Victoria District National Historic Site of Canada

Designated by Ministerial Order of the Minister of Canadian Heritage in 2001, the Victoria District has long been a spectacular focal point of the Smoky Lake region. 

National Historic Site designation was achieved largely thanks to the advocacy and hard work of the Victoria Home Guard Historical Society (VHGHS). 

For more information, please visit the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

 

 Designated a National Historic Site

The Victoria District was designated a National Historic Site of Canada by Ministerial Order in 2001, at the recommendation of the National Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (NHSMBC). 

 HSMBC Report: 2010-CED-SDC-04

Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada
This document is a prepared consolidation of the Minutes of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada pertaining to deliberations regarding the Victoria District.

 HSMBC Report: 1972-3

Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada
This document is a prepared consolidation of the Minutes of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada pertaining to the Fort Garry to Fort Edmonton (or Carlton/Saskatchewan/Victoria Trail) National Historic Event.

In 2020, the remaining sections of the Victoria Trail were declared a Municipal Historic Area under the Alberta Historical Resources Act by Smoky Lake County.

 Cultural Landscape Analysis and Inventory (2007)

Managed mainly by Parks Canada, the Cultural Landscape Analysis and Inventory assisted in the creation of a Commemorative Statement of Integrity.

 Commemorative Statement of Integrity (2008)

The Commemorative Integrity Statement (CIS) guides site management by identifying what is most important about a site relative to the national historic designation and, for Parks Canada sites, ensuring that matters relating to national significance, including resources and messaging, are the highest management priority.

 Victoria District Area Structure Plan (Bylaw 1305-17)

The purpose of the Victoria District Area Structure Plan (ASP) is to guide growth and development within the Plan area. New development with this Victoria District ASP shall complement (and, where possible, enhance) the natural beauty and historically significant features of the local landscape.
Bylaw 1305-17 (jpeg)

 Survey and Inventory of the Victoria District National Historic Site 2009

In addition to the much wider Smoky Lake Regional Heritage Survey and Inventory completed in 2012, this document provides further assessment of the Victoria District. The main objectives of this Survey and Inventory of Historical Assets within the Victoria District were:

  • To complete a review of potential historically significant sites;
  • To create a context paper that describes the County's major historical themes and trends;
  • To document, research and conduct fieldwork to develop the Smoky Lake County survey;
  • To photograph and document historic sites within the Victoria District NHSC;
  • To prepare Statements of Significance for five selected sites.