Tucked just south of Calgary and sitting west of Highway 2A (also known as MacLeod Trail), De Winton is a small hamlet that falls within Foothills County in southern Alberta. The community is part of Census Division No. 6, and while it carries the alternate spelling Dewinton, both names refer to the same quiet rural settlement. The hamlet takes its name from Francis de Winton, a British army officer, giving this modest community a connection to British military history. A municipal census carried out by Foothills County in 2003 recorded a population of 98 residents.
De Winton has a history that extends well beyond its small size. A volunteer fire department served the area from 1895 through to 1937, protecting local people and property for over four decades. That fire service has since been re-established in a semi-private capacity, with the department focusing primarily on rural and private properties, and working alongside the Foothills Fire Department when needed. During the Second World War, the hamlet was home to a Royal Air Force pilot training school, operating out of what was then a Royal Canadian Air Force air station – a site that lives on today as the De Winton/South Calgary Airport. Temporary structures were built at the time to support operations and house service personnel, leaving behind a notable chapter in the community’s past.