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The Bellerose family is one of the early and founding Metis families of the settlement of St. Albert. The family patriarch in the region was Olivier Bellerose (1809-1891) who came to the region from Quebec in 1833, in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company. He married Josephte (Suzette) Savard and was stationed at Fort Dunvegan and Lesser Slave Lake before posting at Fort Edmonton in 1855. The family, including thirteen children, settled on the north shore of the Sturgeon River in 1859, a site later surveyed as River Lot 38. Olivier Bellerose was a member of the committee that prepared the original bylaws for St. Albert. Although settled at St. Albert, Bellerose continued to work for the Hudson's Bay Company. Olivier and Suzette Bellerose both died in 1891. Many of the descendants of the family continued to live in the St. Albert region and contributed to its development.

Maria Alina Łukaszewicz was born in 1925 in the village of Haciszcze Wielkie in Poland. Her parents were Antonina and Władysław Łukaszewicz. She was taken away to a camp in Siberia called Poldniewica with her family in February of 1940. At this camp in Siberia, Maria Łukaszewicz met her future husband Aleksander Romanko. After several years in an isolated forced labor camp, Łukaszewicz joined an exodus of Polish civilians through the southern USSR (including another stop of several months of forced labor in Uzbekistan) into Persia and southern Africa, where she lived in a Polish refugee camp in Rhodesia for several years, and the United Kingdom. In 1948 in the United Kingdom, she was reunited with Aleksander Romanko and they were married on April 30, 1949. In 1951, her first son was born, Bogumił, and in 1954 her second son was born, Lech Julian. She arrived in Canada in 1955 and the family lived at a friend’s place and rented a farm at Mystery Lake, Alberta. The family later moved to Edmonton where Maria Romanko studied education at the University of Alberta. In 1957, Maria Romanko was given a position as schoolteacher at Father Jan School in St. Albert, Alberta and she later taught at Vital Grandin School, St. Albert, Alberta. In 1960, she gave birth to a third son, Marek and in this same year, the family moved from Edmonton to St. Albert. While teaching, Romanko pursued a Bachelor of Education part-time and she earned the degree in 1968. In 1980, Romanko left Vital Grandin School and began teaching at Albert Lacombe School, St. Albert, Alberta. She retired in 1985.

Maria Romanko and her husband were actively involved in Polish Canadian community organizations. Some of the organizations in which Romanko participated included the Edmonton Polish Students Club, Polish Culture Society, Polish Academic Club, Polish Women’s Federation, St. Teresa Mission Circle, Sodality, and the Polish Combatants Association. The Romanko’s also played a key role in the development of a Polish Bilingual Program in Edmonton. During her teaching career, she would include Polish heritage in her students’ studies. To assist in her teachings on Polish heritage, Romanko wrote and published Polish Heritage in Alberta as well as an accompanying workbook. She had a unit on Polish heritage accepted as a Social Studies unit for Alberta Public Schools. In 1989, Romanko volunteered in the archives for the Polish community of Edmonton. After working on the archives for three years, she wrote an article in 1991 entitled “Opening of the Canadian Polish Congress Archives”, published in Heritage Links. In 1993, she worked in the archives for the Polish Holy Rosary Parish.

Antoni Hauptman (b. 1876, d. 1942) and Katarzyna Mielniczek (b. 1880, d.1933) lived in Poland and had twelve children, including sons Stan (Stanislaw) (d. 27 May 1963), Kelly (Kazimierz) (d. 21 Feb 1956), Joseph (Joe) (d. 27 Oct 1985), Walter, Ted (d. 21 May 1978), and Karl (Karol) (2 Jan 2017), and daughters Maria (d. 29 Aug 1996) and Antonina. Joe Hauptman married Bernice (Bronislawa) Palonek in 1936; their son Adam was born 15 Jun 1939.

In 1940, at the outbreak of the Second World War, the Hauptman family was deported to Kotlas, in far northern Siberia. One son, Frank, died of dysentery at the camp. In 1941, at the declaration of Amnesty, the Hauptman family arrived at Samarkand. The men in the Hauptman family, John, Joe, Walter, Ted and Karl, joined the Polish Army in 1942. Sadly, John did not survive the war and their elderly father, Antoni, became ill and died in Uzbekistan. Two of the brother’s wives, along with Joe’s two-year-old son, Adam, eventually travelled to Uganda where they spent the rest of the war. Several years before the war, the two oldest Hauptman brothers, Stan and Kelly, had already emigrated to Canada. They married two Ukrainian sisters from Lamont and began the first of many businesses that the family would be involved in.

Stan Hauptman moved to St. Albert and became part owner of the Bruin Inn in the late 1940s. In 1953 he opened the St. Albert Drive-In. When the Karl and Ted arrived in St. Albert, they moved into the Bruin Inn and Ted began to work in the bar. After six years of separation Joe’s wife Bernice and nine-year-old Adam finally arrived in 1948. Bernice became the cook at the Bruin Inn where she stayed until her retirement.

Ted Hauptman went on to open the Dairy Star drive-in and the very successful Klondike Inn restaurant on St. Albert Trail.

Joe Hauptman’s son, Adam Hauptman, grew up to own his own school bus business and later, he and his wife Pat bought out Lefebvre’s jewellery store in 1968 renaming it “Sweetheart Jeweller’s”.

Karl Hauptman got a job in the aircraft industry and later started his own business, “Karol Radio Repair Service”. He opened the first drive-through restaurant in St. Albert, the Klondike Inn. Karl also served on the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce, St. Albert Parish Finance Committee and as a member of the Knights of Columbus. In 1951, Karl was married to Annette (d. 18 Sep 1981) and had sons Richard (b. 24 Jul 1953) and John, and daughter Katherine (b. 18 Nov 1958). After the death of Annette, Karl remarried in Jun 1986 to Kathy Engley.

Leda Provost, born on January 6, 1869, was from St. Charles, Quebec. She has 13 siblings and she was the eleventh child. In 1891 she married Joseph Adelard Ouimet at St. Rose Conte in Laval, Quebec. In 1892, the family moved to St. Albert, Alberta and farmed in Ray, also known as Glengarry or the Villeneuve district. The couple had eleven children including Emile Ouimet (1891-1891), Marie Bertha Emelda Ouimet (1892-1892), Joseph Roul Willie Ouimet (1893-1975), Yvonne Adele Ouimet (1896-1974), Marie Angelina Florina Ouimet (1897-1930), Filex Alfred (1899-1982), Marie Lina Ida Ouimet (1902-1979), Marie Leda Ouimet (1903-1903), Joseph Adelard Emile Alexis Ouimet (1904-1967), Marie Blanche Alice Ouimet (1905-1905) and Joseph Amede Simon Ouimet (1908-1978). Joseph Adelard Ouimet died July 1920 from a heart attack and Leda Ouimet died on February 1, 1930 from lung cancer.
WIlliam Ouimet married Ruth McDonnell on January 9, 1939, The couple had two children, Anita and Ralph.
Adele Ouimet married Theodore Comeau in November 1916. The couple had no children and lived in Legal and Villeneuve.
Florina Ouimet married Joseph Savoie in 1916 and had five children: Ed, Armand, Jeanne, Edith and Alice. She died at the age of 34.
Alfred Ouimet married Jeanne Monpetit of Legal in June 1924 and they had seven children. They owned a store and hotel in Pickardville and retired to Vancouver in the 1950s.
Lena Ouimet married Euclid Blais in April 1929. They farmed in the Pickardville area and then moved to Edmonton.
Alexis Ouimet married Lucile Mireault in July 17, 1928. The couple had six children: Adelard, Hubert, Alexia, Bernadette, Laurier and Denis. The family farmed north of Villeneuve and named their farm the River Dale Farm.
Simon Ouimet married Julia Verstraete on July 5, 1939. They farmed on Leda and Adelard's homestead. Their four children included Simone, Mona, Linda and Paul.

Earlier called “Wehahuskooseya Sakayekun” (Stinking Grass Lake), the Onion Lake area was a popular meeting place in the 1700s and 1800s as wild onions grew there which were desired after a winter diet of meat. The area was also a popular meeting place as it was located on the Fort Carlton to Fort Edmonton trail. Onion Lake is under Treaty 6 which was signed by Chief Seekaskootch and Chief Makaoo in 1896. A Roman Catholic presence existed in Onion Lake as early as 1866 with the first mass conducted by Father Mérer. Father Marchand, who founded the mission in 1884, wanted to open a day school in 1885; however, a day school was not granted until 1888 when the mission was under Father Vachon. In 1891, the first three sisters to arrive to work at the mission included Sister St. Ignace, Sister St. Stainlas and Sister St. Patrice from the Sisters of the Assumption. With the arrival of the sisters, the first residential school was open in 1891 and was named St. Anthony’s. The first residential school was a 30’ x 18’ frame building which replaced the previous day school. The school was destroyed by fire in 1894 and a three-floor building, 35’ x 45’, was made in its place. The ground floor consisted of a classroom as well as the girls’ workroom and the second story was used as the dormitory with the girls and boys’ sections divided. The building served as the school until 1927 or 1928 when the building was destroyed by fire. A larger school, at a different site, referred to as ‘Le Chateau’ or ‘the White Castle’ by the nuns was opened in 1928 and closed in 1968.

Saddle Lake earlier was called “Onihcikiskwapiwin” meaning “mirage on the lake” and this name was shortened to “Aspapiwin” meaning “Saddle.” The site was a gathering place for Cree bands in the spring. In 1876, Little Hunter and Kehkek signed Treaty 6 for Saddle Lake. In 1880, the group divided into three with Little Hunter’s band remaining at Saddle Lake, Blue Quill’s band going to Egg Lake (Whitford) and Bear Ear’s band going to Washatenow. In 1886, Blue Quill’s band moved back to Saddle Lake. Father Mérer founded a Roman Catholic mission, Sacred Heart, at Saddle Lake in 1888. The residential school opened in 1898 and was called Blue Quills but in 1931 the school moved to St. Paul.

In 2011, St. Albert celebrated 150 years since its foundation in 1861. The 150th Anniversary Celebration Committee was established in 2008 with the Mission of organizing celebrations for this 150th anniversary that would engage citizens in the past, present, and future of the city. The Values of this Committee were inclusiveness, stewardship, respect, diversity, innovation, understanding, participation, and volunteerism. Margaret Plain was appointed Chair of the Committee in May 2008. Carol Watamaniuk was the vice-chair and the other Committee members were Barry Bailey, Abi Iskander, Kevin Jones, Susan Jones, Doug Kennedy, and Kent La Rose. Various sub-committees were formed to support and help the Committee, including Volunteer, Sponsorship, Partner and Operations support, Communications, Youth, Homecoming, and Rendezvous Picnic.

The Committee hosted and partnered in a variety of celebration activities over the course of 2011. There were numerous unveilings of arts and heritage pieces, such as the 150th Anniversary Quilt, George Todd Memorial, Millie Seitz Volunteer sculpture, Heart of Our Community Mural, and Star Woman sculpture. The opening of Founders' Walk and the grand reopening of the restored Grain Elevators were also included as part of the celebration. Other notable celebration events were a production of "The Black Bonspiel of Wullie MacCrimmon" from Jan. 14-16, 2011; the Canadian Western Bank Rendezvous 2011 Gala on Jan. 22, 2011; Family Day Snow Festival on Feb. 21, 2011; Cupcake Challenge on May 1, 2011; Meet the Street on June 12, 2011; Soapbox Derby on June 19, 2011; Battle of the Bands on July 1, 2011; Lehigh Hanson Rendezvous 2011 Homecoming event on July 16, 2011; Rendezvous Picnic on Aug. 28, 2011; and numerous parades.