Nestled in east-central Alberta and surrounded by the County of Stettler No. 6, Stettler is a community with deep roots in the province’s settler history. The town covers a land area of 13.19 square kilometres and recorded a population of 5,695 residents in the 2021 federal census, giving it a population density of roughly 432 people per square kilometre. That figure represented a modest decline of 4.3 percent compared to the 2016 census count of 5,952, which itself had grown 3.5 percent from the 2011 total of 5,748. A 2008 municipal census placed the population at 5,843, reflecting the town’s relatively stable size over the past two decades. The median household income in 2005 was recorded at $56,201, sitting below the Alberta provincial average of $63,988 at the time.
Origins and History
Stettler was established in 1905 and takes its name from Carl Stettler, a Swiss immigrant who played a significant role in shaping the region. Beyond lending his name to the town, Carl Stettler founded a settlement to the east called Blumenau and contributed to the development of the nearby community of Castor. He also served on the town’s first council. The community carries a sombre chapter in Alberta’s history as well. In 1959, a man named Robert Raymond Cook murdered his father, stepmother, and their three children in what became the worst mass killing in the province’s recorded history. Cook was subsequently hanged in 1960, marking the last execution carried out in Alberta. Stettler experiences a humid continental climate, categorised under the Köppen classification system as Dfb, which means warm summers and cold winters are typical of the region.
Attractions and Points of Interest
Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions operates out of Stettler, offering scenic rail tours along a 35-kilometre route to the community of Big Valley, a journey that takes approximately one hour. The town is also home to a historic Parrish and Heimbecker grain elevator, one of the last remaining examples of its kind in Alberta and the sole survivor among three elevators that once operated in Stettler. Now functioning as a museum, it houses a remarkable collection of antique machinery, including an 1887 Heeber and Son’s Little Giant threshing machine, a 1912 International Harvester hit-and-miss engine known as the Beast, and a 1940s Ford tractor nicknamed Mickey Mouse. All of these machines remain operational, and in 2016 the Little Giant travelled to Winnipeg to take part in a Guinness World Records event involving more than 150 simultaneously running threshing machines. A county museum featuring the original town train station, which was relocated to the site, rounds out the heritage offerings. The Jewel Theatre, built in 1952 and renovated in 2021 into a 200-seat venue, provides cultural programming for residents and visitors alike. As of 2022, the town is governed by Mayor Sean Nolls alongside six councillors.