Nordegg is an unincorporated settlement located about 90 km west of the Town of Rocky Mountain House along the David Thompson Highway. Its history dates back to the early 1900’s when Martin Nordegg, the founder of the community, discovered coal and commenced the Brazeau Collieries mining operation in 1912. With the completion of the Canadian Northern Railway branch line to Nordegg in 1914, the town site became fully operational. Houses were constructed providing all the modern amenities of the time period (electricity, running water, steam heat) to the miners and mine managers alike. Nordegg designed a unique, semi circular, townsite street pattern incorporating ideas borrowed from Mount Royal in Montreal. Those streets are still visible today and planning for a renewed town site in Nordegg has included the re-creation of a similar pattern.

The community prospered with the use of coal for steam locomotives and as a building heating fuel, such that the peak population reached over 2,500 and over 200 single, family dwellings. The business district had a large general store, bakery and butcher shops, boarding houses, hotel, bank, several bars and a miners club. Two churches were built as well as fully modern hockey and curling arenas. However in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, with the advent of the railroads’ use of diesel fuel and the availability of natural gas for heating fuel, Nordegg began to wane. The Briquetting Plant and mine were shut down in January of 1955 and the town soon became virtually abandoned.

In 1963, a Provincial Corrections Camp was developed in the old town site but was phased out in 1995. Existing commercial operations include a motel, restaurant, gas station, trail riding, liquor store, gift shop and small cafe. A post office as well as a limestone quarry operates year round, while the museum and the golf course are open during the summer months. The Nordegg Historical Society, with financial assistance from the Alberta Historic Resources Foundation and Clearwater County, is actively involved in the stabilization and restoration of the Brazeau Collieries mine site and provides tours to the visiting public during the summer.

Nordegg is viewed as having significant potential for recreation, tourism, and residential development. With the various scenic resources of the surrounding mountain region and the continued interest for residential lots and acreages in the town site, Clearwater County and the Province of Alberta negotiated an agreement whereby the Nordegg townsite was transferred to the municipality. An engineering study was done to determine the suitability of existing infrastructure and treatment plants and to determine what upgrading would be necessary to meet the needs of a growing community. The Nordegg Community Outline Plan was written to serve as the principle planning guide to the revitalization of Nordegg as a thriving, sustainable community. This plan recognized three elements that are fundamental in the creation of a successful and unique community, those being people, history, and the environment.

Residential and Commercial acreage lots have been created on the north side of Highway 11 and are currently being sold. In 1998, twelve existing duplex units were given an exterior facelift, subdivided and sold. Also in 1998, a new water supply system was installed, drawing water from two wells to replace the existing creek fed reservoir.

In 1999, work began on the Nordegg Development Plan; a document designed to give guidance to the future development of all areas within the townsite of Nordegg. The Nordegg Development Plan (click here) Design Guidelines was written as an accompanying document, to give direction on architectural design for the various areas. 

The Shunda/Goldeye Node is located immediately adjacent to Nordegg, with the majority of the lands to the west of the townsite and a small strip to the east. A number of small lakes and wetlands are found in the area with two of the lakes, Goldeye and Shunda (Fish) Lakes providing water based recreational opportunities. There are currently four privately owned facilities in the node, those being Frontier Lodge, Goldeye Centre, Ahlstrom Helicopters and the Centre for Outdoor Education. The total area within this node encompasses approximately 3,100 acres of which roughly one fifth is developable. There are excellent views of the eastern slopes of the Rockies from many locations within this node.

Various development opportunities exist within the Shunda/Goldeye area such as a four season resort, motels, hostel, or cabins, while fully serviced campgrounds and a regulation golf course would be other possibilities for the area. Due to the close proximity to Nordegg, all highway commercial development would be directed there.