How it began
Quesnel on record since 1861
Behind the name Quesnel is Jules-Maurice Quesnel. On Wikidata the municipality of Quesnel dates to 1861, with no word on whether that was its founding or a later incorporation.
Photo: Asahel Curtis · Public domain0historic places on the registers
History of Quesnel · Canada’s heritage registers
Quesnel takes its name from Jules-Maurice Quesnel
3 places on the heritage registers lie within 100 km of Quesnel, the nearest Fort Alexandria, 39 km away. Heritage of the first rank begins 5.5 km away, in Electoral Area A, Cariboo. Of the 3 people born in Quesnel before 1914, Constance Lindsay Skinner came first.
Historic places within 100 km
3
3 of the highest designation
Nearest historic place
39 km
Fort Alexandria
Homes built before 1961
16%
typical town: 18%
Born here before 1914
3
the earliest in 1877
Through time
The old face of Quesnel
One picture from before 1950: one old photograph of the town. Tap it to see it full screen.
c. 1910Public domain or CC0, made before 1950, from Wikimedia Commons; old views of places can be drawings, prints or maps of their time. Each credit opens the image’s page.
Around the town
3 places of the highest rank within 100 km of Quesnel
At 39 km, Fort Alexandria in Electoral Area A, Cariboo is the closest. Within 100 km there are 3 in all. They belong to 2 towns, chiefly Electoral Area C, Cariboo and Electoral Area A, Cariboo.
The 3 nearest, within 100 km
| Fort AlexandriaNational Historic Site · 1821–1822 · 39 km away, in Electoral Area A, Cariboo |
| Chee Kung Tong BuildingNational Historic Site · 1874–1878 · 66 km away, in Electoral Area C, Cariboo |
| BarkervilleNational Historic Site · 1862–1866 · 66 km away, in Electoral Area C, Cariboo |
Homes by age
Only 2.3% of Quesnel’s homes were built from 2016 to 2021 (4.1% is typical)
Quesnel’s largest group of homes, 46%, went up from 1961 to 1980. Few of Quesnel’s homes date from 2001 to 2015: 6.7%, the norm 15%. 16% of Quesnel’s homes predate 1961, close to the typical town’s 18%.
16%
Before 1961
46%
1961–80
29%
1981–2000
6.7%
2001–15
2.3%
2016–21
QuesnelTypical town
2021 Census, private dwellings by period of construction (Statistics Canada); the typical town is the middle Canadian town of 2,500 or more.
Born here
3 people born in Quesnel before 1914
Constance Lindsay Skinner comes first, born in 1877. 5 Wikipedias cover Constance Lindsay Skinner, the most of anyone here. Margaret Ormsby reached 87, the longest life here, ending in 1996. At the other end is Margaret Ormsby, from 1909.
Constance Lindsay Skinner
William Carrall Hilborn
Margaret Ormsby
18501875190019251950
Constance Lindsay Skinner1877–1939 · Canadian journalist
WH
William Carrall Hilborn1898–1918 · Canadian flying ace
MO
Margaret Ormsby1909–1996 · Canadian historian
Everyone born in Quesnel → Born before 1914 (the page’s periods: Confederation to the First World War). Birthplaces from Wikidata, each checked against the person’s Wikipedia article.
Neighbours
Quesnel and its neighbours
| Town | People | Places | Highest | Oldest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quesnel | 10,253 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Electoral Area A, Cariboo | 6,172 | 1 | 1 | 1821 |
| Electoral Area I, Cariboo | 1,707 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Electoral Area C, Cariboo | 1,289 | 2 | 2 | 1862 |
| Electoral Area B, Cariboo | 4,169 | 0 | 0 | — |
In brief
Quesnel in brief
Constance Lindsay Skinner (1877), William Carrall Hilborn (1898) and Margaret Ormsby (1909) are the town’s people of the past on the record. Little of its housing was standing by 1961: 16%, against 18% in the typical town. For the rest, like most towns its size, it has no historic place.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The federal register. Parks Canada’s Directory of Federal Heritage Designations lists every National Historic Site, federal heritage building, heritage railway station and lighthouse; the Canadian Register of Historic Places adds their statements in English and French.
- People and events. The open directory puts its national historic persons nowhere, so a town shows one only on firm ground: a birth there, matched by name and life years, or a historic place there named for the person whose record says so. Events are left out.
- The tiers. Tiers follow the designation: national recognition and classement first, other federal designations next, provincial and local listings last.
- Protection. National historic designation honours a place but binds only federal owners; a private building’s protection depends on its province or municipality.
- The grade. There is no history grade: the page sets out the record and compares it with other towns.
- 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.
Questions about Quesnel’s history
How many historic places does Quesnel have on the registers?
Not within Quesnel. Its nearest is a top designation: Fort Alexandria, 39 km away in Electoral Area A, Cariboo.
How old are the homes in Quesnel?
16% predate 1961, where the typical town has 18%.
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).