about edmonton

Edmonton is a vibrant prairie city is located near the centre of the province of Alberta in western Canada and is the provincial capital. Edmonton is Canada's fifth largest city and second most populous provincial capital (after Toronto).

history
In 1754, Anthony Henday, an explorer working for the Hudson's Bay Company, was probably the first European to enter the Edmonton area. His expeditions across the Canadian Prairies were mainly to seek new contact with the local aboriginals for the purpose of establishing fur trade. European traders from the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company set up trading posts in the area beginning in 1795. The Hudson's Bay Company set up Fort Edmonton, after the town of Edmonton in the UK (now a suburb in north London), the hometown of Sir James Winter Lake, then director of the Company.

John Rowand arrived in Edmonton in 1804 and was vital to the fort's importance, for he established it as the main distribution centre for the entire northwest. Fort Edmonton and the surrounding area was known to the local Cree as Amiskwaciy waskahigan (the "c" in Amiskwaciy is pronounced similar to a "ch"), meaning "Beaver Hills House".

settlers and oil
In the 1870s more people began to settle around Fort Edmonton, after the government offered the land at a good price. Edmonton had 700 residents in 1892, when it officially became a town. The city boomed during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897, as thousands of eager prospectors heading north, via the "All Canadian Route," stopped in Edmonton for supplies.

The first major oil discovery for Edmonton and the rest of the province was made on February 13, 1947 near the town of Leduc to the south. The area around Edmonton became home to most of Alberta's oil production earning the city the name "Oil Capital of Canada". Today Edmonton's economy is the second most diverse in Canada now boasting a strong technology sector.

city of champions
Edmontonians are proud of their city and its reputation as a City of Champions. Edmonton was home to the Edmonton Grads women's basketball team who hold the honour as the North American sports team with the best win/loss record of all time, 502 wins vs. 20 losses over 25 years (1915-1940). The Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League hold the North American pro sports record for most consecutive playoff appearances (34 consecutive seasons, as of 2005), and have won the Grey Cup (the CFL championship trophy) 13 times since 1921. The Edmonton Oilers who joined the National Hockey League in 1979 quickly became one of the best teams in the league, winning five Stanley Cup Championships between 1984 and 1990.

today
Edmonton is known as a well-rounded cultural, government, and educational centre which plays host to a year round slate of world-class festivals, earning it the title of Festival City. It is also home to North America's largest mall, West Edmonton Mall, Canada's largest historical park, Fort Edmonton Park, and North America's largest collection of authentic eighteenth century ships-of-the-line. In 2004, Edmonton celebrated the centennial of its incorporation as a city in 1904. To learn more about Edmonton please visit Edmonton Tourism or Edmonton Visitor Guide Online.