The first turn-of-the century settlers in the Drayton Valley area made their living as lumbermen or trappers, commuting to Edmonton on the North Saskatchewan River.
Drayton Valley was named in 1920 after a British hometown of the wife of postmaster W.J. Drake (a suburb of Portsmouth), the first settlers. The hamlet was later moved up the hill from the river valley. Drayton Valley is 145 km southwest of Edmonton. In 1953, the Pembina Field was discovered by Mobil Oil of Canada, then the largest find in North America. Within a year, the town grew from 75 to 2000 people! In 1956 Pembina became a town and now has 7,000 residents.
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Drayton Valley Attractions
Pulling Together Statue
Civic Centre
The town center features a bronze statue entitled “Pulling Together” by Alberta sculptor Don Begg. The statue, inspired by a photograph of schoolchildren engaged in a tug o’ war, represents the future of the community, striving together to achieve their goals. It was dedicated to the people of Drayton Valley by Mobil Canada in 1991.