New Sarepta

History

The ancient Phoenician city of Sarepta was located on the Mediterranean coast of today's Lebanon, approximately at the site of the modern village of Sarafand, between Sidon and Tyre. Sarepta was also mentioned, as Zarephath, in the Old Testament (I Kings 17:9), as the home of Elijah during a drought and famine. In the 18th century (1765-1773), Moravian Brethren from Germany established the village of Sarepta, Volgograd, Russia. About a century after its founding, the larger German Lutheran Church in Russia began efforts to take Sarepta under its wing. Many of the Moravian Brethren objected, moving elsewhere in Russia, then choosing to emigrate to the Western Hemisphere, including Canada. Some of these settlers, part of the Germans from Russia diaspora, established a new village in Canada's North-West Territories. From various suggestions, approximately 60 people in the new community signed a document favouring the name Sarepta, honouring their previous village. The government of the North-West Territories designated the name Sarepta to this settlement on October 2, 1904. When the new province of Alberta was split from the North-West Territories in 1905, the government added "New" to distinguish it from the existing place name in Ontario. The Moravian Brethren also felt that it honored and distinguished their newer community from the earlier biblical and Russian villages. *1906 New Sarepta School District #1548 was established. *1912 Long Prairie Store located in New Sarepta area. *1915 Railroad service extended through New Sarepta. *1916 First post office opened. *1920 Moravian Church was established in area led by Rev. William Scheel. *1921 Grain elevator built. *1927 New Sarepta village school was organized. *1928 First hotel opened. *1944 Curling rink was…

Most-observed species

• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,883
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,849
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,708
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  1,494
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,485
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  1,415
• Franklin's Gull

  Leucophaeus pipixcan (Wagler, 1831) · Aves
  1,303
• Northern Shoveler

  Spatula clypeata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,191

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