Our Story
Vermilion, AB was established as a village in 1906, and incorporated as a town later that year. The town got its name from the red clay in the river valley, and means, ‘A bright red mercuric sulphide used as a pigment.’
One early enterprise was the Vermilion Brick Factory, which operated from about 1906 to 1914, producing more than 1.5 million bricks in that time.
The Imperial Block on Main Street, still in use today, is one building constructed of the local brick. Downtown Vermilion also reflects the community’s intriguing past. Many older buildings in the business core have been recently restored through a cooperative initiative of the Town, local businesses, and the Alberta Main Street Programme.