Road map Brooks and Okotoks surrounding area (Alberta, Canada)

Rocky Mountain Foothills

The foothills of the Rocky Mountains have some of the finest  grazing land in Canada, and ranching began in the region shortly after  the arrival of the North West Mounted Police in 1874. Massive, ambitious  irrigation projects such as the Bassano Dam and the Brooks Aqueduct  were undertaken here, and many of the towns, such as Okotoks, have a  decidedly quirky history. While traces of the area's ranching past  remain, today farmers produce a wide variety of crops in the shadow of  the Rockies.

Bassano [A6] The town of Bassano has a number of unique claims  to fame. Named after the Marquis of Bassano, Italy, who owned shares in  the Canadian Pacific Railway, the town was the first RCMP training  center for its canine units, and Canada's first flying doctor flew out  of Bassano. The 24-spillway Bassano Dam, now a historic site, was once  the most important structure of its kind in the world, due to a  combination of character, length, unusual foundation, and water depth.

Brooks [B7] Five kilometers east of Brooks, visitors may take  guided tours to see the engineering marvel of Brooks Aqueduct, a  3-km-long canal once used for irrigation. When it opened in 1914, it was  the longest steel-reinforced concrete structure of its kind in the  world. Brooks also has a pheasant hatchery, The Canadian Pheasant  Company, which raises various species of pheasants for release in the  province.

Cluny [A4]

South of Cluny, on the Siksika Nation Reserve, the grave of  Crowfoot, chief of the Siksika (Blackfoot), is marked with a metal cross  engraved "Father of His People." Crowfoot's life as a warrior began at  age 13, and he fought in 19 battles before becoming a man of peace. At  Blackfoot Crossing-for thousands of years the traditional spot for the  Siksika to cross the Bow River-he signed Treaty Seven with the British  in 1877, surrendering some 130,000 km2 of land. The historic signing was  reenacted 100 years later with Prince Charles and seven Siksika chiefs.  The remains of a fortified Siksika village are preserved as Cluny Earth  Lodge Village and Museum of Natural History.

High River [B1]

Heritage buildings in High River's downtown core are some of  the best maintained in Alberta. Historical murals grace buildings, and  great antique shops abound. The Museum of the Highwood includes replicas  of a barbershop and blacksmith shop covered in cattle brand marks, as  well as a 1950 passenger-and-freight train. Harness shops in town show  the art of saddle making.

Okotoks [Bl] The Siksika first called this town sik-okatoks,  which means "black rock," referring to the Big Rock (see Special  Interest, right), 1 km west of town. In summer hundreds of people take  inner tubes to the rock and float the three hours down river to town. Be  sure to visit the Ginger Room, a Victorian mansion with over 40  varieties of tea. Just east of town, the Northwest Aviation and Heritage  Museum at the Okotoks Air Ranch houses restored artifacts such as a P51  Mustang fighter and a Piper C3 Cub. Natural aviators abound at the bird  sanctuary next door.

SPECIAL INTEREST

Big Rock

Natives revered it, cows died in it, and bison used it as a  scratching stone. Measuring 40 m by 18 m by 9 m and weighing 18,000 t,  Big Rock, as it is called, is North America's largest glacial erratic.  The sharp-angled leaning boulder was one among thousands left behind in  the wake of the ancient Wisconsin glacier some 10,000 years ago. The  Stoney called it ipabitunga-ingay, or "where the big rock is," while the  Sarcee called the area chachosika, or "valley of the big rock." Native  picto-graphs can be seen near the top. In 1978, the Big Rock became the  first natural feature recognized as a provincial historic site in  Alberta.

Odd Okotoks Facts

Okotoks last buffalo was killed in 1879. •To encourage ranching  in 1880, the government leased land for one cent per acre. •In 1902,  oats grown in Okotoks garnered the highest award at the Paris  Exposition. •Before 1912, anyone receiving a vehicle registration had to  make their own license plate.     

•The Sandstone Brick Plant once had a steam boiler with an  overabundance of hot water. Local businessmen used a bathtub there to  freshen up-until it was used to thaw a headless corpse for an autopsy.  •Prospectors staked numerous unsuccessful gold claims in the 1920s when a  local woman allegedly discovered a nugget in the goose she was stuffing  for dinner.