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town in Alberta, Canada
North America > Canada > Prairies > Alberta > Southern Alberta > Claresholm

Claresholm is a small town of 3,800 (2016) located in Southern Alberta.

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50°1′48″N 113°34′48″W
Map of Claresholm

The location was originally a watering stop for steam engines on the Canadian Pacific Railway line along the Macleod Trail when the trains first arrived in the area in 1891. The first settlers arrived in 1902, and the village was established in 1903. Claresholm was incorporated as a town in 1905, the year Alberta became a province. The community was named after Clare, a pioneer citizen.

Royal Canadian Air Force Station Claresholm was established near the town in 1941 to train pilots for service in World War II. It first opened June 9, 1941 as a British Commonwealth Air Training Plan base. No. 15 Service Flying Training School operated at the base from its opening until March 1945. In 1951, the base was used to train pilots for the Korean War and operated as No. 3 Flying Training School. It also trained NATO pilots. The base closed in 1958 and the hangars were converted to industrial use. A portion of the former base operates as Claresholm Industrial Airport. Among the artifacts in the Claresholm Museum from the air base is a Link Trainer.

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Claresholm is located on Highway 2, approximately an hour northwest of Lethbridge and an hour south of Calgary city limits.

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  • 1 Claresholm Industrial Airport (4.6 km SW of Claresholm). General aviation only, no scheduled service. Formerly a British Commonwealth Air Training base.     (updated Apr 2021)

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Water Tower
  • 1 Claresholm & District Museum (Claresholm & District Museum and Visitor Information Centre), 5126 1st St W (Hwy 2 & 52 Ave), ☏ +1 403-625-1742, . Temporarily closed due to COVID19. The Museum grounds include a 1912 CPR Train Station, an 8000 sf Exhibit Hall, Claresholm’s first schoolhouse (1903), a 1920s log cabin and a CPR caboose. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 2 Claresholm Water Tower, 1st St W & 45 Ave W. Built in 1909 and completed in 1910, it serviced the community until the 1980s. It still stands tall as a beacon for those approaching the community. Historical reverence for the water tower played a large part in its inclusion in the town's Municipal Logo. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 3 Harvard Memorial, Starline Rd & 4th St W (Centennial Park). Commemorates the pilots who trained and the personnel who were stationed in Claresholm in the 1950s as part of the NATO training program. Many of the young student pilots who learned to fly at Claresholm did so in a yellow Harvard like the one on display. (updated Apr 2021)

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  • Claresholm Visitor Information Centre (Claresholm & District Museum and Visitor Information Centre), 5126 1st Street W (Hwy 2 & 52 Ave), ☏ +1 403-625-3131, . Temporarily closed due to COVID19. Located inside a 1912 CPR train station, the Travel Alberta accredited Visitor Information Centre (open seasonally) provides regional maps, brochures and booking recommendations. Free Wi-Fi, free RV and bus parking, and picnic area. (updated Apr 2021)

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Routes through Claresholm
Calgary ← Nanton ←  N   S  → Fort Macleod → Lethbridge via  


This city travel guide to Claresholm is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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