The Bar U Ranch
Courtesy of Parks Canada
Calgary & Southern Alberta
Dignitaries, nobles and celebrities were not uncommon guests in southern Alberta's ranching country in the golden era of the cattle business. Indeed, many of the ranch owners and shareholders were titled themselves. The most memorable visit to ranch country occurred when Edward, the Prince of Wales, asked to see a real working ranch during his 1919 tour of western Canada. The Bar U Ranch in High River was chosen, with owner George Lane as host. Although many notables – earls, bank executives, and artists – had been guests at the Bar U, nothing quite equalled a royal visit. The Prince was so taken with his days in ranching country that he immediately purchased the neighbouring Bedingfeld ranch, renamed the E. P. Ranch.
The attending newspaper coverage of the royal visit and ranch purchase added substance to common notions about the West which, more often than not, stemmed from a diet of western romance and pulp fiction. Accurate or not, the image of the West prompted tourist interest on which both private citizens and governments were quick to capitalise. The appeal of the image generated a host of commercial ventures ranging from the first Calgary Stampede to a procession of small-town rodeos, exhibitions and cowboy events throughout southern Alberta.
In 1991, Environment Canada's Canadian Parks Service acquired the historic Bar U Ranch, which became Alberta's second National Historic Site. By preserving this portion of Alberta's history and developing interpretative programmes for the public, the parks system created a tourist destination that affords both domestic and foreign visitors a fascinating glimpse of the province's ranching heritage.
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