Opal | |
Settlement Type: | Hamlet |
Pushpin Relief: | yes |
Pushpin Map: | Canada Alberta#Canada |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Opal |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | Canada |
Subdivision Type1: | Province |
Subdivision Name1: | Alberta |
Subdivision Type2: | Region |
Subdivision Name2: | Central Alberta |
Subdivision Type3: | Census division |
Subdivision Name3: | 13 |
Subdivision Type4: | Municipal district |
Subdivision Name4: | Thorhild County |
Government Type: | Unincorporated |
Leader Title: | Mayor |
Leader Name: | Jayce Cornelius |
Leader Title1: | Governing body |
Leader Name1: | Thorhild County Council |
Established Title: | Established |
Population As Of: | 2009 |
Population Footnotes: | [1] |
Population Total: | 24 |
Timezone: | MST |
Utc Offset: | −07:00 |
Timezone Dst: | MDT |
Utc Offset Dst: | −06:00 |
Coordinates: | 53.9914°N -113.2225°W |
Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
Area Code: | 780, 587, 825 |
Blank Name: | Highways |
Blank1 Name: | Waterways |
Opal is a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada within Thorhild County. It is located north of Highway 28, approximately northeast of Edmonton. Originally named Rutherford after Alberta's first premier, Alexander Cameron Rutherford but was renamed to the unique "Opal" when the first post office opened on November 15, 1912.[2]
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Opal had a Roman Catholic Church (built in 1915), grain elevator (built 1918 by the Gillespie Grain Company), general store,[3] International Harvester Company dealership, hardware store, lumber yard, blacksmith, Massey-Harris dealership, meat market, hotel (built in 1938), community hall, pool hall, railway station and school. In November 1954 the Opal Church[4] was moved to Redwater.
The population of Opal was 24, as of a 2009 census conducted by Thorhild County.[1]