This city was named after Samuel Drumheller (1864-1925), a pioneer in the Alberta coalfields. He was born in Walla Walla, Washington and came north to Canada with a herd of cattle. Drumheller bought the land in 1910 on which the townsite is now located from Thomas B. Greentree, the original homesteader. Drumheller's name was applied to the post office which opened 1 April 1911 although rail service was not available until 1912. Drumheller was incorporated as a village in 1913, as a town in 1916, and as a city in 1930. Samuel Drumheller was the promoter of the location with the Northern Townsite Company (a subsidiary of the Canadian Northern Railway Company). A Committee, naming the town, recommended that it be named after Samuel, the founder of the Drumheller Land Company.

Approximately 100 km north-east of Calgary.