Armena

History

In 1872 the Canadian government instituted the Dominion Lands Act, offering arable land to European immigrants who were willing to establish farms. Between the Act's passage and 1893, a small number of homesteads were founded in the area now known as Armena. In May 1894 Norwegian farmers Thore Grue and Ole Movald relocated to the area with their families. Settlers that followed throughout the rest of the 1890s were of primarily Scandinavian descent. He and Movald therefore enlisted their neighbours to build a school. The building was also used for worship activities by a congregation of Norwegian Lutherans, which Grue organized and gave the named "Scandia." This church, retaining the name "Scandia," In 1911 (sometimes recorded as 1915), the Canadian Northern Railway built a track through the settlement, as part of the Calgary-Edmonton route. The introduction of rail brought commercial activity to Armena. In 1922, this store also burned down, though it was replaced the year after. Named a 'farmers' telephone company,' these networks allowed residents to communicate with each other, absent a central switchboard, using barbed-wire fences around their properties. The purpose of his visit was to promote his newly-launched federal New Democracy party, and to affirm an allegiance with Alberta Social Credit. Premier William Aberhart accompanied Herridge. but the building had been restored by April 1958. In 1927 Thore and Beret Grue, who had been integral to Armena's establishment, moved to Whitecourt to operate a farm. The discovery of oil in Alberta in the late 1940s began an oil boom in the province. Western Homestead Oils Limited initiated the introduction of exploratory wells to Armena in January 1951, and discovered oil in October of that year. By September 1952, the…

Most-observed species

• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,618
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,555
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  1,321
• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  1,259
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,259
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,216
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  1,096
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  965

Most recent

• M 3.9 — 2026-05-09
  15 km SSW of Smoky Lake, Canada
• M 4.3 — 2026-04-01
  10 km N of Bon Accord, Canada