Transportation and Services

Early transportation in the Elk Point area was either horse and wagon or it was by water, canoes or york boats. Often early settlers floated down from Edmonton with a raft full of settler's effects. Early roads were slowly upgraded by horse drawn equipment. The arrival of the railroad, first in 1905 to Vermilion, later to St Paul in 1919 and Elk Point in 1926 really spurred development because it allowed new settlers to come in easier and it allowed some shipment of produce to new markets. Airplanes were around in the 20s and 30s but they did not have a great impact. The building of highways and the grid road system as well as the adoption of mechanized travel with cars and trucks helped build the country.