TopNational Historic Site · 1799–1800Rocky Mountain HouseHwy. 11APhoto: Mack Male from Edmonton, AB, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons file
Rocky Mountain House · Photo: Mack Male from Edmonton, AB, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.03historic places on the registers
History of Clearwater County · Canada’s heritage registers
Clearwater County’s record starts in 1799 with Rocky Mountain House
All told the heritage lists hold 3 historic places within Clearwater County, and 2 sit in the top tier. For every 10,000 residents that makes 2.5, ahead of 88% of Canadian towns. The record has a Recognized Federal Heritage Building. A further 2 sit a short way past the edge of town.
Historic places
3
2.5 per 10,000 residents
Highest designations
2
National Historic Sites and Classified Federal Heritage Buildings
Other federal designations
1
Recognized buildings, railway stations, lighthouses
Oldest building
1799
the first construction date on its record
Homes built before 1961
9.5%
typical town: 18%
In pictures
All 2 top-tier places in Clearwater County, pictured
Photos show 2 of the places Clearwater County’s registers name; the others show their record instead. Leading off: Rocky Mountain House and Nordegg.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the place’s page. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
The map
Where Clearwater County’s history is
Every place on the registers inside the town, by its designation.
Highest designationsOther federal designations
Dots open their places’ pages; hover first to read the name.
The 3, by tier
2 Highest designations1 Other federal designations
Federal designations come from Parks Canada’s directory; a province’s or a council’s own listing shows here only when Wikidata holds it and an encyclopedia covers it.
Points from Wikidata (Parks Canada’s files carry none) and from Québec’s register, as mapped there.
Highest designations
2 places in Clearwater County with the highest designation
Designations came from 1926 to 2001. National Historic Sites and Classified Federal Heritage Buildings, Canada’s highest federal recognition. Rocky Mountain House is the earliest, from 1799; the latest dates from 1911. Each one opens its own page.
TopOther federal designations
One more federal designation in Clearwater County
Recognized Federal Heritage Buildings, heritage railway stations and lighthouses. Each one opens its own page.
Recognized Federal Heritage Building · 1942–1944Horse Barn, Building 1Highway 940
Just outside
Just outside Clearwater County
Places the registers give to the town from within 5 km of its edge, nearest first.
Just outside Clearwater County: 2
| Brazeau Warden CabinRecognized Federal Heritage Building · 1.1 km outside the town |
| Isaac Creek Warden CabinRecognized Federal Heritage Building · 1.1 km outside the town |
Homes by age
Only 9.5% of Clearwater County’s homes go back before 1961 (18% is typical)
More than half of Clearwater County’s housing predates 2001. The busiest building years in Clearwater County were from 1981 to 2000, which account for 34% of today’s homes. 25% of Clearwater County’s homes were built from 2001 to 2015, more than the typical town’s 15%.
9.5%
Before 1961
26%
1961–80
34%
1981–2000
25%
2001–15
5.3%
2016–21
Clearwater CountyTypical 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
Clearwater County has the 2nd most of 16 towns its size
Towns of 11,800 to 12,000 residents, by places on the registers.
Clearwater County3
Ahead of it: Saint-Raymond. Their median is 0. 12 of them have none.
Neighbours
Clearwater County and its neighbours
| Town | People | Places | Highest | Oldest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearwater County | 11,856 | 3 | 2 | 1799 |
| Rocky Mountain House | 8,144 | 0 | 0 | — |
In brief
Clearwater County in brief
Canada’s heritage lists give Clearwater County 3 historic places, 2 with the highest designation, Rocky Mountain House among them. Only one of the 16 towns nearest its size has more historic places. Its homes are mostly newer: 9.5% were built before 1961, against 18% in the typical town. Everything else is close to the norm: its past has one life on the record, Barry Mather (1909); and the designations ran from 1926 to 2001.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The grade. There is no history grade: the page sets out the record and compares it with other towns.
- Map points. Parks Canada publishes no coordinates, so federal places are pinned where Wikidata puts them.
- The tiers. Tiers follow the designation: national recognition and classement first, other federal designations next, provincial and local listings last.
- Protection. A National Historic Site designation recognises significance; it doesn’t by itself protect a building the federal government doesn’t own. Legal protection comes from provincial and municipal designations, whose own registers aren’t open data outside Québec.
- 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.
- Provincial and municipal lists. The local and provincial lists outside Québec aren’t published openly, so this page counts what Wikidata records and pages only the places an encyclopedia describes.
- 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.
Questions about Clearwater County’s history
What is the oldest building in Clearwater County?
By its record, Rocky Mountain House, from 1799 (National Historic Site).
Which places in Clearwater County have the highest designation?
They are Rocky Mountain House and Nordegg.
How old are the homes in Clearwater County?
Before 1961: 9.5% of its homes; the typical town has 18%.
Why might a heritage building in Clearwater County be missing here?
Only federal designations are fully open outside Québec. One more listing in Clearwater County is known through Wikidata alone, so it is 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.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).