Fort McMurray

Fort McMurray straddles the Athabasca and Clearwater rivers in northeastern Alberta, and their meeting first made the site a strategic route for river transport and fur trading. Today it is the principal urban centre for development of the Athabasca oil sands, an immense bitumen-bearing area whose industry has shaped the local economy and population. A Hudson’s Bay Company post was established here in 1870; the community takes its name from William McMurray, a company chief factor. Boreal forest encloses the built-up river corridors, reinforcing the city’s distinctly northern setting. Explore other webcams across Alberta to compare landscapes and working settings around Fort McMurray.

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