Canadian-Traveler

April 23


COLD LAKE, ALBERTA
Cold Lake might not be the most exciting place in the world, at least not if one think tourism, but I will not miss out on the chance to tell you a little bit about the town and the area.


Cold Lake was basically nothing but a trapper post and a place where Indians lived before WWII. 
Yet Cold Lake was first recorded on a 1790 map, by the name of Coldwater Lake, which is one of the biggest lakes in the area. 


Originally three communities, Cold Lake was formed by merging the Town of Grand Centre, the Town of Cold Lake, and Medley on October 1, 1996. Grand Centre was renamed Cold Lake South, and the original Cold Lake is known as Cold Lake North. Because of its origins, the area is also known as the Tri-Town.


The start of what is now known as Cold Lake was given with the establishment of an AirForce Base by the Canadian Military. 


Pretty soon oil was discovered all around in Alberta, and Cold Lake became a center for the oil industry. With two pillars for the local economy the city has seen a lot of recent growth. While the recession ravaged the U.S. it was hardly noticeable in Alberta. 

Both images:  Cold Lake, seen from the Prov.Park

Like in most boom towns the result was a rapidly increasing price level in most service professions and the real estate market. With rising oil prices we will see even more activities with more explorations from oil companies. 


For recreation a marina was build, and in the summer the area by the water is heavily frequented by boaters and beachcombers. As the name suggests, the waters of Cold Lake never get really warm. The lake is 30km wide and very deep and it is only in quiet bays that the water will reach swimming temperature. But if you like going fishing Cold Lake is the place to be. 


Cold Lake Provincial Park invites with mile-long trails for quiet walks through a natural woodland habitat. It also offers camping in the park. Beware of the bears here! Mother bears with cups have been seen in the park quite often.


Cold Lake has an approx. pop. of 14,000. It is located 295km North-East of Edmonton on Highway 28.




As you see I have given our pages a make-over with different colors. I think it looks a lot nicer now.