Cowboy Culture
Cowboy culture has been a staple in the West for decades. Unlike the American Wild West, our West was not wild—but it still had interesting stories and events. But most noteworthy is the scenery. Many ranches had the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop, making them some of the most beautiful cowboy scenes in the world! We will focus this blog on this backdrop with a few prairie locations for variety.
Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site (Site 127 Comp 6 RR4, Rocky Mountain House, AB T4T 2A4, Canada, https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/ab/rockymountain). The site offers bookable cultural experiences and workshops (fees apply). Unserviced camping is also available at the site for RVs under 27′ (8m) and tents. Heritage camping in trapper tents, tipis, and trapline cabins is also available for rent. Given these are popular, booking ahead is highly recommended. Admission to the site has one of the lowest entry fees of all the sites listed here, with free admission at the time of writing for youth under 17.
The Sundre and District Museum and Pioneer Village (https://www.sundremuseum.com/) features eight heritage houses and a gallery with exhibits from the area. Various events, such as Canada Day, a haunted village, and culture days, occur at various times throughout the year. Check out their website for the most up-to-date information. The site is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 5pm, but may be closed in bad weather. The address is 211 – 1st Ave SW Sundre, Alberta. Call in advance for details at 403-638-3233
Looking to try some cowboy stuff yourself. The Boundary Ranch in Kananaskis (https://www.boundaryranch.com/) hosts a variety of trail rides while also offering other local adventures like whitewater rafting, a small museum, and adventure dog carting. Enter 2 Guinn’s Rd, Kananaskis, AB T0L 2H0, Canada, in Google Maps to arrive.
Nestled nearby in the mountains is the Banff Trail Riders with over 60 years experience in horse rides and trail experience. They have three locations so see https://horseback.com/ for the location that best suits you. The company offers a variety of options, from vacation packages or one-hour rides to Western cookouts and lodge accommodations. Their sister company, Discover Banff Tours (https://banfftours.com/things-to-do/banff-horseback-rides/), also operates in Banff National Park and includes whitewater rafting, sightseeing, private tours, wildlife tours, hiking, and winter activities.
Spruce Meadows in Calgary offers a spectacular variety of Western culture. Concerts, equestrian events, military displays including the Lord Strathcona’s Mounted Troop and musical ride, the Military Tattoo, and many, many other Western events are showcased here. See their website (https://www.sprucemeadows.com/index.jsp ) and www.gozeeit.com for upcoming events.
The Calgary Stampede is a world-renowned rodeo with competitors from thousands of miles away—and the whole community seems to participate. The event features concerts, rodeo events, wine and local culinary showcases, and much more. See https://www.calgarystampede.com/ for the latest details and dates.
Another favorite is the Rocking Guest Ranch (https://rockingrguestranch.com/), located 50 minutes East of Calgary. Although an outlier in this list, this small, family-owned business caters to those seeking a cabin experience, trail rides, fly fishing, ice fishing, whitewater rafting, or romantic getaways. The venue is also popular for weddings. Although the mountains are just out of view, the scenery is still gorgeous.
The Bar U National Historic Site (https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/ab/baru), located near Longview, was established by two of Alberta’s four cattle barons. The 70-year-old ranch, having 160,000 acres (65 hectares) at its peak, has been home to up to 35,000 cattle and 1000 horses. Over the years, the ranch was parcelled off and sold to other owners, with the Bar U site being the central remaining part. Since 1995, the site has featured a costumed historical guide, a visitor centre, and various activities to try. We recommend visiting the website to confirm the seasonal schedule, current events, and hours of operation. Please note that certified service animals are permitted on the grounds, but pets are not due to potentially adverse interactions between the livestock and pets.
Finally, the Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village in Pincher Creek offers insight into the Canadian West with 31 restored buildings and 30,000 artifacts. For podcast information, hours, and closing dates, see https://www.kootenaibrown.ca/. The café is seasonal only, and the village is closed on some long weekends. Pets are not allowed on the site, but service animals are. The six-acre site is closed Sunday and Monday. Nearby, also in Pincher Creek, is the Heritage Acres Farm Museum, open from the May long weekend through mid-September. The site offers a mix of old Western displays to the age of early tractors. See https://heritageacres.org/ for upcoming events, shows, and fairs.
All of these sites can be found on the map at this link: https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Rocky+Mountain+House+National+Historic+Site/Sundre+%26+District+Museum/ROCKING+R+GUEST+RANCH/2+Guinn’s+Road,+Kananaskis,+AB,+Canada/Banff+Trail+Riders+-+Stables/Spruce+Meadows/Bar+U+Ranch+National+Historic+Site/1037+Bev+McLachlin+Dr/Heritage+Acres+Farm+Museum,+Range+Road+293,+Pincher+Creek+No.+9,+AB,+Canada/@50.9017057,-117.0678531,7z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m56!4m55!1m5!1m1!1s0x5375d8b1426044df:0xb91443c8e6b9624f!2m2!1d-114.9708651!2d52.361715!1m5!1m1!1s0x5376a20da4d7c6b7:0x396d94b7811d64ef!2m2!1d-114.6409274!2d51.7953832!1m5!1m1!1s0x53723462f779efb1:0x7d009bdb7861bb2a!2m2!1d-113.2747649!2d50.9895553!1m5!1m1!1s0x5370e94f2b9cd797:0x73be04b01551e079!2m2!1d-115.1289775!2d50.9142038!1m5!1m1!1s0x5370ca4228231f31:0x8cfc3dc0e5d3d7b0!2m2!1d-115.5819931!2d51.1745605!1m5!1m1!1s0x537170fcab09c1a9:0x5fe05f826dd82082!2m2!1d-114.1052281!2d50.8848963!1m5!1m1!1s0x5371b6f7b0e19afb:0xb2ddbbb880095257!2m2!1d-114.2435037!2d50.4195417!1m5!1m1!1s0x536f0a7014ccb8b5:0x25ced0aecf2e823f!2m2!1d-113.9459605!2d49.4865148!1m5!1m1!1s0x536f0a7822427aa5:0xdcb35bf9c65de455!2m2!1d-113.8655689!2d49.5740105!3e0?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDUwNy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
