Hinton, Alberta

Hinton lies in the Alberta Plateau Benchlands physiographic subdivision of the Interior Plains. Soils around town are influenced by deposits of carbonate-rich, wind-blown sand and silt which usually have surface textures of loam, sandy loam or silt loam. They are moderately alkaline, in contrast to the varying, mostly moderate acidity which prevails beyond the zone of calcareous aeolian material.^[9]

The closest weather station is located at Entrance, about 10 km (6.2 mi) southwest of Hinton

The Town of Hinton was named for William P. Hinton, Vice President and General Manager of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. The community was named in 1911 and remained a hamlet for the next 45 years.

Settlement in the area was scattered along a line some 12 km (7.5 mi) in length. A site along Hardisty Creek is where a First Nations group from the Jasper area had left members stricken with smallpox while the rest of the group travelled to Lac Ste. Anne to find medical aid for the smallpox epidemic which was ravaging the indigenous population. The area was thus dubbed Cache Picote (Smallpox Camp) in 1870.

In 1888, Jack Gregg established a trading post at Prairie Creek to serve travellers along the Jasper trail. The creek is now known as Muskuta Creek after an incorrect interpretation of the Cree name by white settlers. The construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway saw the establishment of a construction camp at the mouth of Prairie Creek (at the Athabasca River) in 1908. A trestle was built over the creek and is still in use by the Canadian National Railway (CNR) today.

In 1911 the Grand Trunk Pacific built a station house at mile 978 west of Winnipeg. The station was named Hinton, and the community was born.

The Canadian Northern Railway also established a station called Bliss in 1914. The Canadian Northern Railway ran north of the Grand Trunk Pacific line and the Bliss station was about 6.4 km (4 mi) east of Hinton in the Athabasca River valley. In 1916 when the Grand Trunk Pacific rail line was temporarily closed, Dalehurst became the postal station for Hinton. Entrance (formerly Dyke), another important centre to Hinton, served as its communications centre. The original community known as Entrance was so named due to its location at the entrance to Jasper Forest Park and was on the Canadian Northern rail line north of the Athabasca River. The original site of Entrance is now known as Old Entrance.

The Canadian National Railway became the owner of both the Canadian Northern and the Grand Trunk Pacific, and various portions of both lines were used by the new railway. The company, however, abandoned the use of the rail line through Bliss in 1926 and once again the rail line through Hinton was opened.

The population of Hinton experienced a boom during the 1930s when American entrepreneur Frank Seabolt and two partners opened the Hinton coal mine in 1931.^[11] Shortly thereafter, a recession caused the population to dwindle to fewer than 100 people, but the town began to rebound in 1955 with the construction of a pulp mill. The mill brought rapid growth to Hinton and a new village was developed and was named Drinnan in 1956. The two communities amalgamated on April 1, 1957, to form the present Town of Hinton.^[3]

On February 8, 1986, a Canadian National Railway freight train collided with a Via Rail passenger train called the Super Continental, killing twenty-three people. The Hinton train collision was the deadliest rail disaster in Canada since the Dugald rail accident of 1947, which had thirty-one fatalities, and was not surpassed until the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster in 2013, which resulted in forty-seven fatalities. It was surmised that the accident was a result of the crew of the freight train becoming incapacitated, and the resulting investigations revealed serious flaws in Canadian National Railway's employee practises.^[12]

In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Hinton had a population of 9,817 living in 4,006 of its 4,405 total private dwellings, a change of -0.7% from its 2016 population of 9,882. With a land area of 33.32 km² (12.86 sq mi), it had a population density of 294.6/km² (763.1/sq mi) in 2021.^[5]

In the Canada 2016 Census conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Hinton recorded a population of 9,882 living in 3,930 of its 4,343 total private dwellings, a 2.5% increase from its 2011 population of 9,640. With a land area of 33.52 km² (12.94 sq mi), it had a population density of 294.8/km² (763.6/sq mi) in 2016.^[13]

The population of the Town of Hinton according to its 2009 municipal census is 9,825.^[14] The census originally counted 9,812 people within the town limits^[15] but an additional 13 were added when a long-standing annexation application was approved shortly after the census was conducted.

It is the site of the Foothills Ojibway Society (non-status First Nation).

Hinton is one of two staging areas for expeditions in the Willmore Wilderness Park, the other being Grande Cache.

Nature lovers are drawn to Hinton to visit the Beaver Boardwalk, a 3 km (1.9 mi) walk where they can see beavers and other wildlife.^[16]

Hinton Transit is the municipal public transportation service, operated under contract by First Student Canada, which is responsible for providing the vehicles, drivers and maintenance. The bus service operates on Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 8:00pm and on Saturday from 8:00am to 6:00pm. No service is provided on Sunday or statutory holidays.^[17] There is also an accessible transit service available for residents with physical and cognitive disabilities called The Freedom Express Service. ^[18]

As a flag stop, Via Rail's The Canadian calls at the Hinton station three times per week, in each direction.

Emergency and other medical care is provided at the Hinton Healthcare Centre.

Education in Hinton includes:^[19]

• Grande Yellowhead Public School Division No. 77
  • Crescent Valley Elementary School (K-7)
  • Mountain View Elementary School (K-7 English, French)
  • Harry Collinge High School (8-12 English, French)

• Evergreen Catholic Separate School Division
  • St. Gregory Catholic Elementary School (K-4)
  • Father Gerard Redmond Community Catholic School (5-12)

• Post secondary
  • Northwestern Polytechnic
  • Hinton Employment and Learning Place
  • Hinton Training Centre
  • Northern Lakes College

One weekly newspaper is produced in Hinton; the Hinton Voice, a weekly independent newspaper that started up in June 2009.

• Bob Nystrom (born 1952), Swedish-Canadian professional ice hockey player
• Dave Scatchard (born 1976), professional National Hockey League ice hockey player
• Glenn Taylor (born 1961/62), former leader of the Alberta Party, former mayor

• List of communities in Alberta
• List of francophone communities in Alberta
• List of towns in Alberta

•   Media related to Hinton, Alberta at Wikimedia Commons
•   Hinton travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Official website