Heritage Sites

As per terms of Alberta Historical Resources Act (RSA 2000), the County of Grande Prairie has embarked on a program to officially designate certain sites within its boundaries as Municipal Historic Resources.  The objective is to encourage owners of specific sites considered to be historic to undertake their preservation and restoration.  According to Policy Statement CM#20201005.003, adopted on 5 October 2020:

The County of Grande Prairie will:

1. Encourage the owners or parties associated with the properties of potential historic value to apply to have properties designated as Municipal Historic Resources.
2. Assist in providing resources for completion of the statement of Significance and/or the Statement of Integrity, which are necessary for placement in the Alberta Register of Historic Places.
3. Upon recommendation from the Historic Resources Committee, consider designation of the property as a Municipal Historic Resource.
4. It is not the policy of the County of Grande Prairie to acquire historic properties or provide funding for the preservation or restoration of historic properties. 

Sites designated by the County are in addition to other sites designated as Provincial Historic Resources by the Alberta Minister of Culture.  Should you feel that a site in your custody is of provincial historical significance, you are encouraged to contact the Historic Resources Division of Alberta Culture.

If a site is designated a Municipal Historic Resource, the owner is require by law not to demolish or substantially alter the property, although certain structures may be moved a short distance for environmental reasons, as long as the sense of historic place is maintained.  The idea is to preserve aspects of our history, not alter them.  It is recognized that certain sites may be destroyed or damaged by fire or other unintended disasters through no fault of the owners.

If you wish to have a particular site designated a Municipal Historic Resource or are the custodian of such a site, please fill in and submit the following application form either in hard copy or online.  Please note, the consent of the owner is mandatory.

Brochure

Application Form

Please be advised that, for the County to officially designate properties as Municipal Historic Resources, it will require written consent from the owners or custodians of the properties that they will not hold the County liable for any injury or unintended damage to any property occurring because of restoration work or public or private visitation to the site.

If a site is designated a Municipal Historic Resource, the owners or custodians are required to maintain them to the best of their ability.  Failure to do so will constitute a contravention of a municipal by-law.  Grants for restoration work will be available from the Historic Resources Division of Alberta Culture upon placement of the property on the provincial Register of Historic Places.  Alberta Culture also provides an advisory service for restoration work.

The Bezanson Townsite cultural landscape is on a quarter section of land owned by the County. Though no buildings remain on the site, the landscape is still much the same as it was when Ancel Maynard Bezanson first subdivided the land. The Bezanson Townsite is located along the Smoky River in the southeast corner of the county. 

Erected in 1954, the Immaculate Heart Church is a one-storey stucco-clad church with a font-facing cross gable roof and a cross-topped belfry. It is located in the Bad Heart District of the County, near the intersection of Range Road 25 and Township Road 752. 

Built in 1923, the Melsness Mercantile building is a one-storey, painted wood frame, commercial structure designed with a false front boomtown façade. It occupies one lot on the main street of Valhalla Centre.