Edmonton: A Concise History

The City of Edmonton was founded in the summer of 1795 by Sir Thomas Wolfe of Manchester, England. Initially selected because of its proximity to the mighty North Saskatchewan River and its position on a hill overlooking the river valley, the city quickly expanded east and west during those early summer months. Sadly, the arrival of winter brought with it the lynching of Sir Thomas Wolfe. The city was subsequently named after the man responsible for the lynching, James Edmonton.