| The
Bar U Ranch National Historic
Site
To comprehend the scope of ranching
in western Canada, take a drive
south of Calgary to the site
of one of Alberta's foremost
ranching operations. From 1882
to 1950, the Bar U was one of
the prominent corporate ranches
in the industry, and a training
ground for many cattlemen. Like
the Cochrane, the Oxley, the
Walrond and the Quorn, other
notable ranches of the past,
the Bar U helped to shape the
ranching industry.
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Blackfoot and the
Buffalo
Mountains to the west, buffalo to the east-and
a Chinook-warmed, wooded valley in the middle.
For at least 10,000 years, the Bow Valley
offered the Blackfoot Nation of central
Alberta a strategic base for their nomadic,
communal lifestyle. At the height of its
power, the Blackfoot Confederacy extended
from the North Saskatchewan River south
to Missouri, and from the Alberta-Saskatchewan
border to the Rocky Mountains. Within the
confederacy, the Blackfoot (Siksika), the
Blood and the Peigan shared a common language
and culture.
In 1877, they also shared
Treaty No. 7 with the Tsuu T'ina Nation
(the Sarcee) and the Stoney (Bearspaw, Chiniki
and Wesley/Goodstoney), when the Government
of Canada proceeded with the land agreements
required to build a transcontinental rail
link with British Columbia.
Buffalo
Heritage: The bison, or buffalo,
remains the enduring cultural symbol of
the Blackfoot Nation. For centuries, the
mighty beast of the plains provided food,
clothing and shelter, and was revered as
a holy, life-giving animal. Herds were ambushed
with bows and arrows, or stampeded over
steep embankments.
Perhaps winning the prize for the most apt-and
possibly most gruesome-name of an historical
site is the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
near Fort McLeod, about two hours south
of Calgary. Designated as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 1981, the Interpretive
Centre portrays the bison-hunting lifestyle
of the Blackfoot for the past 5,500 years.
First
Nations Art and Culture at the
Glenbow
At the Glenbow Museum in Calgary,
visitors can view a 19th century
quilled Blackfoot shirt, decorated
with dyed porcupine quills, human
hair, paint and feathers. They
can also marvel at the stories
told on the painted hide of a
buffalo robe, a record of the
feats and triumphs of a Plains
warrior from long ago.
Founded
in 1966 by a gift from lawyer,
rancher, oil man and international
collector Eric Harvie, the Glenbow
is now western Canada's largest
museum, gallery, library and
archives. The Glenbow's art
collection focuses on the history
and development of northwestern
North America, including the
building of the railways and
the works of Canada's First
Peoples. The museums' artifacts,
filling more than 20 galleries,
portray the lives of western
Canada's early explorers and
settlers, and document First
Nations traditions and culture.
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The late 19th century
was a dark and difficult time for the Blackfoot.
With the buffalo hunted to extinction by
the 1870's, starvation was rampant, and
smallpox and other European-borne disease
took a tragic toll. Although fur trading
had replaced some economic activity, a decade
of unscrupulous exploitation by American
whiskey traders in the 1860's and 1870's
further weakened the Nation. The Treaty
of 1877 established a new relationship with
the Dominion of Canada. Today the Blackfoot
Indian Reserve occupies lands on the Bow
River between Carseland and Bassano.
With a long territorial history that precedes
the geography of the 49th Parallel, the
Blackfoot of southern Alberta continue to
maintain their cultural ties with the Blackfoot
of northern Montana.
Cowboy
Culture
Riding, roping, and chuckwagon races are
part of the thrills-and spills-of Calgary's
annual Calgary Stampede. But for farmers
and ranchers along the Bow River south and
west of Calgary, and on The Cowboy Trail,
stretching north to Mayersthorpe, saddle
skills and spurs are still a part of everyday
life.
Cowboy clothes, cowboy
art, and cowboy food-including prime Alberta
beef-reflect the Old West heritage. Independence
and traditional family values are the legacy
of a pioneer land that demanded strength
and perseverance.
If you've ever wondered
what it's like to ride the range or round
up cattle, you can find out on a Cowboy
Trail ranch or farm vacation. Help with
the chores on a working operation, or take
in the nearest community rodeo.
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