GROUARD
ALBERTA, CANADA

Located just 17 km east of High Prairie, Alberta, along Highway 2, then another 19 km north on secondary Highway 750 is the Hamlet of Grouard situated on Buffalo Bay near Lesser Slave Lake. (436 residents 2002 Census)

Grouard is rich in history and its origins date back to the early 1800's with a fur trading post located only a few kilometres from Lesser Slave Lake. The area was originally known as Fort Waterloo and later took on the names Lesser Slave Lake Settlement and also Lesser Slave Lake Post, when the name Fort Waterloo, moved to what is now Slave Lake. The first mission was located by the bay but when Bishop Grouard arrived in the community in the late 1800's, he had the current church, then the cathedral, built. It was completed in 1902 and has been in that location since then.

The first post office started in 1903 and was called the Lesser Slave Lake post office. The name of the community was changed to Grouard in 1909 in reference to Emile-Jean-Marie Grouard, and the Grouard Mission.

In 1913, there were over a thousand people living in Grouard with many stores, hotels, banks, barbershops, schools along with many doctors, dentists, including a detachment of the RCMP. But as with many communities in the Peace Country, once the railroad missed Grouard by 12 miles to the south, many businesses moved. Services pertaining to Health, Shopping, Banking and Police are now available from High Prairie.

Kapawe'no First Nation Kapawe'no Health Centre.

The Grouard Museum and St. Bernard Church are important community features as it represents a lot of history of the area. Most of the surrounding land is comprised of Boreal Forest and is home to a variety of wildlife.