Scapa, Alberta
Scapa | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: Scapa Flow, Scotland | |
Location of Scapa in Special Area No. 2 Scapa, Alberta (Alberta) | |
| Coordinates: 51°52′22″N 111°59′22″W / 51.872684°N 111.989499°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Region | Central Alberta |
| Census division | No. 4 |
| Special Area | Special Area No. 2 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unincorporated |
| • Governing body | Special Areas Board |
| Elevation | 791 m (2,595 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain Time Zone) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (Mountain Time Zone) |
Scapa is a hamlet located in Special Area No. 2 in Alberta, Canada.[1] It had a population of 4 in 1975.[2] The former Canadian National Railway line that travelled past the community was completed in 1934.[3] In 2020 the community erected a memorial to the victims of a 1906 blizzard that hit Scapa.[4] Scapa is home to St. Peter's Lutheran Church and at one point also had two grain elevators.[5]
History
The CNR railway reached it's terminus of Scapa in 1925, which was surveyed into four lots and three grain elevator sites (only two were ever used).[6] Scapa was named by J.B. Mackenzie, the first post office master, likely after Scapa Flow from his native Scotland.[6] A hall was built in the hamlet and a school was opened in 1929, and other amenities were also constructed such as a store and a Lutheran church.[6] St. Peter's Lutheran Church was originally built in 1911 in Wetaskiwin but was dismantled and moved to Craigmyle by train and then transported to Scapa by sleighs in the winter of 1920-1921 after the Wetaskiwin congregation disbanded.[7] The school was closed in 1968, with children from the hamlet being bused to nearby Hanna.[6] The store and post office were converted into private dwellings in the late seventies and the grain elevators in the hamlet were demolished in 1983.[6] The church and the hall continue to operate to this day and Scapa celebrated a centennial in 2025.[6]
See also
References
- ^ "Specialized and Rural Municipalities and Their Communities" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ^ Herriot, Bill. "Scapa, Alberta". Digital Collections - University of Calgary. University of Calgary. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ "Extension of Time on Rail Lines Sought". The Calgary Daily Herald. April 14, 1932. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ Kihn, Mark (December 4, 2020). "Scapa-area ranchers memorialize victims of 1906 blizzard". Canadian Cattlemen. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ "ST. PETER'S LUTHERAN CHURCH Scapa, Alberta". stpetersscapa.ca. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Scapa Centennial". hanna.ca. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
- ^ "Journey to Garden Plain". DanOCan. Retrieved October 28, 2025.