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The area of Leduc, Alberta began in 1889 when Robert Taylor Telford settled on a piece of land near a scenic lake. This piece of land would become the cornerstone of the new town. During those earlier years, Telford was the first postmaster, first general merchant and first justice of the peace in the settlement that had become informally known as Telford. He also later served the community as Mayor and as a member of the Legislative Assembly.
Leduc had humble beginnings. In 1890, a government telegraph office was being set up by Mr. McKinely, a settler in the area. He needed a name for the place and said, "We shall name it after the first person who comes in." In through the door came Father Hippolyte Leduc. He had served the area since 1867, and later went on to become the Vicar General of the Diocese of Edmonton. The municipality of Leduc was officially incorporated as the Village of Leduc on December 15, 1899 and grew to attain town status on December 15, 1906 and eventually became the City of Leduc on September 1, 1983.
Leduc continued to grow and prosper as a major stopping point between Edmonton and Calgary. However it wasn't until February 13, 1947 when oilOil is a generic term for fluids that are not miscible with water. The name comes from Latin oleum for olive oil. Oil is frequently used to refer to petroleum an "oil shortage" generally means an inadequate supply of petroleum rather than cooking oil. was first discovered at Leduc No. 1 that the new era was ushered in. This discovery was the beginning of a massive economic revolution that saw Alberta change from a predominately ruralRural areas are sparsely settled places away from the influence of large cities and towns. Such areas are distinct from more intensively settled urban and suburban areas, and also from unsettled lands such as outback or wilderness. People live in villages and agricultural province to an urbanUrban is in or having to do with cities, as distinct from rural areas. In terms of music, urban music and urban radio are synonymous with the terms rap or hip hop and Rhythm and blues, which typically originates in urban areas. In these contexts the term economy dominated by the oil and gas industry.
Today, with nearly 15,000 residents, the City of Leduc is a thriving community that is strategically situated along Alberta's major road and rail connections and is ideally located near the Edmonton International Airport - connecting Leduc to the world. Leduc's vibrant community spirit and global economic connections, clearly demonstrate that this is truly only the beginning for the City of Leduc.