The first board of county commissioners to the county were Roland Curtin, James Fleming and James Smith, all appointed by  Governor McKean in 1805. The first act the commissioners did was to create a local government or seat of the newly created  county. They came upon land owned at the time by Abraham Witmer at a village known as Chincleclamousche, named after the  Native American chief of the Cornplanter's tribe of  Senecas. Clearfield became the new name of the old village.

   The two major industries of the county in the mid-1800s until the early 1900s were lumber and coal. Lumber was still being  floated down the West Branch of the Susquehanna up until 1917. Along with lumber and coal, clay mining for brick making, a  cheese company and a sportswear manufacturer were all local industries. Coal remains the main industry of the county to this  day.

    As of the 2000 census, there are 83,382 residents living in Clearfield County. There are 30 Townships, 19 Boroughs and 1 City  in the county.