New oil town developed in less than a year
NOV. 27, 1948
The discovery of oil at Leduc on Feb. 12, 1947, brought a gush of workers and their families into the area. Inadequate water, power and sewage infrastructure to handle the sudden population increase prompted Imperial Oil to create a new, company-built town for its employees.
The company paid $24,000 for a quarter section of wheat field on the south bank of the North Saskatchewan River, three kilometres north of the Leduc No. 1 well site, 26 km southwest of Edmonton. Ten months later, it was occupied by a modern $2-million village with 500-600 residents. It was incorporated as a town in 1950.
The boom town was named Devon after the Devonian period, the geological formation within which the Leduc oilfield was found.
“Devon’s overnight development is unique in construction annals of the history of Alberta,” the Journal reported.
“It is unique that at present there is no town council or administration other than Imperial officials who are guiding the estate organization.”
With the initial assistance of the town planning branch of the Alberta government and the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation, “the administration has done in a few months a job that has taken other towns in Alberta 40 years to half a century to do.”
Residents lived in 123 houses, costing $3,600-$6,800 each. There were also dormitories for single workers.
According to Alberta Culture and Tourism’s website, not all rig workers could afford to buy a home in Devon, so a trailer and shack community called Shack Town sprang up on the outskirts of town.
Recreational and entertainment facilities included a theatre, swimming pool, fitness centre, auditorium, and curling and skating rinks, as well as public buildings and services like a hospital and fire and emergency services.
The town had a modern water and sewer infrastructure and used natural gas for heating.
As of 2014, Devon had a population of 6,650.