Excel, Alberta
Excel | |
|---|---|
Location of Excel in Special Area No. 3 Excel, Alberta (Alberta) | |
| Coordinates: 51°23′13″N 110°34′28″W / 51.387056°N 110.574540°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Region | Central Alberta |
| Census division | No. 4 |
| Special Area | Special Area No. 3 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unincorporated |
| • Governing body | Special Areas Board |
| Elevation | 791 m (2,595 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain Time Zone) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (Mountain Time Zone) |
Excel is a hamlet located in Special Area No. 3 in Alberta, Canada.[1]
Toponymy
The hamlet was named after a comment made by an early settler, Alfred Wetheral, at a meeting of the area's business community.[2] Wetheral reportedly stated, "let us excel."[2]
History
In June 1911, local Alfred Wetheral began operating a post office under the name Excel.[2][3] He also opened a general store, which had an upstairs floor that functioned as a community hall and venue for religious services.[4]
The Canadian Northern Railway established a railroad through Excel in 1912, connecting it to Oyen.[4] A grain elevator opened in the hamlet by 1915, and Excel School opened in 1922.[4][5] By 1932, Excel was also the site of one of rural Alberta's earliest curling rinks.[6]
The severe economic downturn of the Great Depression negatively impacted Excel's development throughout the rest of the 1930s, followed by successive years of poor crop yields.[7] Reflecting in 2014, visitor Jack Cooke would describe the village as "all but abandoned" by 1944, with only a grocery store and train station in operation.[7]
Excel School closed by 1954.[8] Excel Community Club formed in 1954 to purchase the schoolhouse and convert it into a community centre for a period of time.[8] The Excel post office closed in August 1970.[3]
Status in the 21st century
As of 2025, the Canadian National Railway maintains rail services through Excel.[9] Little of the original townsite remains, though the area contains several properties.[10]
Notable residents
- Robert Gardiner – farmer and politician who began farming in Excel in 1909[11]
See also
References
- ^ "Specialized and Rural Municipalities and Their Communities" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ^ a b c Karamitsanis, Aphrodite, ed. (1991). Place names of Alberta. Calgary: University of Calgary Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-919813-91-5.
- ^ a b Canada, Library and Archives (November 25, 2016). "Excel Archives / Post Offices and Postmasters". recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
- ^ a b c Cereal Women's Institute (1967). Down Cereal's Memory Trails, 1910-1967 (1 ed.). Cereal: C. W. I. pp. 37, 63, 109, 131 – via University of Calgary.
- ^ "Work Being Done by Wood Home for Orphans at Olds Endorsed at Meeting Stettler Citizens". Edmonton Journal. August 20, 1921. p. 35.
- ^ Glenbow Archives (1932). "Curling rink, Excel, Alberta" – via University of Calgary.
One of the first rural curling rinks in Alberta. Located on Bishop farm. Walls made of straw between double row of chicken wire and posts.
- ^ a b Cooke, Jack (November 11, 2014). "Meeting My Uncle Frank and Aunt Rosena". The Oyen Echo (A). p. 11.
- ^ a b "Excel Community Club Newly Formed Group". Hanna Herald. August 5, 1954. p. 1.
- ^ "CN - Network Map". cnebusiness.geomapguide.ca. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
- ^ Alberta Culture (January 3, 2025). "Excel". Alberta Geographical Names Web Map. Select the yelllow circle.
- ^ Switzer, Alice, ed. (1985). "Presidents of United Farmers of Alberta". The United Farmer. 22 (1): 4.