Tofield

Tofield's main street

Tofield is a town of about 2,000 people (2016) in East Central Alberta, Canada.

Understand

History

Before 1865, only Aboriginal people lived in this area, the home of the Cree. Tofield's Aboriginal legacy is evident in the names of local creeks: Maskawan, Amisk and Ketchamoot.

The Tofield Post Office opened in 1897 at the south end of Beaverhill Lake.

The town of Tofield had its beginning in 1906 when Morton and Adams built a General Store near the Post Office at a site southeast of present-day Tofield. By the spring of 1906 other businesses, including a lumber yard, hardware store, another general store, a drug store, a blacksmith shop and a hotel, had been founded.

Very soon after that, the town moved to a site northwest of the old site and north of the present townsite when the Edmonton-based company Crafts and Lee offered free lots that were near the site of the proposed route of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. By fall of 1908 two blocks of businesses were filled and all residential lots were full.

Later that year the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway decided on a route south of the second townsite and the town moved again, to its present location. Tofield was proclaimed a village on September 9, 1907 and became a town two years later in 1909.

Tofield is named after the pioneer medical man, Dr. J.H. Tofield, who came to the area in 1893 from England. He was born in Yorkshire and educated in Oxford as a doctor and as an engineer. Tofield arrived in Edmonton in 1882 and served as an army doctor in the Riel Rebellion. The name Tofield was first applied to the school district and in March 1898 to the post office.

Get in

It is approximately 68 km (42 mi) east of Edmonton at the junction of Highway 14, Highway 834, and Highway 626. Beaverhill Lake is immediately northeast of the community.

You can get into Tofield via the Highway 14 that leads to Edmonton and Strathcona County.

There is no bus or train from Edmonton or elsewhere to Tofield

The town is served by the Tofield Airport, operated by the Town of Tofield. It has no scheduled flights.

Get around

Home Grain Co. Elevator, built circa 1922, restored to 1929 appearance.

See and do

• 1 Beaverhill Lake, ☏ +1 780-922-3292. The lake is a site of regional importance in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. It is managed by the Canadian Wildlife Service division of Environment Canada. It is an important bird habitat, and has been designated as a "National Nature Viewpoint" by Nature Canada in 1981. More than 270 bird species have been reported, with 145 known to breed locally. (updated Feb 2019)

Buy

Park Stone Plaza at 5116 46 Ave has a liquor store and a Subway. There is an IGA Supermarket at 4902 51 Ave. The James Built Saddlery at 5020 46 Ave is a great place to pick up that saddle you've been wanting to buy.

If you're in Tofield for a while, it might be a good time to learn how to shop online. You can pick up your purchases at the post office at 5217 50th St.

• Quilting Country, 5110 50 St, ☏ +1 780-662-4886, quiltingcountry@hotmail.com. Tu-F 9:30AM-5PM; Sa 10AM-3PM. (updated May 2022)

Eat

• Tilly's Family Dining and Pizza, 5144-50 Street. Daily 7AM-11PM. (updated Feb 2019)
• Diamond Restaurant, 5015 53 Ave, ☏ +1 780-662-3316. Tu-F 11AM-9PM, Sa 4-9PM, Su noon-8PM. Chinese. (updated Feb 2019)
• The Moonshine Cafe, 5213-5217 50th St, ☏ +1 780-662-0329. M Tu 8AM-3PM, W Th 8AM-5PM, F 8AM-10PM, Sa 9AM-3PM. Restaurant and cafe. (updated Feb 2019)

Drink

There is an old school bar at the Tofield Hotel, 4936 52 Ave.

Sleep

• Beaverhill Motel, 5108 48 Avenue, ☏ +1 780-662-3396. Pet-friendly, have coin laundry and RV parking. (updated Feb 2019)
• Tofield Hotel, 4936 52 Ave, ☏ +1 780-662-3116. On-site bar. (updated Feb 2019)
• Footloose Caboose Lodge, 20324 Township Road 502, Beaver County (From Tofield: 7.9 km (4.9 mi) W on Hwy 14, 6.5 km (4.0 mi) S on Hwy 833, 4.6 km (2.9 mi) W on Twp Rd 502), ☏ +1-780-662-2372, toll-free: +1-888-308-6776, conductor@footloosecaboose.com. Stay in a once functioning and now repurposed railroad caboose. Camping available in cabins. The dining car "Mount Lefroy" affords a classy evening dining experience in serene surroundings of rich oak, brass, restful shades of green, and tables set in linens and china. Open May-October. (updated Apr 2020)

Go next

• Elk Island National Park
  • The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village on the edge of the park, a living history museum where history is brought to life by costumed interpreters portraying the lives of pioneers. Hear stories of solitude, survival, and perseverance while discovering how Ukrainian immigration made a significant impact on Alberta's cultural identity.

Routes through Tofield

Edmonton ← Sherwood Park ←

W  E

→ Viking → Wainwright