In 1892, the Canadian Pacific Railway left a boxcar as a marker for a watering hole that was to serve the steam-powered locomotives of the day.
A railway superintendent named the spot after his wife, Clara. When a frame building replaced the boxcar in 1895, the place was called Claresholm.
The Appaloosa Horse Club of Canada is dedicated exclusively to this one breed of horse. The Appaloosa's distinctive coat pattern of a spotted blanket over the loin and hips makes it easily recognized. Established in1982, the club's aim is to collect, preserve and display artifacts, documents, awards, photographs and art portraying the breed.
Appaloosa were first seen in prehistoric cave paintings dating back some 20,000 years and were used in buffalo hunts.
