Learn about Edmonton's fascinating history!
Inhabited by Indigenous Peoples for thousands of years, the city we recognize today did not begin to develop until the 1800s. Since that time people, events, and local, national and international forces have shaped our city to the one we know and love today. To make it easier to digest, we have provided five short sections detailing Edmonton's past based on broad historical periods.
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Indigenous Peoples have called this area home for millennia. Many trace their origin stories to being of the lands of Turtle Island, and denounce other theories of migration. One certainty is that Settlers did not arrive in the West until commerce and the need for raw materials drove them to expand.
Edmonton as we know it today began to develop in the early 1870s. Initially a very small community, it grew steadily until 1904, at which time it had a population of over 8,000.
Between 1905 and 1913 Edmonton experienced incredible growth. The population exploded from less than 10,000 to almost 70,000 in only a few years.
Between 1914 and 1945 Edmonton underwent phenomenal change as the Great War, the Depression and the Second World War left their mark.
The discovery of oil in Alberta changed Edmonton forever. Rapid growth, new technologies and changing lifestyles and world views dramatically altered Edmonton’s built landscape.