Excel, Alberta
Hamlet in Alberta, Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Excel is a hamlet located in Special Area No. 3 in Alberta, Canada.[1]
Excel | |
|---|---|
  Location of Excel in Special Area No. 3  Excel, Alberta (Alberta) | |
| Coordinates: 51.387056°N 110.574540°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Region | Central Alberta |
| Census division | No. 4 |
| Special Area | Special Area No. 3 |
| 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) |
Toponymy
History
In June 1911, local Alfred Wetheral began operating a post office under the name Excel.[2][3] He also opened a general store, which had an upstairs floor that functioned as a community hall and venue for religious services.[4]
The Canadian Northern Railway established a railroad through Excel in 1912, connecting it to Oyen.[4] A grain elevator opened in the hamlet by 1915, and Excel School opened in 1922.[4][5] By 1932, Excel was also the site of one of rural Alberta's earliest curling rinks.[6]
The severe economic downturn of the Great Depression negatively impacted Excel's development throughout the rest of the 1930s, followed by successive years of poor crop yields.[7] Reflecting in 2014, visitor Jack Cooke would describe the village as "all but abandoned" by 1944, with only a grocery store and train station in operation.[7]
Excel School closed by 1954.[8] Excel Community Club formed in 1954 to purchase the schoolhouse and convert it into a community centre for a period of time.[8] The Excel post office closed in August 1970.[3]
Status in the 21st century
As of 2025, the Canadian National Railway maintains rail services through Excel.[9] Little of the original townsite remains, though the area contains several properties.[10]
Notable residents
- Robert Gardiner – farmer and politician who began farming in Excel in 1909[11]
