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| Athabasca
Landing |
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Before the explorers and fur traders, nomadic bands of Athapaskan and Cree
Indians travelled on the Athabasca River and through the area.
In the late 18th century, the development of the fur trade in Western Canada
created keen competition for trade routes. The North West Company's David Thompson
ventured up the Athabasca River in May 1799, and Peter Fidler, working for the
rival Hudson's Bay Company, followed overland on Thompson's heels in January
1800.
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| People
at Athabasca Landing |
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Despite the early discovery of the Athabasca River as a trade route, its importance
as a stepping stone to Canada's North remained unrecognized until the 1870s.
The Athabasca landing Trail, carved from the wilderness by the Hudson's Bay
Company in 1875-76, created Athabasca Landing and the age of steamboat traffic
on the Athabasca River.
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| Athabasca
Fur Trade |
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From 1875 to 1914, Athabasca Landing grew in importance as a distribution centre
for goods shipped overland along the Athabasca Landing Trail, then north by
scow or steamboat-downriver for the Mackenzie River, and upriver through Lesser
Slave Lake for the Peace River. The trail played a vital role in building and
sustaining the north and for almost 40 years was Canada's busiest northern route.
In 1912, the arrival of the railroad in Athabasca signalled the end of the
trail's importance, and from 1914 to 1920, other railroad development to the
north changed the town's role as a transportation centre. The flood of settlers
who arrived between 1908 and 1914 transformed Athabasca into an agricultural
and service centre, a role that continues today.
The development of natural gas fields in the area during the 1950s brought
new growth, and the arrival of Athabasca
University in 1984 resulted in major economic, cultural, and social
development.
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| Athabasca
in 1911 |
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Today, Athabasca continues to be the business and recreation hub for more than
10,000 people living in an area of 15,000 square kilometres.