A Brief History of Edmonton -- From Trading Post to Metropolis

• 1795 - Fur trading fort established by the Hudson's Bay Company at the junction of the North Saskatchewan River and the Sturgeon River. Edmonton is named after the home of the HBC chief factor's clerk in London, England.
• 1830 - Fort Edmonton moves to its final location (the present day location of the Alberta Legislature Building).
• 1861 - Father Albert Lacombe establishes St. Albert (north of Edmonton).
• 1891 - The C & E (Calgary and Edmonton) Railway reaches Strathcona, south of the North Saskatchewan River.
• 1897 - Edmonton firmly established as the Klondike Gold Rush overland route to the Yukon.
• 1904 - Edmonton incorporated as a city.
• 1905 - Alberta became a province with Edmonton named the capital city.
• 1906 - Establishment of Elk Island National Park east of Edmonton.
• 1926 - Blatchford Field became the first public licensed airfield in Canada (renamed City Centre Airport).
• 1942 - Construction of the Alaska Highway solidified Edmonton as the gateway to the north.
• 1947 - Leduc Number One oil well strikes oil southwest of Edmonton.
• 1978 - Host city for the XI Commonwealth Games.
• 1978 - Light Rail Transit (LRT) service commenced.
• 1981 - West Edmonton Mall opened (Phase 2, 1983, Phase 3, 1985, Phase 4, 1999) - the world's largest shopping centre.
• 1983 - Host city for the twelfth World University Games (Universiade).
• 1983 - Opening of the Edmonton Convention Centre (renamed Shaw Conference Centre, 1996).
• 1996 - Host city for the World Figure Skating Championships.
• 1997 - Opening of the Francis Winspear Centre for Music.
• 2001 - Host city for the IAAF World Championships in Athletics.
• 2004 - The City of Edmonton celebrates its 100th Birthday.
• 2005 - Host city for the World Masters Games and the IAAF Half Marathon World Championship.
• 2007 - Edmonton designated a 2007 Cultural Capital of Canada.
• 2010 - New Art Gallery of Alberta opened