Town of Smoky Lake Hosts 100th Anniversary Open House

Town of Smoky Lake Hosts 100th Anniversary Open House

Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser

The Town of Smoky Lake hosted an open house for residents on March 27 to mark its 100th anniversary.

Several residents stopped by to chat with members of council before the start of their meeting. Three of the residents included Kathy and Siegfried Loffelbein and Olga Kokotilo.

Olga attended school in Smoky Lake. “I was in Grade 8 when the new school, (H.A. Kostash School) opened in 1947.” She recalled “playing hooky” on occasion. “We went to the creek to have a wiener roast.”

Kathy and her husband Siegfried came to the area in 1960. “My husband was a mobile mechanic and travelled farm to farm.” Both Kathy and Olga say Smoky Lake was a large and very active community back then. Wednesday was “shopping day” and farmers would bring their grain to the elevator and sell cream as well as cattle and pigs to buyer John Wolensky. “There was a farmer for every quarter of land,” added Olga.

Members of town council from L-R: Marianne Prockiw-Zarusky, Amy Cherniwchan, Terry Makowichuk, Melody Morton and Evelynne Kobes.

(Michelle Pinon/Photo)

Living in a farming community, Olga and Kathy said they did a lot of visiting with their neighbours and they would go dancing Saturday nights. They said it was a very social community and people helped each other out.

Mayor Amy Cherniwchan said, “We are so proud of how our Town has grown and progressed over the last 100 years! We are looking forward to our community wide celebration on June 3, 2023 and invite everyone to participate in the activities!”

The Town of Smoky Lake is recognized as the Pumpkin Capital of Alberta and the home of the annual Great White North Pumpkin Fair which is held the first weekend in October. Mayor Amy Cherniwchan said around 10,000 people attended last year’s event.

Based on the 2021 federal government census results, Smoky Lake was the fifth fastest growing town in Alberta. According to that data, population in the Town of Smoky Lake increased by 163 residents since the last Census that was conducted in 2016. The population was 1,127 compared to 964 in 2016. An increase of 16.9 percent.

As far as the Town of Smoky Lake’s history, information provided on the town’s website states: “While Smoky Lake today is a vibrant community with a clear future, the story of how the town got its name remains the topic of discussion and debate.

There are two official versions of how the Town of Smoky Lake got its name. Some believe that it was originally named “Smoking Lake” by the Cree First Nations people of the area, after the 12-mile-long lake three miles west of the Town, which is always covered in a haze that resembles rising smoke.

Others believe the same Cree peoples named it “Smoking Place” because they would regularly gather at a site near the lake to smoke pipes during their hunts.

Whether it was Smoking Lake or Smoking Place, the early white settlers that arrived at the time began to use the name Smoky Lake.”

The influx of immigrants around 1900 and the coming of the railway are two major events that increased the town’s population.

• In 1909, the first post office in the Smoky Lake district opened

• Smoky Lake’s first store opened its doors in 1916

• Smoky Lake was given the official status of Hamlette

• In 1919, the rail line to the fast growing community was completed

• In 1920, the citizens of Smoky Lake built the Town’s first school

• Smoky Lake was incorporated as a village in 1923 and received town status in 1962.

“According to Ripley’s Believe it or Not, Smoky Lake once had the largest number of businesses per capita of anywhere in Canada. The population was around 250 between 1930 – 1940 with several types of businesses ranging from a Butcher Shop, Brick Factory and Flour Mill to a Photo Studio, the usual Dry Goods Stores, Cafes and Implement Dealers.”