List of historic places in the Edmonton Capital Region Facts for Kids

This article is about the amazing historic places you can find in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region! These are special buildings, sites, and areas that are important to Canada's history. They are officially recognized by the government, whether it's the federal (Canada-wide), provincial (Alberta), or municipal (city) government.

What Are Historic Places?
- Why Do We Protect Them?
- How Are Places Chosen?
Famous Historic Spots in Edmonton
Images for kids
See also

What Are Historic Places?

Historic places are like time capsules! They are buildings, areas, or even natural spots that tell us stories about the past. They show us how people lived, worked, and built communities long ago. Protecting these places helps us remember and learn from history.

Why Do We Protect Them?

We protect historic places for many reasons:

Learning from the past: They teach us about our history, culture, and how our communities grew.
Keeping stories alive: Each place has unique stories about the people who lived there or the events that happened.
Saving special architecture: Many historic buildings have beautiful and unique designs that are no longer built today.
Connecting generations: They help us feel connected to the people who came before us.

How Are Places Chosen?

For a place to be called "historic," it usually has to meet certain rules. Experts look at things like:

Age: How old is it?
Importance: Did something important happen there? Did a famous person live there?
Design: Is it a great example of a certain building style?
Condition: Is it still in good shape, or can it be restored?

Once a place is chosen, it gets added to the Canadian Register of Historic Places. This means it's officially recognized and efforts are made to keep it safe for the future.

Famous Historic Spots in Edmonton

The Edmonton area is full of cool historic places. Here are some examples of the kinds of places you might find:

Historic Buildings

Many old buildings in Edmonton have been saved because they are important. These include:

Old homes: Houses where important people lived or that show how families used to live.
Old businesses: Buildings that were once busy shops, banks, or offices, showing how people worked and traded.
Government buildings: Places where important decisions were made, like the Government House.
Churches and schools: Buildings that were central to community life and education, like McKay Avenue School.

Important Sites

Sometimes, it's not just a building but a whole area or a special site that is historic.

Old Strathcona: This whole area is a historic district! It has many old buildings that show what Edmonton was like when it was a smaller town. You can find places like the Strathcona Canadian Pacific Railway Station and the Ritchie Mill there.
Forts: Places like Fort Augustus and Fort Edmonton were important trading posts long ago.
Oilfield sites: The Leduc-Woodbend Oilfield and Leduc No. 1 Discovery Well are important because they mark where oil was first found in Alberta, which changed the province forever!

Cool Structures

Some historic places are not buildings but other structures that were very important for the city's growth.

Bridges: The High Level Bridge is a famous landmark that helped connect different parts of the city.
Armouries: Buildings like the Prince of Wales Armoury were used by the military.