Wetaskiwin

Wetaskiwin is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. The city is located south of the provincial capital of Edmonton. The city name comes from the Cree word , meaning "the hills where peace was made".
Wetaskiwin is home to the Reynolds-Alberta Museum, a museum dedicated to celebrating "the spirit of the machine" as well as the Wetaskiwin and District Heritage Museum, which documents the pioneer arrival and lifestyle in Wetaskiwin's early years. Southeast of Wetaskiwin, the Alberta Central Railway Museum acknowledges the impact that the railway had on Central Alberta.
The city is well known in Western Canada for the slogan and jingle "Cars cost less in Wetaskiwin", from the Wetaskiwin Auto Dealers Association. Both have been in print, radio, and television advertisements since the mid-1970s.
History
The future location of Wetaskiwin was once the site of a battle between the Cree and the Blackfoot, known as Wee-Tas-Ki-Win-Spatinow for "the place where peace was made". In 1890, when the Calgary and Edmonton Railway was built, it became a whistle-stop, and was known as Siding 16. In 1892, when the area was surveyed, it was named Wetaskiwin to commemorate the battle. Shortly after the survey, a group of Scandinavian immigrants settled at the townsite. A number of businesses were established, as well as a newspaper, the Free Lance.
In 1900, a Baptist church was organized. One year later, the village, with a population of more than 500, and was officially incorporated.
By 1908, Wetaskiwin had a town hall and several churches. The town's courthouse was built in 1909, and the water tower was built at about the same time.
After World War II, Wetaskiwin airport was founded; it later became the site of the Reynolds-Alberta Museum.
Geography
Wetaskiwin sits on what was formerly the coast of the large sea that covered much of Alberta millions of years ago. The northwest end of Wetaskiwin is characterized by hills with sandy soil (formerly sand dunes), while the southeast end of the city is very flat with more silty soil.
The city lies at an elevation of . Coal Lake, a reservoir developed on the Battle River is located immediately east of the city, and other nearby waterways include Pipestone Creek, Bigstone Creek, Bittern Lake and Bearhills Lake.
Wetaskiwin is located at the junction of Highway 2A, Highway 13 and the Canadian Pacific railroad. It was a stagecoach stop between Calgary and Edmonton.
Climate
Wetaskiwin has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) with warm summers that retain cool nights, and
cold winters. It falls into zone 3b under Plant hardiness zones.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the City of Wetaskiwin had a population of 12,594 living in 5,186 of its 5,643 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 12,655. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the City of Wetaskiwin had a population of 12,655 living in 5,121 of its 5,563 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 12,525. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.
The population of Wetaskiwin according to its 2014 municipal census is 12,621, a change of from its 2009 municipal census population of 12,285.
Almost 12% of the population identified as aboriginal at the time of the 2006 census.
Almost 90% of residents identified English as their first language. About 2.5% identified German, 1.5% French, 1.0% Cree, 0.9% Tagalog, 0.5% identified Chinese, and 0.4% each identified Swedish and Ukrainian as their first language learned.
About 75 percent of residents identified as Christian at the time of the 2001 census, while 24 percent indicated they had no religious affiliation. For specific denominations Statistics Canada found 20% identified as Roman Catholic, 15% identified with the United Church of Canada, more than 12% identified as Lutheran, 5% identified as Baptist, more than 4% identified as Anglican, and almost 2% identified as Pentecostal.
Features and attractions
Water tower
Built in 1909, Wetaskiwin's water tower is one of the oldest municipal water towers in Canada. The 42-metre-high structure has towered above Wetaskiwin since 1909 and holds 454,609 litres of water.
In 2004, Wetaskiwin City Council considered the possibility of demolishing the water tower, but concerned citizens convinced them the old tower was worth saving. Work to refurbish the tower began in 2005, and by 2006 the water tower was completely restored.
Peace cairn
The Wetaskiwin Peace Cairn commemorates 60 years of peace between the Blackfoot and Cree First Nations. This historic peace pact took place in a group of hills just north of present-day Wetaskiwin.
At the time of construction, school children each carried a rock and walked in a procession from their school to the hill where the cairn was to be erected.
The cairn was dedicated during the celebrations for Canada's Diamond Jubilee on 2 July 1927.
Manluk Centre
The Manluk Centre is a 44,756 square foot facility that opened on 13 September 2014. The facility has the Flaman Fitness Facility on its second floor. Built over a two-year period, the facility was funded by contributions from local businesses and individuals. Amenities include a 25-metre pool, a leisure pool, a lazy river, wave machine, slides, whirlpool, and a steam room.
City Hall
The current City Hall was originally built as a courthouse, and was completed in 1908 at a cost $75,000. It was one of seven such buildings commissioned by the new Province of Alberta between 1906 and 1912, under the direction of Provincial Architect A. M. Jeffers.
The building was constructed in modern renaissance style, with the outside being composed entirely of red brick. The front steps, the back steps, the columns, and the keystones are constructed of stone, and the foundation is made of concrete and rubble sheathed with sandstone from the Calgary area.
In the early years, the basement of the courthouse contained the jail cells, the caretaker's residence, and the North-West Mounted Police residence. The cells are in their original state, and still contain the original carvings prisoners etched into the brick walls. The caretaker looked after the building and the grounds while his wife looked after the family, as well as feeding the prisoners and the members of the North-West Mounted Police housed there. In 1920, two German field cannons that were seized from Germany at the end of World War were placed on the front lawn of the Old Courthouse. These cannons, presented to the citizens of Wetaskiwin by the Dominion Government of Canada, served to honour the many men and women of this community who volunteered for active service.
In 1983, a new courthouse was built, and the old courthouse sat empty for more than two decades. In the late 1990s, a local developer approached the city with plans to renovate it as City Hall's new home; after several meetings between the parties involved, the old courthouse was purchased by the city and renovation began in 2005. Glass was used to frame the new areas of the building; the brick exterior of the Old Courthouse was left undisturbed. Aside from changes required by Alberta's building codes, the requirements set out by Alberta Historical Resources were followed during the restoration of the original courtroom, which now serves as Council Chambers. The wood panelling was retained, and the cast iron radiators were connected to the new geothermal heating and cooling system. New paint and carpet completed the renovations, and in 2007 the building became Wetaskiwin's new City Hall.
By-the-Lake Park
Wetaskiwin's By-the-Lake Park, located near the Automile close to Wetaskiwin's downtown core, is a day-use facility featuring a 2.5-kilometre paved trail surrounding a 17-acre man-made lake and a large picnic area and a nature trail with signs identifying various plants and wildlife. The lake is stocked with fish for summer and winter fishing (Alberta Sport Fishing Regulations must be followed) and is used by school and community groups for canoeing and watersports. During the winter months the lake and surrounding area is used for cross-country skiing, ice skating, tobogganing, and pick-up games of pond-hockey.
Politics
Historically the population of Wetaskiwin has voted Conservative in both provincial and federal politics. The city is currently represented in the House of Commons by MP Mike Lake of the Conservative Party.
Infrastructure
The Wetaskiwin Regional Airport is located within Wetaskiwin city limits.
Media
Wetaskiwin is served by two local newspapers, the Pipestone Flyer and The Wetaskiwin Times.
Education
Wetaskiwin Regional Public Schools operates area public schools, including Wetaskiwin Composite High School. St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Schools, the area Catholic school system, operates the Sacred Heart School (grades K-9) in Wetaskiwin.
Notable people
Rod Buskas, former professional hockey player
Jackson Davies, actor
Val Fonteyne, former professional hockey player
Paul Greene, actor
Gus Marker, former professional hockey player
Lori Radke, former Paralympic wheelchair basketball player
Martin Sonnenberg, professional hockey player
Allen York, professional hockey player
Aritha van Herk, author, academic, critic, editor
Justine Bouchard, gold medalist wrestler
Harnarayan Singh, play-by-play announcer for the Punjabi edition of Hockey Night in Canada
References
External links
1899 establishments in the Northwest Territories
Cities in Alberta
Populated places established in 1899