| Bezanson | |
| Settlement Type: | Hamlet |
| Pushpin Map: | Canada Alberta |
| Pushpin Label Position: | none |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Bezanson in Alberta |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 220 |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Alberta |
| Subdivision Type2: | Region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Northern Alberta |
| Subdivision Type3: | Planning region |
| Subdivision Name3: | Upper Peace |
| Subdivision Type4: | Municipal district |
| Subdivision Name4: | Grande Prairie |
| Government Type: | Unincorporated |
| Leader Title: | Reeve |
| Leader Title1: | Governing body |
| Area Footnotes: | (2021) |
| Area Land Km2: | 1.11 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Total: | 133 |
| Population Density Km2: | 120.2 |
| Timezone: | MST |
| Utc Offset: | −7 |
| Timezone Dst: | MDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | −6 |
| Coordinates: | 55.2286°N -118.3608°W |
| Postal Code: | T0H 0G0 |
| Area Codes: | 780, 587, 825 |
Bezanson is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada within the County of Grande Prairie No. 1. It is located approximately 30km (20miles) east of Grande Prairie on Highway 43, west of the Smoky River.
Born near Halifax, Nova Scotia September 1, 1878, A. M. Bezanson (Ancel Maynard) had come to the Peace River Country in 1906. On returning to Edmonton he published a pamphlet, 'The Peace River Trail', in May 1907 in an effort to increase interest in the area. He settled near the junction of the Wapiti, Smoky, and Simonette rivers in 1908 and started a settlement there. Bezanson was established in 1910, when it was expected that the Grande Prairie-Grande Cache Railway would pass through the region. The settlement grew until 1914,[1] when it was found that the railway would pass to the north through Rycroft. The townsite was moved to be near the highway. A campsite and historical markers are at the original townsite 6miles to the southeast.
A ferry was opened in 1915 across the Smoky River. The first bridge over the river was built in 1949, near where the highway from Grande Prairie to Edmonton passed through the settlement. It was detoured in 2001, with the twinning of Highway 43 and the opening of the new Smoky River bridge.
The nearby Kleskun Hills are the northernmost badlands in Canada and contain one of the few unbroken areas of the original prairie.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Bezanson had a population of 133 living in 58 of its 63 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 107. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2021.[2]
As a designated place in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Bezanson had a population of 107 living in 50 of its 55 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 121. With a land area of 1.11km2, it had a population density of in 2016.[3]