Hazelmere, Alberta facts for kids
Hazelmere is a small community located in northwest Alberta, Canada. It is part of the County of Grande Prairie No. 1. You can find Hazelmere between the Red Willow River and Diamond Dick Creek, about 75 km (47 mi) southwest of Grande Prairie.
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How Hazelmere Began
Hazelmere was mostly settled in the 1920s. People came to the Peace River Country looking for new land to farm. This process was called homesteading, where people could get land from the government to build a home and farm. Some people also moved from nearby areas because they needed more land for their farms.
The First School: Beaverbrook
In 1920, the community started the Beaverbrook School District 3979. They built a simple one-room school out of logs. This school was important for the children living in Hazelmere and the surrounding farms.
Hazelmere's Post Office and Store
The second important building in Hazelmere was the post office, which opened in 1930. It was first set up in the home of Herbert and Louise Jordan, about a mile south of the school. Mr. Jordan named the post office "Hazelmere" after a town in England. He had been stationed near there during World War I.
In 1935, Mr. Jordan opened the Hazelmere General Store. The post office then moved into this new store, which was in the same yard as his home. The store became a central place for the community to get supplies and send mail.
Changes Over Time
Over the years, things changed for Hazelmere. In 1952, the Beaverbrook School closed. This happened because many one-room schools in the County of Grande Prairie were combined into larger schools. Students from Hazelmere then went to the Elmworth School District.
The Hazelmere post office also closed on August 7, 1964. This happened when the Jordan family, who had run the post office and store for many years, moved away from the area.
