Fort McMurray, in Northern Alberta, has been a town, then a city, then the largest unincorporated municipality in the province. The region is rich in oil sands, and was a popular spot with early First Nations residents, notably the Cree, for waterproofing canoes. European explorers came in search of fur, began trading with the Cree and settled the area around 1778. Fort McMurray grew out of a trading post established by the Hudson's Bay company in the mid 1800s. In the following years, the outpost grew as a rest stop for traders en route to outposts farther north. (continue...)
