Morinville

Morinville, Alta, incorporated as a village in 1901 and as a town in 1911, population 8569 (2011c), 6775 (2006c). The Town of Morinville is located on the Canadian National Railway main line, 41 km northwest of Edmonton. Settlement in the area, known as Grand Brûlé, was first encouraged by the Oblate fathers, and in 1891, Abbé Jean-Baptiste Morin brought in a party of "colons" from Québec and the US. That year, a chapel was built 3 km west of the present townsite, and in 1894 it was moved to within the townsite.

The arrival of the railway in 1905 brought further growth, and in 1911 Morinville became a town. It remains the centre of a rich mixed-farming district and the home of many commuters to Edmonton. Coal deposits and later oil and gas discoveries have added to this economy. Trappings of Franco-Albertan culture are also much in evidence, including the St-Jean-Baptiste Church, built in 1907, which dominates the skyline.