Chisholm, Alberta
Chisholm, also known as Chisholm Mills, is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada, within the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124.[1] It is located 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) east of the Athabasca River, approximately 56 kilometres (35 mi) southeast of the Town of Slave Lake. The hamlet is served by both road (approximately 8.5 kilometres (5.3 mi) west of Highway 44) and rail (Canadian National Railway).
History
During the 1930s, Chisholm was the site of an sawmill and box factory. It took its name from the American mill owner. There were several lumber camps in the surrounding area. Logs harvested during the winter were floated down the Athabasca River in the spring. Lumber and boxes were shipped to locations throughout Canada and the United States by the Northern Alberta Railway (NAR). Today, the NAR is part of the Canadian National Railway (CNR).
During World War II, there was also a camp for German prisoners, Camp Chisholm.[2] Located across the river from the sawmill site, it was serviced by a cable ferry. There is also a large gravel pit located near Chisholm and gravel from this pit was used as ballast for the railway.
In the summer of 2001, a major forest fire destroyed ten houses within the hamlet[3] and 120,000 hectares of timber in the surrounding area.[4] An investigation conducted by the Province of Alberta alleged that the fire was caused by a CNR train.[5]
Demographics
As a designated place in the 2011 Census, Chisholm had a population of 15 living in 7 of its 8 total dwellings, a -25% change from its 2006 population of 20. With a land area of 2.84 km2 (1.10 sq mi), it had a population density of 5.28/km2 (13.7/sq mi) in 2011.[6]
See also
References
- ↑ Alberta Municipal Affairs (2010-04-01). "Specialized and Rural Municipalities and Their Communities" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-06-29.
- ↑ Conrad, Klaus. (2009). Canadian escapades-- Kanadische Eskapaden : the true story of the author’s 3 escapes from WW2 POW camps (in German and English) (Bilingual ed.). Chelmsford, MA: Germancosm. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-9843271-0-2.
- ↑ "Alberta charges rail companies in connection with forest fire". cbc.ca. 2001-11-19. Retrieved 2012-04-03.
- ↑ "CN to plead guilty in fire case, trial for RaiLink continues". cbc.ca. 2006-01-17. Retrieved 2012-04-03.
- ↑ "CN settles Alberta wildfire claims". cbc.ca. 2006-01-13. Retrieved 2012-04-03.
- ↑ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2011 and 2006 censuses (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2012-04-06.
Coordinates: 54°54′34″N 114°10′08″W / 54.90944°N 114.16889°W