Fort Saskatchewan

Fort Saskatchewan is a city of about 25,000 people (2016) in the Edmonton Capital Region. The city is most well known for its proximity to petrochemical facilities, including Dow Chemical, Sherritt International, Agrium and Shell Canada. It is also known for its flock of 50 sheep that roam its downtown park throughout the summer months eating the grass. The city mascot is a sheep named Auggie.

Understand
Fort Saskatchewan's main industries are commercial and heavy industry. Fort Saskatchewan is part of Alberta's industrial heartland, the largest Canadian industrial area west of Toronto. Companies with operations in the area include Dow Chemical, Sherritt International, Agrium and Shell Canada. These plants are major employers for residents of Fort Saskatchewan and the surrounding area.

With the city's growth, the commercial service sector has also grown. Multi-national corporations with stores in Fort Saskatchewan include Wal-Mart and the Home Depot, with Canadian Tire, Safeway and Sobeys acting as some of the other major employers.

History
In 1875, under the command of Inspector W.D. Jarvis, the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) established Fort Saskatchewan as a fort on the North Saskatchewan River. The community was incorporated as a village in 1899, a town in 1904, and a city in 1985.

The Canadian Northern Railway reached Fort Saskatchewan in 1905, placing the town on a transcontinental rail line. The first bridge across the river was also built at this time, with the rail company paying for it in exchange for free land for its station in Fort Saskatchewan.[8] Prior to the bridge, the only method to cross the river at Fort Saskatchewan was via ferry. In the decade after the railway arrived, the town's population nearly doubled to 993.

A new $200,000 provincial jail opened in 1915 at the end of what is now 100th Avenue to replace the 34-cell guard house that had been used to hold prisoners since the NWMP fort was constructed in 1875. There were various additions to the jail throughout the next 70 years, including the construction of more cell blocks and a stand-alone power plant. By 1973, the jail employed 220 residents and housed both male and female offenders. The jail was replaced in 1988 when a new provincial correctional centre was built south of Highway 15 on 101st Street. The original jail cell blocks were demolished in 1994.

In 1952, Sherritt Gordon Mines started construction on a $25-million nickel refinery in Fort Saskatchewan, which started production in 1954. Following Sherritt Gordon's locating in Fort Saskatchewan, more industries constructed plants in the town. Between 1951 and 1956, the town's population doubled from 1,076 to 2,582.

Dow Chemical acquired 700 acres in Fort Saskatchewan in 1959, and open its plant in 1961 and further expanding it in 1967. Within five years of beginning operation at Dow, the population increased to 4,152 in 1966, from 2,972 in 1961.

By car
Fort Saskatchewan is 25 km (16 mi) northeast of Edmonton. Highway 16 east from Edmonton to Highway 21 north to Fort Saskatchewan. Highway 15, known as Manning Drive, also leads to the city.

Get around

 * Fort Sask Transit operates two routes M-F only 5:30-8:30PM. Fare: $3.00, children 12 and under free. Edmonton's ARC card is also accepted.
 * The city has many kilometers of bike and walking trails, with lush greenbelts following the river valley.

Do

 * The city also has two other indoor ice arenas: the Jubilee Recreation Centre and the Sportsplex, that are used during the winter months by hockey, ringette and figure skating associations. In the summer months, the lacrosse association uses them. Fort Saskatchewan also has the Harbour Pool, which is an indoor swimming pool that includes a hot tub, sauna and slide.
 * Over of paved trails meander through the city's dozen parks, including Legacy Park, which is the city's main gathering place and hosts festivals in the summer.
 * There is one nine-hole golf course within the city's boundaries and three others nearby.
 * The city's west end features a boat launch into the North Saskatchewan River, called Red Coat Landing, and a provincially preserved natural area, called the Fort Saskatchewan Prairie.
 * The city's west end features a boat launch into the North Saskatchewan River, called Red Coat Landing, and a provincially preserved natural area, called the Fort Saskatchewan Prairie.

Go next

 * The Elk Island National Park, which is famous for its bison, is southeast of the city.