Duhamel, Alberta
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- For the Emmy Award-winning American actor and former male fashion model, see Josh Duhamel.
Duhamel is a small rural hamlet located in the central prairies of Alberta, Canada. It is located on Highway 21, at , approximately 100 km SSE of Edmonton and 20 km SW of Camrose, the closest major trading center.
Although Duhamel has a population under 100, it has a long history in the development of Alberta.
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[edit] Early history
The early trading post of Duhamel was situated 2-3 miles northwest of the current site, directly on the main local fording of the Battle River. Around 1886 the post was moved to the site where Highway 21 now crosses the river (). The trading post was a key point for exchange between the First Nations people, the fur traders, and the Hudson's Bay Company.
In 1910 the town was moved to its present location on the newly constructed Grand Trunk Pacific rail line from Tofield to Calgary. The Duhamel/Battle River rail bridge was one of the largest wooden rail bridges ever constructed, at 3,972 feet (1210m) in length and a height of 120 feet (32m).
[edit] Crop circles
Crop circles appeared in a farmer's field in Duhamel in 1967. At the time, crop circles were virtually unknown. The discovery of the circles was preceded by reports of UFO sightings around the town.
A farmer by the name of Schielke discovered the strange occurrence on Saturday, August 5, 1967, after a night of heavy rains. This was the first time he had been to his fields in weeks, so the circles could have appeared at any time during that period. The circles were composed of four circular marks approximately 30 feet in diameter. Mr. Schielke always stressed that the marks could not have been made by his equipment, and he did not believe in UFOs.
The marks varied from five to seven inches wide, and the smallest circular mark was 31 ft., 9 in. in diameter. Three of the rings were essentially circular, with the largest mark being slightly elliptical, varying from 34 ft., 5 in. to 36 ft., 3 in. There were no exhaust blasts, scorch marks or disturbances of the soil, and vegetation within the circles had apparently been removed by the object that made the marks. The official investigation report implies that the marks were most likely left by a 135-ton aircraft or spacecraft.[1]
This case is described as "unsolved" by Canada's Department of National Defence.
[edit] Geography
Nearby communities include:
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Unidentified Flying Objects: The Search for the Unknown at Library and Archives Canada
[edit] References
- Memory Opens the Door (New Norway and District 1972) - local history book, no ISBN
- Canada's Unidentified Flying Objects: The Search for the Unknown at Library and Archives Canada
