The signs and plaques are arrayed along the waterfront walkway, with the pair of centennial plaques directly opposite the children's playground.
Today Sylvan Lake is a town of over 13,000 and has for the past century been a popular fishing, vacation and recreation spot. It has grown exponentially in recent decades. The town held its first regatta in 1913, with the tradition continuing for several decades. From a population of about 900 in 1946 and 1,800 in 1976, it doubled in size between 1976 and 1981 and doubled again between 1996 and 2006. It has been dubbed one of the fastest growing rural communities in the nation by Statistics Canada.
Below is an overview of the town's history from 1899 to its incorporation as a village in 1913.
Early Settlement - 1899 to 1913
- 1899 to 1913
Early settlement in the Sylvan Lake area was discouraging to most due to the heavy timber that surrounded the lake. It was not until 1899 that Alexandre Loiselle and his son Louis came from Michigan to settle at what was then called Snake Lake. Native Americans had given the lake this name due to the many garter snakes that populated the sand banks. Sylvan Lake’s present name, meaning ‘wooded lake’, was adopted in the early 20th century as the result of a petition.
The Faucher family arrived at Snake Lake the same year as the Loiselles. The journey from Red Deer took two to three days. That first winter was tough for the two families who lived together (twenty-two people in total) in a 20 ft . x 20 ft . log cabin with a sod roof.
The Loiselles profited from their heavily wooded surroundings by operating a sawmill and supplying lumber to new homesteads in the area. Lumber was rafted from Sylvan Lake to Red Deer via Burnt Lake which, in those days, was connected to the Red Deer River.
By 1902, several Red Deer families were camping near the lake shore. The first summer cottages were built in 1904. In this year, W.P.M. Jarvis bought property on the shore where Jarvis Bay campground is currently located.
Alexandre Loiselle built the first hotel around 1902, later adding a store and post office. Fire destroyed Loiselle’s first hotel, but in 1905 he rebuilt, constructing a 16-room Sylvan Lake Hotel where the Shell gas station is located today. In 1911, Loiselle sold his hotel to J.C. Rutter who named it Rutter Hotel. That same year, Loiselle built the Alexander Hotel on the present site of the Golf and Country Club parking lot. In the fall of 1912 the Sylvan Dell School (later re-named Sylvan Lake School) opened with twenty-seven students.
The first Canadian Northern Western Railway (later CNR) passenger train passed through Sylvan Lake in February 1912 allowing mail to arrive more regularly. The rail line was completed from Red Deer to Rocky Mountain house in December of that year. In 1914 the Alberta Central Railroad (later CPR) completed a rail line through Sylvan Lake further helping to develop the area. The CPR rail line was abandoned in 1983 and the tracks were torn up. The Town of Sylvan Lake has since converted the long narrow strip of land into a hike and bike trail that is enjoyed by residents today.
The railroad brought the prospect of future growth to a settlement that already featured more than 25 occupied dwellings, a post office, school, hardware store and hotel. On December 30th, 1912, the Executive Council, upon the recommendation of the Alberta Minister of Municipal Affairs, advised that Sylvan Lake be established as a village. The population of the village at the time was approximately 50. A meeting for the nomination of Councillors took place on January 13th, 1913 and was followed by the first meeting of Council on January 29th. Earl S. Grimson, a hardware store owner, was appointed chairman and served alongside fellow Councillors A. A. Gouden and A. Loiselle. To this day, Sylvan Lake residents celebrate the date of their incorporation with a festival called 1913 Days.