| Conklin | |
| Settlement Type: | Hamlet |
| Pushpin Map: | Canada Alberta |
| Pushpin Label Position: | none |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Conklin in Alberta |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 220 |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Alberta |
| Subdivision Type2: | Census division |
| Subdivision Name2: | No. 16 |
| Subdivision Type3: | Specialized municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | R.M. of Wood Buffalo |
| Government Type: | Unincorporated |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Title1: | Governing body |
| Area Footnotes: | (2021) |
| Area Land Km2: | 16.29 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Total: | 154 |
| Population Density Km2: | 9.5 |
| Timezone: | MST |
| Utc Offset: | −7 |
| Timezone Dst: | MDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | −6 |
| Coordinates: | 55.6311°N -111.0789°W |
| Elevation M: | 575 |
Conklin is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada within the Regional Municipality (RM) of Wood Buffalo. It is located on Highway 881 between Fort McMurray and Lac La Biche. It lies near the west end of Christina Lake at an elevation of 575m (1,886feet), and was named for John Conklin, a railroad employee.[1]
The hamlet is located in Census Division No. 16 and in the federal riding of Fort McMurray-Athabasca.
The hamlet of Conklin was named for John Conklin, a railroad employee. It was originally situated at the extreme northwestern end of Christina Lake, adjacent to its outlet at the Jackfish River. When the Alberta and Great Waterways Railway (which eventually became part of the Northern Alberta Railway and later the Athabasca Northern Railway)[2] reached Conklin in 1921, the town was relocated alongside the railway tracks.[3]
Conklin was an important centre for the local fur trade from 1940 to 1960. Mink pelts from several mink farms in the area were transferred by canoe and dogsled to the railway siding at Conklin for shipment to markets.
From 1940 to 1960 there was heavy commercial fishing in Christina Lake, and a fish processing plant was located at the outlet to the Jackfish River.
Conklin lies within the Athabasca Oil Sands region, and Cenovus Energy has been operating its Christina Lake project in the area since 2000. The Christina Lake project is a steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) project that recovers bitumen from the McMurray Formation, which lies at a depth of 375m (1,230feet) at that location.[4]
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Conklin had a population of 154 living in 57 of its 91 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 185. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2021.[5]
The population of Conklin according to the 2018 municipal census conducted by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is 229,[6] a decrease from its 2012 municipal census population count of 318.[7]
As a designated place in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Conklin had a population of 185 living in 71 of its 112 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 211. With a land area of 16.32km2, it had a population density of in 2016.[8]