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All Aboard! Next Stop: Alberta Beach
Alberta Beach & District Museum and Archives
Alberta Beach , Alberta

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   One of Edmonton, Alberta’s
favorite cottage destinations
originated in 1912 when the
Canadian Northern Railway
(CNR) began sending employees
to the shores of Lac St. Anne
for holidays and picnics.
Soon, other large companies
in the Edmonton area,
including Marshall Wells and

Woodwards, also began
transporting their employees
and families here to enjoy
the beauty and tranquility of
the lake.
   By 1920, the Summer
Village of Alberta Beach had
been incorporated, offering
attractions such as a dance
pavilion, walking pier,

boardwalk and campground to
visitors. On weekends, a
special CNR train called the
“Moonlight Express” brought
people to the Beach for the
weekend. It wasn’t long
before hotels, boat rental
businesses, rental
cottages/cabins, grocery
stores and restaurants were

soon established to take
advantage of the weekend
crowds.
   In 1936, the railway
stopped running trains to
Alberta Beach and sold their
interests to various parties,
but by then many families who
had visited the lake on
weekends had purchased land

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