Fabyan, Alberta
Fabyan | |
|---|---|
Fabyan Location of Fabyan Fabyan Fabyan (Canada) | |
| Coordinates: 52°52′55″N 110°59′37″W / 52.88194°N 110.99361°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Region | Central Alberta |
| Census division | 7 |
| Municipal district | Municipal District of Wainwright No. 61 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unincorporated |
| • Governing body | Municipal District of Wainwright No. 61 Council |
| Population (2007)[1] | |
• Total | 100 |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
| Area codes | 780, 587, 825 |
Fabyan is a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada within the Municipal District of Wainwright No. 61.[2] It is located on Highway 14, approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of Wainwright, Alberta, and 78 kilometres (48 mi) southwest of Lloydminster.
Toponymy
Fabyan was named after a town of the same name (now part of Carroll) in New Hampshire, United States.[3] The original Fabyan may have derived its name from Robert Fabyan, an English chronicler active in the 15th century.[3]
History
Founding: 1907-1919
In 1907, construction began on a Grand Trunk Pacific Railway stop in the area.[3][4] This was named Fabyan upon completion in 1910.[3] The settlement was connected to Wainwright by the Fabyan Trestle Bridge.[5] A general store opened in Fabyan in 1916, and a post office for the locality opened in May 1917.[5][6]
Development: 1920-1949
A Searle Grain Company grain elevator opened in Fabyan in 1927, followed by an Alberta Wheat Pool elevator in 1930.[5]
Discoveries of oil and natural gas accelerated Fabyan's economy from the beginning of the 1920s.[7][8][9] By the end of the decade, the Fabyan Petroleums Company was established,[10] and an Imperial Oil well began operations.[11] Fabyan School, opened in 1924, began to receive natural gas in 1926 from gas wells identified locally.[5]
Locals established a rural co-operative company in the 1930s to provide telephone services to Fabyan.[5] A Roman Catholic church opened in 1931, and a Fabyan Community Club was founded in 1935.[5]
In December 1930, Fabyan resident Elizabeth Simpson was wounded with a knife in an act of jealousy by her husband, 19-year-old Bernard Craig, who suspected her of infidelity.[12][13][14] Craig then unsuccessfully attempted suicide.[12][13] Craig, represented by William R. Howson, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and attempted suicide in May 1931.[12][15] After hearing that Craig had an intellectual disability, Justice Thomas Tweedie sentenced Craig to ten minutes in custody, the shortest sentence on Albertan record, to run concurrently for both charges.[12][13][15]
Hamlet: 1950-present
In 1951, Fabyan's name was accepted for mapping purposes by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.[16] Fabyan received piped potable water and Calgary Power connections in the early 1950s.[5] In March 1953, Fabyan School closed, and its building was put up for sale.[5][17] By 2007, Fabyan's church was no longer in use; an antiques shop operated out of its building for a time.[18]
Fabyan was the site of three significant train accidents in the 2010s.[19][20][21] A train carrying grain derailed in January 2012 on the Fabyan Trestle Bridge, with 31 cars leaving the tracks and 17 falling from the bridge entirely.[21] A year later, a train collided with a pickup truck on tracks near Fabyan, resulting in the death of the vehicle's driver.[20][22] Strong winds derailed 13 train cars from the Fabyan Trestle Bridge in October 2017; this incident resulted in no casualties.[19][23][24]
As of 2024, Fabyan contains no services, and its sole amenity is the Fabyan Campsite.[25][26] Freight services utilizing the Fabyan Trestle remain operational.[4][25]
Climate
| Climate data for Fabyan, Alberta | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 8.5 (47.3) |
12.0 (53.6) |
17.0 (62.6) |
29.0 (84.2) |
34.5 (94.1) |
37.0 (98.6) |
38.5 (101.3) |
37.5 (99.5) |
34.0 (93.2) |
28.0 (82.4) |
16.0 (60.8) |
11.5 (52.7) |
38.5 (101.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −8.6 (16.5) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
0.2 (32.4) |
10.5 (50.9) |
17.1 (62.8) |
21.0 (69.8) |
23.6 (74.5) |
23.0 (73.4) |
17.3 (63.1) |
9.8 (49.6) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
8.3 (46.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −14.1 (6.6) |
−11.5 (11.3) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
4.0 (39.2) |
10.2 (50.4) |
14.6 (58.3) |
17.0 (62.6) |
15.9 (60.6) |
10.4 (50.7) |
3.4 (38.1) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
−12.1 (10.2) |
2.2 (36.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −19.7 (−3.5) |
−17.3 (0.9) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
3.2 (37.8) |
8.1 (46.6) |
10.4 (50.7) |
8.9 (48.0) |
3.6 (38.5) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
−11.3 (11.7) |
−17.3 (0.9) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −44.0 (−47.2) |
−47.5 (−53.5) |
−37.0 (−34.6) |
−28.0 (−18.4) |
−10.5 (13.1) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−10.0 (14.0) |
−26.0 (−14.8) |
−34.5 (−30.1) |
−42.0 (−43.6) |
−47.5 (−53.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 19.7 (0.78) |
10.5 (0.41) |
17.5 (0.69) |
27.0 (1.06) |
44.4 (1.75) |
68.2 (2.69) |
72.5 (2.85) |
61.1 (2.41) |
37.9 (1.49) |
17.1 (0.67) |
17.7 (0.70) |
18.0 (0.71) |
411.8 (16.21) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.9 (0.04) |
0.1 (0.00) |
1.6 (0.06) |
16.9 (0.67) |
41.7 (1.64) |
68.2 (2.69) |
72.5 (2.85) |
61.0 (2.40) |
37.2 (1.46) |
9.8 (0.39) |
1.4 (0.06) |
0.5 (0.02) |
311.9 (12.28) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 18.8 (7.4) |
10.4 (4.1) |
15.9 (6.3) |
10.1 (4.0) |
2.7 (1.1) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.0) |
0.7 (0.3) |
7.4 (2.9) |
16.4 (6.5) |
17.6 (6.9) |
99.9 (39.3) |
| Source: Environment Canada[27] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
The population of Fabyan according to the 2007 municipal census conducted by the Municipal District of Wainwright No. 61 is 100.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Alberta Population Summary: Alberta's Hamlets Alphabetically, 2010" (PDF). Alberta Population. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 11, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ "Specialized and Rural Municipalities and Their Communities" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Alberta Culture (January 3, 2025). "Fabyan". Alberta Geographical Names Web Map. Text visible upon selecting yellow circle.
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway established a station here in 1909; it was named for a town in New Hampshire. A post office operated here from May 1917 to October 1979; W. Adams was the first postmaster. It was declared a hamlet prior to 1958. [Note: The New Hampshire town may have been named for Robert Fabyan, a medieval English chronicler, who wrote a history of England from the arrival of Brutus to 1400 A.D.]
- ^ a b Bailey, Matthew G. (June 26, 2016). "Exploring Wainwright and Small Town Alberta". Must Do Canada. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Gilt Edge Ladies Booster Club (1973). Kitchen, Melba (ed.). Buffalo Trails and Tales: Wainwright and Districts. Buffalo Lake Community Society. pp. 9–10, 25, 81, 282.
- ^ Canada, Library and Archives (November 25, 2016). "Fabyan Archives / Post Offices and Postmasters". recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
- ^ "WAINWRIGHT, ALTA. The Coming City in A Fine Mixed Farming District, World Famous For Its Buffalo and Now In the Limelight As An Active Oil Field". Edmonton Journal. October 6, 1928. p. 14.
- ^ "Drilling Operations Continuing Near Wainwright: Battle River Hole Reaches Depth 1400 Feet". Edmonton Journal. January 7, 1922. p. 22.
- ^ "Fabyan Well Down 600 Feet". Calgary Daily Herald. December 23, 1921. p. 13.
- ^ Petroleum History Society (2025). "Fabyan Petroleums - 1925-1937". www.petroleumhistory.ca. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
- ^ Kinghorn, Lorne (1928). "Imperial Oil Limited, Fabyan Well, [Wainwright]". HERMIS – via Heritage Resources Management Information System.
- ^ a b c d "Fabyan Youth Sentenced To 10 Minutes in Custody". Edmonton Journal. May 21, 1931. p. 15.
- ^ a b c "Judge Lenient With Alberta Husband, 19". The Leader Post. May 21, 1931. p. 24.
- ^ "Husband, 19, Given 10-Minute Term for Slashing Wife, Self". Calgary Daily Herald. May 21, 1931. p. 1.
- ^ a b "Avonglen News". Irma Times. May 29, 1931. p. 1 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada. "Place names - Fabyan". geonames.nrcan.gc.ca. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
- ^ Griffiths, Oliver G. (March 27, 1953). "Tenders (Wainwright School Div. No. 32)". Irma Times. p. 4.
- ^ Gailus, Jeff (May 4, 2007). "A Delicate Hope". Calgary Herald. pp. 118–121.
- ^ a b CBC Edmonton (October 17, 2017). "Extreme winds blow 2 trains off tracks near Red Deer, Wainwright". CBC News.
- ^ a b Hoang, Linda (January 29, 2013). "Man dead after vehicle struck by train near Wainwright". CTVNews. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
- ^ a b "17 grain cars lie crumpled on valley floor after plunging off bridge in Alberta". Global News. January 22, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
- ^ Mertz, Emily (January 29, 2013). "Man dies in collision between train and truck". Global News.
- ^ Bartko, Karen (October 18, 2017). "13 train cars derail off historic CN trestle bridge near Wainwright in central Alberta". Global News. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
- ^ Simes, Jeremy (October 26, 2017). "Two trains derail in Alberta during windstorm". The Western Producer.
- ^ a b ECA Review (June 1, 2024). Discover Alberta's East Country (PDF). East Central Alberta Review. p. 21.
- ^ Municipal District of Wainwright No. 61. "Fabyan Campsite". Retrieved January 26, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Fabyan, Alberta". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 (in English and French). Environment Canada. October 31, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2014.