World War I Draft Registration was unique in a number of ways. While it was a federal program, Clearwater County had its own 'Draft Board' that oversaw the registration of the men in the county. I haven't been able to discover who all the members of this draft board were, but two of the men that signed the registration cards were H. Walrath and Joseph Kauffman.

There were three registration dates:

• 1--5 June 1917 for men born 5 June 1886 to 5 June 1896
• 2--5 June 1918 for men born 6 June 1896 to 5 June 1897
• 3--12 Sept. 1918 for men born 12 Sept. 1873 to 12 Sept. 1900

While not its original purpose, from a genealogical standpoint, the World War I draft registration cards can provide a lot of information about men born in the United States from September 1873 to September 1900.

Information on the cards may includes such things as:

• Name
• Birth date
• Birthplace
• Draft registration date
• Sometimes, father's birthplace
• Name of nearest relative
• Age in years
• Gender is implied, since all registrants were males
• Marital status
• List of any dependents
• Address
• Eye color
• Hair color
• Height
• Size
• Occupation
• The man's signature, as well as the person verifying the registration

For further information or how to search the records, see this link: https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States,_World_War_I_Draft_Registration_Cards_-_FamilySearch_Historical_Records#What_Can_These_Records_Tell_Me.3F

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