Ranching riches
Southern Alberta’s ranching history
dates to the late 1800s. In Longview,
Bar U Ranch was established during
the “beef bonanza” of the 1880s, and
became one of the west’s first successful
corporate ranches. At its peak, Bar U
held nearly 160,000 acres of deeded and
leased land, and owned 30,000 head of
cattle. It’s now a National Historic Site
where visitors can learn
ranching skills such as
how to saddle a horse,
cook on an open fire and
identify livestock.
No Cowboy Trail
trip should be taken
without a stock of beef
jerky, the dried meat
snack introduced to
white settlers by Native
Americans. The Aboriginal version,
known as pemmican, consisted of
bison and dried fruit or animal fat.
To appease colonial palates, the recipe
replaced bison with beef and removed
the berries. Today, Longview Beef
Jerky offers a wide variety of flavours.
Standouts like teriyaki, honey garlic
and Szechuan make for perfect on-the-
road snacking.
Distilled history
Driving through the foothills, you’ll
notice that the towns of Longview,
Turner Valley, Black Diamond and
Millarville are fewer than 10 kilometres
apart. If you have time to spare, try
biking the multi-use trail from Black
Diamond to Turner Valley.
Hop off in front of Eau Claire
Distillery, which pays homage to a
booze-soaked period in Turner Valley’s
history: Prohibition was instituted in
the boomtown in 1916, but that just
encouraged the brazen bootleggers who
hid moonshine stills in the foothills.
Give yourself about an hour to take a
distillery tour and sample Eau Claire’s
vodka, gin and seasonal offerings.
Next door you’ll find Chuckwagon
Café, a Cowboy Trail institution that
serves one of the best burgers in
Alberta. Or check out Motoburrito,
a Mexican food truck located at the
Mottorrad Performance bike shop.
The
Essentials
Black Diamond
pastries; Saddle
up in Bragg
Creek (left)
A modern throwback
A bit of local trivia, should you decide to
stay in (or backtrack to) Black Diamond:
The town was named for the designation
applied to high-grade coal, which was
discovered here in the late 19th century.
Shop the antique stores and art galleries
on Centre Avenue, then grab a bite at
Black Diamond Bakery & Coffee Shop.
The popular morning haunt is known
for its traditional Danish specialties like
almond tarts, wienerbrod (flaky pastries
filled with custard and almonds) and
eckel cakes (small, round, raisin-filled
sweets). Or, relive the 1950s at Marv’s
ON THE ROAD
ama members save
up to 25%—and get
additional benefits—
on car rentals booked
through ama travel:
AMATravel.ca/Cars
WHERE TO STAy
Just east of the Cowboy
trail, the best Western
plus okotoks Inn &
suites is one of that
town’s newest hotels.
ama members save up
to 10% on already great
hotel prices by booking
at AMATravel.ca/Hotels
THiNgS TO DO
explore the kananaskis
valley with Inside out
experience’s saddle
and paddle package.
save 15% on adult rates
and 20% on the family
rate: AMARewards.ca/
InsideOut
use your parks Canada
discovery pass for free
entry to bar u Ranch
national historic site:
save $10 on a family
pass purchased at any
ama centre
Bar U Ranch
Serving shakes at Marv’s
Classic Soda Shop. The retro diner has a
working jukebox that still plays 45-rpm
records for a quarter. Not much has
changed here—like the Cowboy Trail
itself. The more you travel it, the more
you realize it’s a route along which time
has stood wonderfully still.
AMA InsIdeR
summeR 2018
53