Bow Valley Ranch
History | Bow Valley Ranch House | Glenns | Shaws | Shannon Terrace

GLENN'S FIRST FARM 

In 1873, John and Adelaide Glenn became the first settlers in the Fish Creek valley. They set up a small trading post and farm in 1874.  Their first homestead was on the north side of the creek near, what is today, the Bow Bottom Trail crossing. Glenn shared credit with Sam Livingston for planting the first cereal crops in the Calgary area in 1876.  He was the first settler to develop an irrigation system in Alberta. While farming, Glenn continued to supplement his income by trading.  To serve the growing traffic between Fort Benton in the USA and Fort Calgary, he established a combined stopping house and trading store on his farm.  The Glenn's stopping house became a popular rest area for weary travelers. In 1879, Glenn sold his farm to Dominion Government and it became Indian Supply Farm #24. 

FISH CREEK SUPPLY FARM 

In 1877, The Blackfoot Confederacy signed Treaty Number Seven.  In return for giving up large tracts of land, the Natives were paid cash and given reserves totaling close to one million acres.  To assist the Blackfoot with their "new" way of life, the federal government purchased places like the Glenn's as instructional farms.  However, in the early 1880's the government decided to sell the Fish Creek Supply Farm, because the poor yields did not justify costs. Quebec's Lieutenant Governor, Theodore Robitaille, purchased the farm on speculation, planning to sell it in smaller parcels at a good profit. By the time the land was rightfully his in 1883, the western Canadian real estate market had collapsed and his plans fell through. 

BOW VALLEY RANCH 

William Roper Hull and his brother John, leased the land from Robitaille in 1887 and bought it in 1892.  The England born Hull brothers had learned the basics of the cattle industry on their uncle's cattle ranch in Kamloops, BC.  By the time they added the Fish Creek Supply Farm to their holdings, Hull Brothers Company had become a major force in the local cattle industry.  In 1893, John transferred his interests in the ranch to William, who became the sole owner. The era of William Roper Hull is an important part of the history of Bow Valley Ranch. 

In 1895, Hull began irrigating the 800 acres he had under cultivation. Hull once noted that prior to irrigating the land in the valley, the yield was only 90 tons of hay, by the third year of irrigation, it topped the scales at 1200 tons!  Such enormous yields demanded efficient handling and Hull introduced an innovative, yet simple hay-stacking machine for the farm. Hull's farming methods became famous across Canada.  Hull's farm became a necessary stop for all visiting dignitaries.  When Prime Minister Mackenzie Bowell visited one of Hull's oat fields, his aids lost sight of him as he strolled through the grain.  Senator Lougheed also on the tour, happened to have a foot measure with him and found the average height of the stalks was six feet one inch. Bowell was suitably impressed. 

THE GOLDEN AGE OF RANCHING 

Hull also cultivated the social life of an elegant class of Canadian ranchers unique to that time period.  The Bow Valley Ranche, as Hull renamed the farm, became the focal point for their gatherings.  When the original log ranch house burned down, Hull built the natural brick two storey Bow Valley Ranche House, still in existence today.  It was said to be the finest country home in the territories. In 1902 Hull sold his meat operations and the Bow Valley Ranche to Patrick Burns and moved to Calgary.  At that time, Calgary was a two-hour ride away. 

BOW VALLEY RANCH 

Patrick Burns started with nothing and came to dominate the western Canadian meatpacking and dairy products industries. When Burns purchased the Bow Valley Ranch, (Burns dropped the unnecessary "e") its purpose and function changed.  No longer the site of parties for a fashionable elite, the only entertainment it hosted was the occasional official luncheon for visiting dignitaries and some staff functions. 

Hull's progressive irrigation system was also abandoned.  To Burns, the Bow Valley Ranch was an integral but small part of his empire.  Burns bought out all the nearby ranches and farms until he owned everything between the Bow Valley Ranch and his packing plant, still located in southeast Calgary on the Blackfoot Trail. Burns operated the ranch as a holding and sorting site for cattle brought in from other ranches on their way to his southeast Calgary slaughterhouse.  Animals were fattened up here or at his feedlot near the Calf Robe Bridge on Deerfoot Trail. The fenced off trees at the Bow Valley Ranch site have provided fuel for two interesting stories.  One states that Burns was an environmentalist and built the fences around stands of poplars to protect them from cattle.  Another story suggests that the fences were constructed to prevent the cattle from eating the locoweed, a tempting yellow flowered weed toxic to cattle. 

The Bow Valley Ranch remained in the Burns family until bought by the provincial government in 1972.  Fish Creek Provincial Park opened in 1975. 

Bow Valley Ranch Visitor Centre

The Bow Valley Ranch area still has many of the structures built by Hull and Burns.  A relatively new addition is the visitor centre.  Inside you will find exhibits, a theatre for slide shows and videos, an information desk and a fireplace.  The visitor centre hosts school and youth groups all year long and provides a unique selection of educational activities.
 

WHERE IS THE BOW VALLEY RANCH? 

To enter the Bow Valley Ranch area, head south on Bow Bottom Trail, SE and watch for the sign just inside the park.