PRINCE ALBERT

city, central Saskatchewan, Canada. It lies on the North Saskatchewan River, 25 miles (40 km) west of its confluence with the South Saskatchewan and 88 miles (142 km) northeast of Saskatoon. It was founded in 1866 by the Reverend James Nesbit as a Presbyterian mission station, near the site of a fur-trading post established in 1776. Named for Queen Victoria's consort, it developed as a lumbering centre in the early 1900s. Prince Albert now serves as a distribution point for northern Saskatchewan and the area's gold- and uranium-mining concerns. Its industries include oil extraction, woodworking, pulp and paper milling, and food packaging. The city is also a resort and gateway to Prince Albert National Park, and its Lund Wildlife Exhibit contains numerous specimens of Canadian wildlife displayed in natural surroundings. It is the site of a federal penitentiary and several technical and vocational institutes. Sturgeon Lake and other Indian reservations are nearby. Inc. town, 1885; city, 1904. Pop. (1981) city, 31,380; (1991) city, 34,181; metropolitan area, 41,257.