Located less than 60 kilometers west of Edmonton on beautiful Lac Ste Anne lies the Village of Alberta Beach. A sandy beach and warm shallow water provides fun for all ages. Alberta Beach was developed as a railway community and was used primarily for tourism and recreation and over the years has become a popular resort.
In 1912 the Alberta Northern Rail built the railroad to what is now Alberta Beach. With it’s proximity to Edmonton, Alberta Beach became a popular summertime destination resort and many people took advantage of the development of recreational facilities by the CNoR in 1916. A special frame station erected in 1917 was 24 feet by 73 feet. This enlarged shelter consisted of a waiting room with a door and window facing the tracks and a baggage room. A 16 foot wide board walk stretched from the station platform, west towards the town site and down the street to the beach, a bathers’ dressing room and the pier. Adjoining the board walk was the two-story Alberta Beach Hotel. The promenade, a 16 foot boardwalk extended 2000 feet along the beach that was set back far enough to allow for the construction of cottages.
In 1917 CNoR announced many up and coming travel excursions during July and August to Alberta Beach during the summer. Some of these excursions were “Campers’ Trains which left Edmonton on Wednesdays at 14:00pm, returning at 22:00, and on Saturdays leaving at 14:00 and 18:45, and returning at 20:20 and 23:30. The return train fare was $1.10. Travelers could also return to the city on train 2 which stopped at Alberta Beach on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
Charter train bookings for many of the Alberta Beach excursions were very popular and most attending these functions had traveled by train. A cookhouse in a large clearing adjacent to the depot was made available for public picnics. Also provided by the railway were tables, swings and between the railway and the beach a large open area available for baseball and other sports. Other enjoyable activities included fishing, boating and bathing and twice a week in the evening the dancing pavilion west of Main Street was a very popular place for the young and old. CNoR also picked people up in Edmonton on Saturday mornings, took them to Alberta Beach, and then picked them up Sunday night to take them back to Edmonton.
As well as it being a flurry of activity during train times it was also considered a social event. Alberta Beach had a most relaxing and beautiful atmosphere, as it still has today.
Other railway buildings on the Alberta Beach station grounds included an old car body used as a section bunkhouse, a single-pen stockyard with a loading chute and a standard section house. The loading chute and standard house were erected in 1920. Alberta Beach was incorporated August 23, 1920 as a Summer Village.
With the abandonment of the rail line in 1936, the railway buildings were sold or removed. The Alberta Beach station was sold and was moved to the owner’s farm. The section house was moved to the Gunn station grounds and the bunkhouse and stockyard demolished. Aside from the pier on the lake, which was removed, the balance of the recreational complex was turned over to the village.
On January 1, 1999 the Summer Village of Alberta Beach became a Village and is now named Alberta Beach.
Alberta Beach has a permanent population of 1018 and increases to over three thousand people during long weekends. A hotel and many other businesses prosper within the Village. Alberta Beach has developed in many ways while still preserving the reason for its popularity. The tranquility and beauty of the lake still draws admiration and provides relaxation to those who come to enjoy the area.