Darcy with his caboose in Brooks, Alberta

Glenn and I have been working with the Canadian Badlands for the past two years. On our first product tour of the area in July, 2007, we had the pleasure of touring the Brooks-Bassano area with Bob Cromwell and D’Arcy Pharmacy, two locals involved with tourism in the region. This part of the Canadian Badlands is about an hour and a half east of Calgary along the Trans Canada Highway so, easy to get to on a Badlands road trip.

Bob and D’Arcy took us on a great tour that included the Bassano Dam, Rosie’s Diner (great stop for java and homemade pie), and Siksika Nation, home of the Blackfoot Confederacy.

Chief Crowfoot Cemetary, Siksika Nation, Alberta

A particularly poignant stop for all of us was the little Chief Crowfoot Cemetery on Siksika Nation. It sits high above the Bow River valley,  just south of the Trans Canada Highway. The cemetery is the final resting place for several Blackfoot including Chief Crowfoot, who signed the famous Treaty 7 in 1877. The names on the graves give a glimpse into Siksika Nation life. Running Rabbit, Bad Boy Lepetre and Owl Child. What is particularly sad is the number of young we found buried in this cemetery. Siksika Nation (Blackfoot) is part of the Blackfoot Confederacy which also includes the Piikani and Kainaiwa of southern Alberta and the Blackfeet of Montana.

Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park

Just five minutes from the cemetery, you’ll find the Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park. This architectural gem of a museum just opened in 2007. It is filled with Blackfoot Confederacy history and artefacts. Blackfoot Crossing is an actual ridge of land stretching underwater across the Bow River. For centuries, migrating herds of buffalo, people and horses were able to cross the river with relative ease and the crossing became significant in Canadian history as a meeting place and later as the site of the Treaty 7 signing. You can read more about it and about Siksika Nation at http://www.siksikanation.com.

Also check out the Treaty 7 Management Corporation site at http://www.treaty7.org

Google map

The Robin’s Nest Bed & Breakfast in Castor, Alberta

Bob Cromwell is a great storyteller who lives in Brooks, Alberta, in the Canadian Badlands, about an hour and a half east of Calgary. He’s just resigned his post as the Newell County tourism director but before moving on, he treated Glenn and I to another superb tour of his Badlands area, only this time, we toured at night. Glenn wanted to get him on tape just shooting the breeze so, we all decided that taping on the road with Bob driving might be our best bet. Bob loves to drive so he picked Glenn and I up from the Robin’s Nest B&B in the little town of Castor, a good two hours drove north of Brooks. We decided to make our first pit stop Cactus Corners, just east of Hanna.  What sets it apart most North American truck stops are the lack of overhead lights even though it ‘s open 24/7 and caters to a huge trucker clientele. Except for building lights, the area is pitch black and hard to make out on the prairie landscape. Nevertheless, it’s a major  pit stop for travelers especially Saskatoon weekenders as Bob calls them. They head home to Saskatoon from Calgary by the hundreds every weekend. For years, Calgary has been a mecca to Canadians from across the country seeking employment. Alberta is booming from its huge oil and gas reserves. Saskatchewan however, has recently been touted to become the next big boom economy in Canada for its oil and gas so, it’s just possible some of those weekenders are going to be making their way back home permanently. At any rate, thousands of them stop at Cactus Corners every year. If you happen upon it in daylight, you’ll understand how it got its name by the huge steel green cactus standing at its entrance.

Cactus Corners truck stop

Now, I couldn’t figure out what the advantage of a dark truck stop at the major intersection of highways 9 and 36 would be until 20 minutes later when we were headed back up 36 towards Castor. That’s when we first caught a glimpse of the Northern Lights. Bob quickly found a gravel road off the highway and we stopped for a better view. It was incredible. Living in downtown Toronto, I’d forgotten just how magnificent they are. And I had no idea I would see them this far south in Canada or in warmer weather.