Location: |
435 Km northeast of Edmonton on Highway 63 |
Population: |
79,810 |
Average Temperature: |
January -19.8†CJuly +16.6†C |
Annual Rainfall: |
334.5 mm |
Annual Snowfall: |
172.0 cm |
Hours of Sunshine/Year: |
2108.9 |
Elevation: |
370 m |
Industries: |
Oil sands, natural gas and pipeline sectors, forestry, tourism, retail |
A fur trader by the name of Peter Pond is credited as the first white man to travel through this region in 1778 in search of furs. In 1870, Henry "John" Moberly was dispatched by the Hudson's Bay Company to open a trading post here. He named the post Fort McMurray after William McMurray, the chief factor for the Hudson's Bay Company in the region. While the fur trade dwindled, Fort McMurray remained the most significant transportation terminus to the Arctic.
Before 1921, Fort McMurray was accessible only by river, travelling on scows - uncomfortable, wide, flat-bottom boats. In 1968, the MacKenzie Highway and Great Slave Railway became the preferred routing. Mixed passenger and freight rail service came to a halt when the Canadian National Railway closed the line in 1989. The history of Fort McMurray is a tribute to the rogues, fortune hunters, idealists and adventurers who helped to open up the Canadian North; a celebration of those rugged souls who carved out a life for themselves in surroundings that were as inhospitable as they were beautiful.
Today, Fort McMurray's oil sands industry is a prosperous one and continues to grow. It promises success well into the new millennium.
Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce
- regional economic information (1-780-743-3100)
Oilsands Interpretative Center Museum
- open year round (1-780-743-7167)
Heritage Park Museum
- open year round (1-780-791-7575)
Public Tours of Oilsands Mining Operations
- available through the summer months through the Fort McMurray
Visitor's Bureau (1-800-565-3947)
Vista Ridge Recreational Facilities
- skiing, downhill & cross country (1-780-743-8651)
Gregoire Lake Provincial Park
- located 30 minutes south of Fort McMurray
Paved bicycle and walking paths
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The Sawridge Inn Slave Lake
1200 Main Street, P.O. Box 879
Slave Lake, Alberta, T0G 2A0
Toll free 1-888-729-7343
Phone 1-780-849-4101 Fax 1-780-849-3426
Email slavelake@sawridge.com |
The Sawridge Inn Peace River
9510-100Street
Peace River, Alberta, T8S 1S9
Toll free 1-888-729-7343
Ph 1-780-624-3621 Fax 1-780-624-4855
Email peaceriver@sawridge.com |
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The Sawridge Inn Jasper
82 Connaught Drive - PO Box 2080
Jasper, Alberta, TOE 1E0
Toll Free 1-888-729-7343
Phone 1-780-852-5111 Fax 1-780-852-5942
Email jasper@sawridge.com |
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