Wanham, Alberta

Wanham is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada within Birch Hills County.[1] It is located 29 km (18 mi) east of Rycroft along Highway 49 and approximately 106 km (66 mi) north of Grande Prairie, in the farmlands of Peace River Country. Saddle River, a tributary of Peace River, flows immediately north of the settlement.

Wanham
Location of Wanham Alberta

The local economy is based on agriculture and ranching, the settlement being an agricultural service centre for the surrounding farms. A wood products plant, Newpro, was previously the largest employer in the settlement. It was announced it was closing in January 2006.

History

It was established in 1916 as a station on the railway.[2] The first post office was built in 1918.

It was incorporated as a village, but dissolved and merged with Birch Hills County in 1999 by Order in Council 458/99.[3] Birch Hills County's municipal office is located in Wanham.

Demographics

As a designated place in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Wanham recorded a population of 124 living in 62 of its 78 total private dwellings, a change of -2.4% from its 2011 population of 127. With a land area of 0.99 km2 (0.38 sq mi), it had a population density of 125.3/km2 (324.4/sq mi) in 2016.[8]

Attractions

A yearly plowing competition takes place in Wanham since 1971. It is currently named Alberta Provincial and Canadian Plowing Match and includes a horse drawn antique parade, live music and fashion show.

The Grizzly Bear Prairie Museum is seasonally opened in Wanham. It was founded in 1979 by a group called the Community of Cooperating Organization (COCO for short). It was officially opened in 1981.

Climate
Climate data for Wanham
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 11.7
(53.1)		 14.5
(58.1)		 17.2
(63.0)		 29.4
(84.9)		 32
(90)		 33.9
(93.0)		 33
(91)		 36
(97)		 31.5
(88.7)		 26.7
(80.1)		 18
(64)		 11
(52)		 33.9
(93.0)
Average high °C (°F) −9.3
(15.3)		 −6
(21)		 0.9
(33.6)		 10.3
(50.5)		 17.3
(63.1)		 20.7
(69.3)		 22.4
(72.3)		 21
(70)		 16.1
(61.0)		 9.4
(48.9)		 −2
(28)		 −8
(18)		 7.7
(45.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) −14.8
(5.4)		 −11.7
(10.9)		 −4.8
(23.4)		 4.2
(39.6)		 10.5
(50.9)		 14.5
(58.1)		 16.2
(61.2)		 14.8
(58.6)		 10
(50)		 3.9
(39.0)		 −6.8
(19.8)		 −13.3
(8.1)		 1.9
(35.4)
Average low °C (°F) −20.3
(−4.5)		 −17.3
(0.9)		 −10.5
(13.1)		 −1.9
(28.6)		 3.8
(38.8)		 8.2
(46.8)		 10
(50)		 8.4
(47.1)		 3.8
(38.8)		 −1.5
(29.3)		 −11.5
(11.3)		 −18.7
(−1.7)		 −4
(25)
Record low °C (°F) −48.3
(−54.9)		 −45
(−49)		 −37
(−35)		 −22.8
(−9.0)		 −7.2
(19.0)		 −3.9
(25.0)		 0
(32)		 −4.5
(23.9)		 −10.6
(12.9)		 −28
(−18)		 −41.1
(−42.0)		 −50
(−58)		 −50
(−58)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 29.1
(1.15)		 21.4
(0.84)		 18.6
(0.73)		 22.2
(0.87)		 40.6
(1.60)		 75.8
(2.98)		 72.4
(2.85)		 65.8
(2.59)		 42.2
(1.66)		 28
(1.1)		 24.2
(0.95)		 27.8
(1.09)		 468
(18.4)
Source: Environment Canada[9]

See also

References
  1. Alberta Municipal Affairs (1 April 2010). "Specialized and Rural Municipalities and Their Communities" (PDF). Retrieved 20 June 2010.
  2. Discover the Peace Country. "Wanham". Retrieved 20 June 2007.
  3. Alberta Municipal Affairs (June 2007). "Birch Hills County". Retrieved 20 June 2007.
  4. "Table 9: Population by census subdivisions, 1966 by sex, and 1961". 1966 Census of Canada. Western Provinces. Population: Divisions and Subdivisions. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1967.
  5. "Table 3: Population for census divisions and subdivisions, 1971 and 1976". 1976 Census of Canada. Census Divisions and Subdivisions, Western Provinces and the Territories. Population: Geographic Distributions. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1977.
  6. "Table 2: Census Subdivisions in Alphabetical Order, Showing Population Rank, Canada, 1981". 1981 Census of Canada. Census subdivisions in decreasing population order. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1982. ISBN 0-660-51563-6.
  7. "Table 2: Population and Dwelling Counts, for Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1986 and 1991 – 100% Data". 91 Census. Population and Dwelling Counts – Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1992. pp. 100–108. ISBN 0-660-57115-3.
  8. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  9. Environment Canada—. Retrieved 7 April 2010.

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