History

Grande Prairie around 1920

Grande Prairie is located in Alberta’s Peace Country, so named for the Peace River which flows through it. European settlement of the Peace Country dates back to 1770 when the first fur traders entered the region. Grande Prairie began as Hudson’s Bay trading post in 1881. A large group of settlers arrived in the 1930’s as farmers from the drought stricken southern prairies came north to farm the moist soils of the Peace. The region currently produces more grain, for example, then the entire province of Manitoba.

The discovery of oil at Leduc, Alberta in 1947 ignited a series of explorations leading to the discovery of bountiful reserves of oil and natural gas in the Peace. As the reserves were exploited, the economy expanded and the region’s population increased dramatically.

The community was incorporated as a City in 1958. Strategically located in a vast expanse of fertile land to the north, east, and west, the settlement quickly grew into the most important wholesale and retail center for the Peace Region.

Important dates:

April 30, 1914 – Village
March 15, 1919 – Town
January 1, 1958 – Incorporated as a City