Fort Fitzgerald

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Fitzgerald
Fort Fitzgerald
Smith's Landing
Hamlet / locality
Alberta County Point Locator.svg
Red pog.svg
Fitzgerald
Location of Fitzgerald in Alberta
Coordinates: 59°51′35″N111°36′15″W / 59.85972°N 111.60417°W / 59.85972; -111.60417
CountryCanada
Province Alberta
Region Northern Alberta
Census division 16
Specialized municipality RM of Wood Buffalo
Government
[1]
 • MayorSandy Bowman
 •  Governing body
Wood Buffalo Municipal Council
  • Mike Allen
  • Ty Brandt
  • Lance Bussieres
  • Luana Bussieres
  • Don Scott
  • Jennifer Vardy
  • Kendrick Cardinal
  • Greg "Cowboy" Marcel
  • Stu Wigle
  • Kyle Vandecasteyen
Elevation
200 m (660 ft)
Population
 (2021) [2]
 • Total
6
Time zone UTC−7 (MST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−6 (MDT)
Postal code
T0V 1A0
Area code +1-867
Website RM of Wood Buffalo page

Fitzgerald, also known as Fort Fitzgerald and originally Smith's Landing, is an unincorporated community in northern Alberta, Canada. The hamlet [3] portion of the community (Fort Fitzgerald) is within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, while the locality portion (Fitzgerald) is Thebathi 196. It is 15.4 km (9.6 mi) south of the Northwest Territories border and 23 km (14 mi) southeast of Fort Smith.

Contents

History

The Radium Queen, and other tugboats, pushed barges to and from the portage at Fort Fitzgerald to the railhead at Waterways, Alberta. Radium Queen at the Fort Fitzgerald docks, July 1, 1937.jpg
The Radium Queen , and other tugboats, pushed barges to and from the portage at Fort Fitzgerald to the railhead at Waterways, Alberta.

Prior to the extension of railway service to Hay River, Northwest Territories, on Great Slave Lake, all cargo being shipped to or from the north had to be portaged from Fitzgerald to Fort Smith, to avoid four impassable rapids. [4] The community was known as Smith's Landing until 1915 when it was renamed Fort Fitzgerald after the late Francis Joseph Fitzgerald. [5]

Demographics

Population history
of Fort Fitzgerald
YearPop.±%
1941210—    
1951155−26.2%
1956101−34.8%
1961149+47.5%
196668−54.4%
197127−60.3%
198127+0.0%
198616−40.7%
1991E26+62.5%
Source: Statistics Canada
[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

Fort Fitzgerald had a population of 6 people in the 2021 Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo census. [2] The population living in Thebathi 196 in the federal 2016 census was 20, [14] a 33.3% decrease from the 2011 census which had a population of 30. [15]

Infrastructure

Smith's Landing, circa 1910 Smith's Landing, at the head of the Slave River rapids (S2004-976 LS).jpg
Smith's Landing, circa 1910

Most of the community's services are provided from Fort Smith, including fire, law enforcement, health care, social services, and telecommunications. [16] Law enforcement is part of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police 'G division' in the Northwest Territories. [16] Since telecommunication services, including cellular and internet, are from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, the area code is 867, although Fitzgerald is located in what would be area code 780 in Alberta. [17]

An all-weather road, named Hay Camp Road, links Fort Smith and Hay Camp through Fitzgerald. [18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Municipal Officials Search". Alberta Municipal Affairs. May 9, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Fort Fitzgerald". Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
  3. ↑ "2025 Municipal Codes" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. April 4, 2025. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
  4. ↑ On the Banks of the Slave: A History of the Community of Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. Published by the Tourism Committee of Fort Smith, Department of Education Northwest Territories, 1979.
  5. ↑ "Fort Fitzgerald". Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Archived from the original on May 19, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  6. ↑ Ninth Census of Canada, 1951 (PDF). Vol. SP-7 (Population: Unincorporated villages and hamlets). Dominion Bureau of Statistics. March 31, 1954. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  7. ↑ Census of Canada, 1956 (PDF). Vol. Population of unincorporated villages and settlements. Dominion Bureau of Statistics. October 25, 1957. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  8. ↑ 1961 Census of Canada: Population (PDF). Series SP: Unincorporated Villages. Vol. Bulletin SP—4. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. April 18, 1963. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  9. ↑ Census of Canada 1966: Population (PDF). Special Bulletin: Unincorporated Places. Vol. Bulletin S–3. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1968. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  10. ↑ 1971 Census of Canada: Population (PDF). Special Bulletin: Unincorporated Settlements. Vol. Bulletin SP—1. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1973. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  11. ↑ 1981 Census of Canada (PDF). Place name reference list. Vol. Western provinces and the Territories. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1983. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  12. ↑ 1986 Census of Canada (PDF). Population. Vol. Unincorporated Places. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1988. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  13. ↑ 91 Census (PDF). Population and Dwelling Counts. Vol. Unincorporated Places. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1993. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  14. ↑ "2016 Census Profile - Thebathi 196". Statistics Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
  15. ↑ "2011 Census Profile - Thebathi 196". Statistics Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
  16. 1 2 "Fort Fitzgerald Where We Are Today" (PDF). Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. May 2008. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 5, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Canadian Numbering Plan and Dialling Plan" (PDF). The Canadian Steering Committee on Numbering (CSCN). October 26, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 5, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Map of Wood Buffalo National Park". Parks Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
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