Rocky Mountain House

Sister cities

• Kamikawa

History

The town has a long history dating to the 18th century with the presence of British and Canadian fur traders during the westward Canadian expansion. In 1799, the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company each established the Rocky Mountain House and Acton House fur trading posts. Trade with the local aboriginal peoples continued until 1821 when the companies merged, they continued to trade until 1875 and closed the Rocky Mountain House post. The name of the settlement however remained. The Rocky Mountain House settlement also served as a launching point for many explorers such as David Thompson, in search for a passage west to the Pacific Ocean. Many travellers used this location as a stop on their way further west or northwest, just as they do into the 21st century. The town was hit by a magnitude 5.0 earthquake on October 20, 2021, just after 9:20pm MDT. It was the second-strongest earthquake in the province's history. ===Fur trade=== Rocky Mountain House and Acton House were a pair of fur trade posts from 1799 to 1876. Rocky Mountain House belonged to the North West Company (NWC) and Acton House to the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). When the two companies merged in 1821, the name Rocky Mountain House was retained. The posts were opened and closed seven times. Rocky Mountain House was the westernmost post on the North Saskatchewan and was within sight of the Rocky Mountains. The fort facilitated trade with the Blackfeet and Piegans as well as the Kootenays across the mountains. The Kootenays were prevented from reaching Fort Edmonton by the Blackfeet and Piegans who wanted to profit as middlemen and keep them from getting guns. The fort also served as a base for finding a pass across the Rocky Mountains. The post also produced pemmican and York boats.…

Geography

The North Saskatchewan River borders Rocky Mountain House to the west where the Clearwater River flows into the North Saskatchewan River. Crimson Lake is a lake approximately northwest of town. Crimson Lake is home to Crimson Lake Provincial Park. Rocky Mountain House has a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc) that borders on a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). Daytime temperatures are in general representative for the latter, but the larger diurnal temperature variation with the high elevation ensures frequent frosts. The January average high of around is actually much milder than clear continental areas further east in Canada on similar and lower parallels. The highest temperature ever recorded in Rocky Mountain House was on 23 July 1928. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 12 February 1936.