Brosseau, Alberta facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brosseau
Hamlet
Brosseau Location in Alberta Show map of Alberta Brosseau Location in Canada Show map of Canada
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Central Alberta
Census division	10
Municipal district	County of Two Hills No. 21
Government
• Type	Unincorporated
Population  (1981)
• Total	13
Time zone	UTC−07:00 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−06:00 (MDT)
Area code(s)	780, 587, 825

Brosseau (English: /ˈbruːsoʊ/) is a tiny community called a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada. It's located right on the north side of the North Saskatchewan River. You can find it where Highway 29 and Highway 36 join up for a bit. Brosseau is about 50 kilometers (31 miles) southwest of a town called St. Paul. Just across the river, on the south bank, is another hamlet called Duvernay.

About Brosseau

Brosseau is named after an early settler in the area, Edmond Brosseau. It's part of the County of Two Hills No. 21.

A Bit of History

Before Brosseau became what it is today, there was an older settlement in the same spot.

Saint-Paul-des-Cris Mission

In 1865, a special mission was started here by Father Lacombe. It was called Saint-Paul-des-Cris and was a Catholic mission for the Cree people. The goal was to help the Cree learn how to farm.

However, the mission faced some big challenges. The Cree people weren't very keen on changing their way of life to farming. Also, there were several times when the crops failed, meaning not enough food was grown. Because of these difficulties, the mission was eventually given up in 1874.

A New Beginning Nearby

Father Lacombe didn't give up completely. In 1896, he tried again with a new settlement not too far away. This new place was called Saint-Paul-des-Métis. It also had a tough start. But things got better in 1909 when the area was opened up for French-speaking settlers from other places.

Population of Brosseau

According to the 1981 Census of Population, which was done by Statistics Canada, Brosseau had a population of 13 people.