Drayton Valley, located 130km southwest of Edmonton and the first turn-of-the century settlers in the area made their living as lumbermen or trappers, commuting to Edmonton on the North Saskatchewan River. Drayton Valley was named after a British town by the Drake family, the first settlers. The hamlet was later moved up the hill from the river valley. 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 5,500 residents. The Town of Drayton Valley was incorporated February 1, 1957 and is the largest Community within the Brazeau County, which was itself incorporated July 1, 1988. Drayton Valley continues to be the prime focal point of the region for most services.Sports facilities are not in short supply in Drayton! The area includes an indoor pool, indoor skating area, curling rink, bowling alley, downhill and cross-country ski areas and a great 18 hole golf course. Drayton has an extensive, paved, walking trail of more than 6 km! Today, Drayton Valley has a population almost 6,000 people and it's land mass covers just under 8 square kilometers. |