In the early 1900s the enticement of “land for the taking” brought settlers into the Peace. Some of the earlier ones to arrive were the “Bull Outfit”, named as such from the fact of their driving teams of oxen. They brought with them, from Ontario, farm implements, goods and supplies to get started.
They came out by train to Edmonton in 1909. The previous year Rede Stone and Oliver Johnson had made the journey in from points in the U.S.A. The “Bull Outfit” was made up of Sherks, Smith, Crabb, Walton, Lossing, Gaudin, Flint, Truax, Cranston and Miller.
They were all members of a religious group and made the long trek over the Athabasca trail. The “Edson” trail got started the next year, making the trip a bit shorter but still very tough. The “Hinton” Trail was used too but mostly for pack trains.
The first post office was named “Red ow” opening in 1910 with R.C. Lossing postmaster. Later the name was changed to Beaverlodge. The name came from the lodges all along the river built by the Beaver Indians (a branch of the Cree). The first store opened in 1909 and a school was started in a bachelor’s shack with nine pupils in the care of Mrs. C.A. Drake.
The settlement stayed on the hill until 1928 when the railway arrived and most everything moved down to the new site along the tracks.
Mr. W.D. Albright founded the Dominion Research Station in 1917.
Saskatoon Mountain, once a forestry outlook and picnic site was taken over by the Department of National Defence and remained part of the defence system from 1953 until the mid-eighties.
In 2009, the Town of Beaverlodge celebrated 100 years of settlement.