History of Claresholm · Canada’s heritage registers
Founded in 1903: the history of Claresholm
The nearest heritage to Claresholm is Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, 31 km off, one of 50 places within 100 km. The nearest town with a top designation is Fort Macleod, 36 km away.
Historic places within 100 km
50
41 of the highest designation
Nearest historic place
31 km
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
Homes built before 1961
22%
typical town: 18%
Born here before 1914
1
the earliest in 1908
How it began
Where Claresholm’s story starts: 1903
The record puts Claresholm’s founding in 1903. 123 years have passed since. On paper, Claresholm became a town in 1905.
Within 100 km of Claresholm, the dated places belong mostly to the decades after Confederation
Reaching 100 km out from Claresholm: the historic places by their first construction date on record.
British North America 1760–18660
After Confederation 1867–191331
Wars and Depression 1914–194510
Since 1946 1946 on1
The chart rests on 42 dated places within 100 km. The earliest is Fort Whoop-Up in Cardston County, begun in 1869.
Around the town
Within 100 km of Claresholm: 50 places on the registers
Fort Whoop-Up, 66 km off, is the oldest: 1869. For the highest designations, the nearest of 41 is Fort Macleod, 35 km away. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump in Willow Creek No. 26 is the nearest, 31 km away.
Bar U RanchNational Historic Site · 1883–1951 · 63 km away, in Foothills County
Privy, Building 28Classified Federal Heritage Building · 1927–1928 · 64 km away, in Foothills County
Foreman’s HouseClassified Federal Heritage Building · 1884–1888 · 64 km away, in Foothills County
Feed MillClassified Federal Heritage Building · 1909–1911 · 64 km away, in Foothills County
Post Office, Building 5Classified Federal Heritage Building · 1886–1887 · 64 km away, in Foothills County
Tractor Garage, Building 7Classified Federal Heritage Building · 1940–1941 · 64 km away, in Foothills County
Stud Horse Barn, Building 1Classified Federal Heritage Building · 1909–1911 · 64 km away, in Foothills County
Homes by age
New homes are rare in Claresholm: 1.8% from 2016–21, against a usual 4.1%
Homes from before 1961 make up 22% of Claresholm’s housing; the typical town has 18%. The busiest building years in Claresholm were from 1961 to 1980, which account for 40% of today’s homes. Half of the homes standing in Claresholm today were built before 1981.
22%
Before 1961
40%
1961–80
20%
1981–2000
16%
2001–15
1.8%
2016–21
ClaresholmTypical town
2021 Census, private dwellings by period of construction (Statistics Canada); the typical town is the middle Canadian town of 2,500 or more.
Towns its size
How Claresholm compares with 16 towns its size
Towns of 4,200 to 4,300 residents, by places on the registers.
The pre-1961 share of Claresholm’s homes is 22%, against 18% in the typical town. For its size the list is short: the typical town has 0 historic places. The rest is about typical: Gerald Strang (1908) is its person of the past on the record.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
•
Provincial and municipal lists. Only Wikidata gives open access to listings on provincial and municipal registers outside Québec; without an article such a place is counted but not paged.
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The grade. This page gives no grade; history doesn’t count toward a Canadian town’s letter.
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The tiers. The highest designations are National Historic Sites, Classified Federal Heritage Buildings and Québec’s classements; then come the other federal designations; then provincial and local listings.
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The federal register. Federal places come from Parks Canada’s directory, which counts National Historic Sites, federal heritage buildings, stations and lighthouses; their statements are the register’s own.
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Protection. Federal recognition isn’t a planning control: buildings the federal government owns follow its heritage policy, while others are protected only by a provincial or municipal designation.
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People and events. Persons of national historic significance come with no location; a town gets one only by birthplace (name and both life years agreeing) or by one of its own places that bears the name and whose record tells the story. Events, which can’t be tied, are left out.
Questions about Claresholm’s history
How many historic places does Claresholm have on the registers?
None inside Claresholm yet. The nearest is Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, 31 km away in Willow Creek No. 26.
How old are the homes in Claresholm?
22% predate 1961, where the typical town has 18%.
Why might a heritage building in Claresholm be missing here?
Only federal designations are fully open outside Québec. 2 more listings in Claresholm are known through Wikidata alone, so they are counted, not paged.
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada (Parks Canada).
Sources: Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations · Canadian Register of Historic Places (federal extract) · Wikidata (CC0) for map points, other names and articles · Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (homes by period of construction). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.