Grimshaw

Grimshaw, Alta, incorporated as a town in 1953, population 2515 (2011c), 2537 (2006c). The Town of Grimshaw is located in the Peace River area 26 km west of the town of PEACE RIVER.

Named after Dr M.E. Grimshaw, a pioneer physician in the area, the townsite was originally developed by the Central Canada Railway in 1917. Development of the community was slow until the mid-1920s when several businesses and a grain elevator were established. In 1930 it was incorporated as a village. Most early settlers were attracted by the prospect of farming, and Grimshaw remained a local agricultural service centre until 1945 when construction of the MACKENZIE HIGHWAY began. Grimshaw was chosen as Mile Zero for the highway that connects YELLOWKNIFE, NWT, with northern Alberta, and Grimshaw soon became an important transportation centre.

In recent years the economy of Grimshaw has further diversified with the development of forest products industries in this part of the Peace River region, particularly a pulp mill near Peace River, and the discovery of significant oil and natural gas deposits in the area.