Hemaruka, Alberta

Toponymy

The settlement was known as Zetland until 1927, when it became Hemaruka. Its original name derived from an eponymous settlement in Huron County, Ontario.

The name Hemaruka is a combination of the first two letters of the names Helen, Margaret, Ruth, and Kathleen (also recorded as Mary and Kate). These were the names of the daughters of Albert Edward Warren, general manager of the Canadian National Railways (CNR) Central Region at the time.

History

In 1912, a post office was established for the settlement by the name Zetland. In 1926, construction was completed of a CNR train line between Zetland, Alberta and Biggar, Saskatchewan. When the station was named Hemaruka after the daughters of Albert Warren, Zetland, and subsequently its post office, assumed the same name from April 1927 onwards. Also around this time, the Alberta Wheat Pool opened a grain elevator in the area, a school opened, and a community hall was built by 1929.

The CNR track was used for periodic grain exports and coal deliveries, but received no timetabled rail services until 1933, when an ongoing coal hauling operation was established. This service involved a train from Biggar to Hemaruka and back again once a week, on Fridays. No additional services were established due to the ongoing economic pressures of the Great Depression.

Hemaruka received national media attention in 1935 after Austrian-born resident, William Hawryluk, was prosecuted for the murder of his wife, Helen, in January of that year. Their ten-year-old son, a witness to the crime, testified against Hawryluk at trial. An autopsy also determined that Helen had died from head injuries "resulting from heavy blows," and William was sentenced to death by Justice Thomas Tweedie. After the federal government declined to intervene with the sentence, Hawryluk was executed at Fort Saskatchewan by hanging in August.

As the Depression era transitioned into the Second World War, train services to Hemaruka did not expand. An absence of transit connections damaged the locality's economy, and, by 1944, Hemaruka had a population of 17. Despite its modest size, three general stores remained operational in the settlement at this time. The hamlet was served by one nurse, who also acted as an unofficial undertaker for Ukrainian families in the district who conducted their own funerals.

Hemaruka's post office closed in March 1966, and the school closed the next year. In 1969, the CNR sold the Hemaruka train station for one dollar to a local. Hemaruka's grain elevator ceased operations in 1975, and its train tracks were removed entirely in 1978.

As of 2024, Hemaruka contains some inhabited residential properties, while some abandoned buildings from its earlier operations remain standing. Its community hall remains in use for occasional events hosted by the Hemaruka Hall Association as of 2025. Around 40 people attended a New Year's Eve display at the hall in 2024.

References

References

1. {{AltaML
2. (1991). "Place names of Alberta". University of Calgary Press.
3. (10 February 2000). "Most Famous Guy goes province-wide". [[See Magazine]].
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5. (1979). "These Were Our Yesterdays: A History of District Nursing in Alberta". [[Friesens]].
6. Kroeger, Arthur. (2007-01-15). "Hard Passage: A Mennonite Family's Long Journey from Russia to Canada". University of Alberta.
7. Canada, Library and Archives. (2016-11-25). "Zetland Archives / Post Offices and Postmasters".
8. Rush Centre Women's Institute. (1959). "Esther Community History". The Hanna Herald.
9. (1933-09-14). "Hemaruka Line To Be Used For Winter Coal Haul". Empress Express.
10. Canada, Library and Archives. (2016-11-25). "Hemaruka Archives / Post Offices and Postmasters".
11. Beattie, Alan W.. (1983). "Trails in the sunset: a tribute to people". Alberta Wheat Pool.
12. (5 February 1931). "Hemaruka, Scapa Line Completed". The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix.
13. Buehler, Candace. (25 November 2009). "Hemaruka History Returns Home". Consort Enterprise.
14. (23 January 1935). "Alberta Man Under Arrest". [[Regina Leader-Post]].
15. (15 August 1935). "Hemaruka Murderer to Hang August 21". The Hanna Herald.
16. (13 August 1935). "Wife Killer to Die". The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix.
17. (23 January 1935). "Mountie Gets His Man". [[The Gazette (Montreal)]].
18. (5 June 1935). "Murder Trial Opens". Edmonton Journal.
19. (13 August 1935). "Cabinet Refuses Halt Execution: William Hawryluk to be Hanged for Wife Slaying". [[Edmonton Journal]].
20. (6 June 1935). "Farmer Must Hang". Kitchener Daily Record.
21. Bexon, Sandy. (2024-06-04). "Life in Retirement: Ghost towns whisper many stories".
22. ECA Review. (2024-01-03). "New Year's Eve Display At Hemaruka".
23. Gutsche, Candace. (2024-12-09). "Special Areas Recreation Board Grants 2024 - Special Areas Board".
24. Gutsche, Candace. (2025-12-08). "Special Areas Recreation Board Grants 2025 - Special Areas Board".