Towards the end of the 18th century and at the beginning of the 19th century, settlers from the United States, the eastern provinces of Canada and even Europe, started to work their way westward to eventually take homesteads in the region now known as Legal. Among the earliest settlers were Theodore Gelot and Eugene Menard.In 1894, they started homesteading in the Legal area. Soon many others, the majority coming from the province of Quebec, were attracted by the rich fertile soil found in the area and a small community was formed.L'abbe Morin had been chosen as colonizer for the west and his task was to recruit settlers from Quebec. In 1889, the pioneers went ahead with plans to build their first chapel. By 1911-1912 with the completion of the C.N. Railway, plans were made to build a church. A small community was rapidly growing and from this small community the Village of Legal was soon to come about.On January 1st, 1998 Legal achieved "Town" status. Official bilingual status was proclaimed in April 1st, 2000
The Murals in Legal
History of Westlock
The Murals in Legal
History of Westlock
The Westlock townsite was originally surveyed in 1912, and the land for the town was purchased from William Westgate and William Lockhart. The first store was constructed in 1913 by George McTavish, who went on to become the Village’s first reeve upon incorporation. The first pharmacist set up practice in the community the same year. In 1916, Westlock was formally incorporated as a Village with a population of 65. The new Village was named after Mr. Westgate and Mr. Lockhart. Westlock was incorporated as a Town on January 7, 1947 with a population of 854. In the same year, the Memorial Hall was constructed on 106 Street. In 1992, the Memorial Hall burned to the ground and was subsequently replaced with a new building across the street from the original site.
