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A view of Redwater in 1948
Circa 1948
Redwater, Alberta, Canada

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The Canadian National Railway came through Redwater in 1918. This marked the beginning of the hamlet of Redwater. It was overshadowed by nearby communities such as Opal to the northwest, Egremont to the north and Radway to the northeast, which were larger settlements with more services. This would soon change when Redwater was chosen as a flag stop, three large grain elevators soon dotted the prairie sky. Prior to the railway coming through there were two general stores, by 1928 this number had increased to five stores, a blacksmith shop, an implements dealer and a hotel had been built. Redwater continued to struggle along as an emerging community and in 1948 "When Oil Hit Redwater" there were approximately 90 people living in the community. The once sleepy hamlet of Redwater would be forever changed with the discovery of oil.