The Progressive Distribution Town Of Vermilion

In 1958, Vermilion was booming.

The economy was doing great in the town, earning it the title of Town of the Week from the Edmonton Journal for the week of March 10, 1958.

There were several aspects of the community that earned it praise at the time.

One of the biggest was the opening of the Vermilion Airport 12 years earlier in 1946. The work to get an airport built took 15 years, and was due in no small part from the Vermilion Board of Trade.

Then there was Vermilion River Provincial Park. The newspaper said,

“It is nestled in the scenic river valley along the shores of a four and one half mile long artificial lake formed by damming the river.”

The article cited the railway as a big reason for the booming economy. Many of the railway workers lived in the community and were employed in the shops, roundhouse and yards. It did note that at the time, the railroad was starting to fade with the rise of the automobile.

The Edmonton Journal also praised the history of Vermilion, stretching back to the earliest settlers who saw the red clay of the Vermilion River and gave the river and the community its name.

The community spirit was also praised, especially how Vermilion was able to get a $1 million Canadian Utilities plant built in 1949, which provided power to 42 communities in the region. Canada’s first gas turbine electric generator was also commissioned in the plant in 1954.

Through the late-1940s, improvements continued in Vermilion. In 1948, a two-year improvement program, including the $315,000 water and sewer system, helped make the community one of the most modern in central Alberta.

Another bit of praise came from the newspaper for the Vermilion Exhibition Association and the annual fair it put on. Special focus was put on Secretary Manager Carl Heckbert and his son who contributed much to make fairs a success in Vermilion.

The newspaper finished its praise of Vermilion by saying,

“Vermilion is a pretty town with modern housing, wide tree-lined streets and a fully up-to-date business district. Its businessmen are aggressive, friendly and ever looking to the future. Vermilion is a friendly town and one that holds much promise for a bright and continued prosperous future.”

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