.

Education

There is an elementary school, grade K-6, Junior High students are bused to

Hythe Hythe, from Anglo-Saxon ''hȳð'', may refer to a landing-place, port or haven, either as an element in a toponym, such as Rotherhithe in London, or to: Places Australia * Hythe, Tasmania Canada *Hythe, Alberta, a hamlet in Canada England *The ...

for grades 7–9, St. Mary's Catholic School is available for students attending grades 1–9. The high school, Beaverlodge Regional High School (BRHS), is attended by students from

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...

Valhalla In Norse mythology, Valhalla ( , ; , )Orchard (1997:171–172) is described as a majestic hall located in Asgard and presided over by the god Odin. There were five possible realms the soul could travel to after death. The first was Fólkvang ...

, Horse Lakes No. 152B (Indian reserve), Kelly Lake (Metis settlement), Elmworth and St. Mary's in addition to the local Beaverlodge students.

Notable people

* Jerry Holland, ice hockey player * Simon Hoogewerf, middle-distance runner * Mel Knight, politician * Chris Schmidt, ice hockey player * Geoff Walker, curler * Matt Walker, ice hockey player * Brian Walker, ice hockey player * Euphemia McNaught, impressionist painter

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1929 establishments in Alberta Towns in Alberta Populated places established in 1929