Namao, Alberta
Namao is a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada within Sturgeon County.[1] It is located at the intersection of Highway 37 and Highway 28, approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) north of Edmonton's city limits. It was the namesake of RCAF Station Namao, now CFB Edmonton, which is directly south of the hamlet.
On August 22, 1891, the Edmonton Bulletin[2] reported that, "The Sturgeon river settlers had been requesting a post office since May 3, 1884. They had wanted to call it Wilson Valley at first, then Sturgeon and finally Naoma (Namao)." It opened on April 12, 1892.[3] According to Wilfred McLean, Dan [McKinley, who took up one of the first Sturgeon homesteads in the early 1880s] insisted on the name; "[He] had associated with the Indians for quite a few years and knew quite a few Cree words.",[4] The name is derived from the Cree word ᓇᒣᐤ (namêw), meaning "sturgeon".[5][6]
On May 19, 1892, Postmaster J. Johnstone wrote that, "'Nemao' is the correct spelling of the name of the post office in the Sturgeon river settlement."[3]
Demographics
The population of Namao according to Sturgeon County's 2008 municipal census is 10.[7]
Climate
| Climate data for Namao | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 10 (50) |
13.9 (57.0) |
16.3 (61.3) |
29.6 (85.3) |
31.9 (89.4) |
33.9 (93.0) |
33.9 (93.0) |
33.9 (93.0) |
32.8 (91.0) |
28.4 (83.1) |
18.9 (66.0) |
10.6 (51.1) |
33.9 (93.0) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −7.6 (18.3) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
1.3 (34.3) |
10.6 (51.1) |
17.3 (63.1) |
20.5 (68.9) |
22.2 (72.0) |
21.4 (70.5) |
16.3 (61.3) |
10.5 (50.9) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
−6.2 (20.8) |
8.4 (47.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −12.1 (10.2) |
−10.1 (13.8) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
4.8 (40.6) |
11.1 (52.0) |
14.7 (58.5) |
16.5 (61.7) |
15.6 (60.1) |
10.5 (50.9) |
4.9 (40.8) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
−10.6 (12.9) |
3.1 (37.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −16.6 (2.1) |
−14.8 (5.4) |
−8.2 (17.2) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
4.8 (40.6) |
8.8 (47.8) |
10.8 (51.4) |
9.7 (49.5) |
4.7 (40.5) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
−9.1 (15.6) |
−15 (5) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −42.2 (−44.0) |
−38 (−36) |
−35 (−31) |
−23.3 (−9.9) |
−7.2 (19.0) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
2.8 (37.0) |
−2 (28) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
−24.5 (−12.1) |
−35.4 (−31.7) |
−39.2 (−38.6) |
−42.2 (−44.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 19.7 (0.78) |
14 (0.6) |
17.3 (0.68) |
20.2 (0.80) |
44.7 (1.76) |
88.6 (3.49) |
95.7 (3.77) |
74.8 (2.94) |
39.6 (1.56) |
16.4 (0.65) |
14.3 (0.56) |
21 (0.8) |
466.3 (18.36) |
| Source: Environment Canada[8] | |||||||||||||
References
- Alberta Municipal Affairs (April 1, 2010). "Specialized and Rural Municipalities and Their Communities" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 29, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
- "The Edmonton Bulletin: 1891". peel.library.ualberta.ca.
- "The Edmonton Bulletin: 1892". peel.library.ualberta.ca.
- copies of "The Story of Malcolm McKinlay (1848-1934), Pioneer of the West, Arrived in Edmonton 1883, One Hundred Years ago" by Wilfred McLean (Grandson); copies held by McKinlay descendants, p. 21
- "Lake Sturgeon, Nemêw, Buffalo of the Water - Spacing Edmonton". Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- "Search results". www.creedictionary.com. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- Capital Region Board. "Planning Toolkit, Module 5 – Implementation Guidelines for Growth Areas Outside of Priority Growth Areas (PGAs) and Cluster Country Residential Areas (CCRAs)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
- Environment Canada—Canadian Climate Normals 1971-2000. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
