Founding, development, and decline: 1900–1949

In the early 1900s, the area later known as Travers was settled by farmers and homesteaders, primarily from Europe and the United States.^[6][5][7] A graveyard, known today as Travers Cemetery, began receiving interments from the community in 1911.^[7][8]

In 1914, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) established a railway siding named Travers, which became the toponym of its surrounding locality.^[9] Travers was part of the Suffield Subdivision.^[10] Within months of the siding's establishment, the general store of the nearby locality of Rosemead moved to Travers.^[10] In early 1915, Travers effectively absorbed the nearby locale of Sweet Valley, when its post office relocated there and began using the Travers name.^{[4][5][11][10]}

Four grain elevators were soon built at Travers,^[5] and other businesses that opened in the locality included a barbershop, two hardware stores, and a branch of the Standard Bank of Canada.^[5] A hotel began operating in 1916, and Travers School opened in December 1920.^[5] Men living in Travers formed a baseball team that competed against residents of nearby settlements, including Retlaw and Taber.^[7] At its height, Travers boasted a population of approximately 300.^[12]

Travers' early rapid growth proved to be short-lived, owing to dry weather that stunted its primarily agricultural economy.^[5][6][7] Its hotel ceased operations in the early 1920s, and its bank branch closed in 1926.^[5][13] A combination of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl in the early 1930s further depopulated Travers and the greater Lomond district.^[5][6][12] One local history described Travers' decline as follows: "[In] the dry depression years... Travers began to dwindle as did so much of our district. It is now under the ditch".^[5]

Travers School became part of the Taber School Division No. 6 in 1937.^[14]

Later developments: 1950–present

Beginning in 1954, Travers became part of the Municipal District of Taber.^[14][15] Travers' name was approved for federal mapping purposes in 1957;^[16] its population was recorded as 50 the following year.^[17]

In August 1959, the Taber municipal government ordered for 10 students living between Travers and Enchant to be bussed to school in Enchant, rather than Travers.^[18] At this time, Travers School had 35 students.^[18] Parents boycotted the move and refused to send their children to Enchant for a month, fearing that acquiescing would ultimately result in Travers School closing permanently.^[18] Although Taber initially agreed to maintain bus routes to Travers,^[18] an agreement could not be reached to the residents' satisfaction by early 1960.^[19] Travers subsequently requested to be governed by Vulcan County.^[19] Although this was accepted in February 1960,^[19] Travers School would close by November 1961; Vulcan County put its buildings up for sale.^[20]

By 1965, Travers' commercial operations consisted of one general store that also functioned as its post office.^[5][12] The post office closed permanently in October 1966.^[5][21] In 1976, writer Harold Fryer described Travers as a ghost town populated by a handful of residents, with several of the original buildings abandoned.^[12] By 2000, the Suffield railway line running through the area had ceased operations.^[16]

The Travers Solar Project, a photovoltaic power station, began operating near Travers in 2022.^[22]