Elk Point, Alberta
Posted by: 
T0SHEA
N 53° 53.841 W 110° 54.036
12U E 506531 N 5972105
Located in east central Alberta, Elk Point straddles Highway 41 about 200 km. northeast of Edmonton.
Waymark Code: WMGDJE
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 02/18/2013
Views: 3
Initially the Elk Point area was the site of a Hudson's Bay fur trading post, in the late 18th and well into the 19th centuries. With the opening of government land to homesteading at the turn of the twentieth century, the area around Elk Point was homesteaded and the town was formed. For many years solely a farming settlement, Elk Point has become a part of Alberta's oil patch, with recent activity in the area and oil well service companies setting up shop in the town.
In 2007 the 1,512 citizens of Elk Point celebrated the town's centennial. Still around 1,600, the population has not grown significantly since then, but likely will continue to grow steadily due to the influence of the oil patch.
Elk Point is nestled in the green rolling hills on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. Their motto, "The Right Place to Be" is for the quality of life in their community.
Elk Point is the home of a chainsaw carved statue of Peter Fidler. It is a 34 foot high by 8 foot wide statue carved over a period of six weeks by Herman Poulin.
Peter Fidler was a British surveyor, map-maker, chief fur trader and explorer who had a long career in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company. The carved image of Fidler is located at the north end of Elk Point on Highway 41. Read about Fidler here: (
visit link)
The town is also home to a collection of 25 murals painted by local artist and historian Billie Milholland in a one and a half year span fron 1987 to 1989. The murals, depicting Elk Point's history, were taken from pictures, postcards and reminiscences of local citizens.
We enjoyed our stay in Elk Point and took pictures of the impressive carving of Fidler, most of the town's murals and, of course, its last remaining grain elevator.