Heritage Park

We spent a glorious sunny Saturday at Heritage Park; a place where you can see small town Canada of Olde.  From the car park you can either take the trolley bus to the admission kiosk or walk along a paved walkway which takes back in time from 2011 to 1800.  Inside the kiosk all those people selling admissions are dressed in clothes of yore and even at the gates students check your tickets wearing long dresses (girls) or trousers with waistcoats (lads).  The walk uphill is gentle and quickly to the left is a windmill turning and in the distance the sound of the steam train calling passengers prior to departure.  We quickly left the young children to the games and activities in front of us on a large grass expanse and set off to the left following our map to the compressed air mine locomotives.  Bill had promised me shopping at the end of the day as there were a number of Olde World shops at the entrance!

The locomotives gave way to the Dingman Discovery Well (1913) made of wood making it much easier to leave behind when the oil ran out!  The road construction barn brought a smile to our faces as we recognised the shapes of Calgary's snowploughs! The S.S Moyie, a paddle steamer, was calling passengers on this occasion, we watched the vessel depart as we hurried to the Railway Roundhouse - what fun, a steam engine, a caboose and you could walk around unhurried.  From there we made our way to the Main Street; most of the buildings had been brought to Heritage Park from other parts of Alberta.  

We spent time with the Blacksmith, entered a Masonic Lodge, walked through Wong's Laundry, marvelled at the tools for tooth extraction at the dentist's.  The snooker parlour was particularly grand and of course you get a hair cut at the barbers at the entrance.  We entered the Alberta Bakery, well our noses led us there, the smell of cinnamon rolls freshly brought out of the oven; we treated ourselves to freshly baked sausage rolls Heritage Park style and a loaf of tasty bread.  Lunch was had at the Wainwright Hotel; a grand building with all the original features we spent time reading a Christmas menu from 1914 - we don't think that could have moved after eating such grand fayre.  We chatted to RCMP members; one along the main street and the other further along at Berry Creek where the RCMP shackled a lady for making too much noise in the saloon!! She was shackled to a chair as there was no cell - not very comfortable.  As ever we thoroughly enjoyed the schools; the classroom layout, the Union Jack and pictures of Queen Victoria.  We spent time in the Aboriginal encampment and spoke with the ladies of the Blackfoot Tribe who were sitting inside their teepee's. 

Life for settlers coming to western Canada was not easy whether they came from Eastern Canada or from overseas. The climate; the harsh winters and hot scorching summers must have been extremely hard to get used to not to mention the Aboriginal Tribes who did not see eye to with each other let alone the settlers.  The Hudson Bay Company had forts all over what is now Canada to buy pelts, mostly beaver, from trappers.  Many a young man from Scotland came to Canada to work for The Bay and after three years could return to Scotland, ticket paid or remain in Canada with small portion of land, three acres or so.  Many of course decided to stay as they either had nothing to return to or could not as the solitude of working in the Great White North (Canada) meant that they could not readily live a normal life.  Small churches sprang up to help people come to terms with where they now lived; singing hymns helped many to forget from whence they had come - there were so many people in the same boat so to speak.

There was so much to see and do that we will certainly return another time.