With a population of approximately 5000, Wainwright is located 200 km southeast of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada at the intersection of Highways 14 and 41. The original settlement of Denwood was established in 1906 and renamed when it was moved in its entirety to a railway divisional point 4km away in 1908. This new site was named for William Wainwright, second Vice President of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. It developed as the administrative and distributing centre of an extensive farming area. Oil and gas were discovered in 1922 and are piped from some 400 wells.
Camp Wainwright, a major army training facility, has been designated as the Western Area Training Centre encompassing a region from Thunder Bay to Victoria. Extensive upgrading to the Camp's facilities has been taking place and much more is planned. Projects totalling $94 million have been undertaken in the last 5 years and additional expenditures are proposed over the next 5 years. Camp Wainwright will provide important training services to the Canadian Army as well as troops from other countries such as Britain and the USA for years to come.
Both oil and gas activity is prominent in the Wainwright area. Exploration, drilling and facility development are continuing on a regular basis. Being located on the edge of the huge oil reserves of North Eastern Alberta is a major advantage for Wainwright's future oil industry.
Agriculture continues to be the primary industry of the community. The climate and soil conditions support a diverse production of crops and livestock. Area farmers are keen to apply new technologies and keep abreast of the latest trends, increasing the viability of their operations and maintaining the overall strength of the industry.
A vast array of recreational and tourism opportunities are available in Wainwright. The Communiplex houses a 25-metre indoor swimming pool, wading pool, whirlpool, sauna, racquetball courts, weight room, dance studio, meeting rooms, community theatre and halls. Numerous parks include modern facilities for baseball, tennis, camping, soccer and fishing for youths and seniors, plus the world famous Bud Cotton Buffalo Park. The eighteen hole golf course has grass greens, driving range, clubhouse and lounge, equipment rentals and a RV park.
Situated at 1001 - 1A Avenue, CN Railway Station, Main Street, The Wainwright and District Museum has a superb local general history collection dealing
with Wainwright Buffalo Park, agricultural/pioneer life, military, oil industry
and CN Railway display. They also have a radio and phone exhibit, and a model of the
Battle River Trestle, plus the largest collection of spoons in the Northern
Hemisphere.
The Galleria Country Style restaurant is open year-round from 9:30 - 5:00 Monday
to Saturday for lunch and coffee. It serves the local bus line and features
outside picnic tables.