Camrose

Camrose is a small city of about 19,000 people (2016) in the Central Alberta region of Alberta, Canada.

Understand

Camrose is about 90 km southeast of Edmonton, in a transitory region of Alberta, between prairie and boreal forest, known as aspen parkland. It's a major economic centre for many small farming communities in the surrounding area. The Stoney Creek runs through the city and flows into the Battle River, south of the city.

History

The area around Camrose was first settled in around 1900. At that time the nearby settlement of Wetaskiwin was a major centre for pioneers; typically, it was the last stopping-off point before they set out in search of nearby land. The site that was to be Camrose was about a day's journey from Wetaskiwin along the railroad, which made it a popular place on the route of pioneers. Soon businessmen and other settlers arrived to stay. The settlers came primarily from Scandinavian countries, such as Norway and Sweden, and many settlers also came from the United States. At that time the settlement was known as the hamlet of Stoney Creek. In 1904, Stoney Creek began receiving mail service, its first businesses began to open, and its first RCMP officer (Constable "Blue" Smith) arrived.

On May 4, 1905, the settlement was incorporated as the Village of Sparling, named for Reverend Dr. Sparling of Winnipeg; however, because the name was often confused with Sperling and Stirling, in 1906 the Village Council renamed the settlement to Camrose. There is no factual evidence about the reason for the choice of the name Camrose, but it is generally thought that it was named after the Village of Camrose in Pembrokeshire, South Wales. In December 1906, Camrose was incorporated as a town.

From 1905 to 1914, there was a great deal of railway construction in the Camrose area. Camrose became a bit of a railway hub, sitting on railways that connected to Edmonton and Calgary, and to many of the smaller towns in central Alberta, such as Vegreville, Stettler, Drumheller, and Wetaskiwin. By 1914, 12 passenger trains came through Camrose daily. In those days the growth of Camrose was strongly linked with the railway.

On June 26, 1912, the first building of the Camrose Lutheran College (known as Augustana University College from 1991 to 2004) was opened. Today the campus continues as the Augustana Faculty of the University of Alberta.

Get in

By car

Highway 13 passes through the city. Edmonton is 90 km northwest, via Highway 21, which intersects Highway 13 about 6 km west of Camrose.

By bus

The Camrose Connector bus service travels to Edmonton on weekdays.

By air

• Edmonton international Airport (YEG ^IATA). Located 75 km (47 mi) northwest of Camrose, near Leduc.  
• Camrose Airport (Located at 46 Street & 55 Avenue), ☎ [phone]. Private aircraft only; no commercial service  

Get around

See

• Bailey Theatre, 5041 50 Street, ☎ [phone]. Alberta's oldest Vaudeville theatre. 
• Camrose & District Centennial Museum, 4522 53 Street, ☎ [phone]. Home of thousands of artefacts with one main building and twelve outside buildings. No admission; by donation. 
• Camrose Railway Museum & Park, 4407 47 Avenue, ☎ [phone]. 1911 Canadian Northern Railway depot with unique displays of local railway heritage, the White Elephant gift shop, self-serve refreshments in the Tea Room, as well as the Canadian Northern Society’s archives and library. 
• 🌍 Camrose Regional Exhibition, 4250 Exhibition Drive, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. A multipurpose agriculture, entertainment, education and leisure complex situated on 103 acres of land located on the east end of Camrose along Highway 13. Home to Big Valley Jamboree. 
• 🌍 University of Alberta Augustana Campus, 4901 46 Avenue, ☎ [phone]. 

Do

• 🌍 Cross Country Skiing at the Camrose Ski Club, 39 Avenue & 53 Street, e-mail: [e-mail]. 16 km of cross-country trails throughout Camrose. 
• Hotel Camrose Resort and Casino, 3201 48 Avenue, toll-free: [phone]. 
• Ice skating at Mirror Lake, 5402 48 Avenue. 

Golf

• Camrose Golf Course, 5106 66 Street. 
• Silver Creek Gold & RV Resort, 45314 Highway 21; New Norway, AB (24 km southwest of Camrose on Hwy 21 near New Norway), ☎ [phone]. 

Buy

• Downtown Camrose. There are over 280 businesses within the Business Revitalization Zone. It is here that you will find the majority of professional services and a very strong retail sector. 

Eat

Drink

Sleep

• 🌍 Canalta Hotels, 4710 73 Street, ☎ [phone]. (updated Sep 2018)
• 🌍 Hotel Camrose Resort and Casino, 3201 48 Avenue, toll-free: [phone]. (updated Sep 2018)
• 🌍 Norsemen Inn, 6505 48 Avenue, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone]. (updated Sep 2018)
• 🌍 R & R Inn & Suites, ☎ [phone]. (updated Sep 2018)
• 🌍 Ramada, 4702 73 Street. (updated Sep 2018)
• 🌍 Traveller’s Inn Camrose, 6216 48 Avenue, ☎ [phone]. (updated Sep 2018)

Connect

Go next

Routes through Camrose

Jct S N ← Wetaskiwin ←	W  E	→ becomes → Biggar → Saskatoon
Edmonton ← Sherwood Park ←	N  S	→ Jct W E → Three Hills → Strathmore
END ←	N  S	→ Stettler → Drumheller