Wildwood
Wildwood Family Names 1908 – 1920Akers, Anderson, Boone, Bradshaw, Brandsford, Buckner, Caldwell, Chaney, Charlston, Cochrane, Cook, Cotton, Delaney, Dickens, Drake, Fraser, Geary, Gerrard, Gordon, Griffith, Hayes, Haygood, Jackson, Jamieson, Johnson, Leffler, Lindsay, Mack, McNeal, Moore, Myers, Payne, Pharr, Philips, Poke, Proctor, Rouce, Shannon, Slater, Taylor, Whittaker, Williams, Wilson
Wildwood was the second-largest Black community and was originally
known as Junkins. Eventually, the community received the new name of
Wildwood. Wildwood is located 90 miles west of Edmonton. More than 30
families first immigrated to this area between 1904 and 1911. The Grand Trunk
Railroad proved to be the best employer for many of the pioneers. Homesteading,
railroad construction, and lumber mills provided the bulk of the employment. The
abundance of work allowed this community to flourish. They eventually established two
black schools, an African Methodist Episcopal Church, a cemetery, and one pioneer purchased
shares in the Black Star Line so that anyone wishing to return to Africa had the opportunity to do
so. Only two families remain in Wildwood. Most of the opportunities for employment were elsewhere
in the province, and the younger generations moved to where they found employment