Pincher Creek is a hub for history
Poetic cowboys are just one of the unique aspects of this Southern Alberta town
Pincher Creek is a hub at the midpoint of an assortment of communities, all with unique histories and individual stories to tell.
“The environment is beautiful and it has a really central location,” said Lieve Parisis, administrator at the Pincher Creek and District Chamber of Commerce. “In a range of about 60 kilometres you can find tons of museums, and we’re just about 50 kilometres from Waterton, from Fort Macleod. We’re a centre of surrounding communities that have lots to offer.”
Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village
The history of the town of Pincher Creek has been preserved in the Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village, a heritage museum named after a trapper, pioneer and member of the militia in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
“(Brown) founded Waterton Park, and Pincher Creek is a direct route to Waterton,” said Stuart Russell, one of the museum employees. “He was looking for Edmonton, but somehow he went the wrong way—you know, they didn’t have GPS or Google Maps at the time! He ended up 600 kilometres in the wrong direction and found Waterton. He ended up finding out how beautiful it was and put a bid in to the government and saved it from being turned into farmland.”
To honour the explorer, the town of Pincher Creek had Brown’s house moved from its Waterton location to his namesake museum so that it could be preserved in its original state. Brown’s home is just one of many buildings within the museum that have been preserved and put on display for the public. Inside the museum, visitors can find vintage cars, kitchen supplies, music players and an assortment of other artifacts from the time.
Poetry and produce
Along with several small rodeos held through the year, the town of Pincher Creek also hosts a special annual event called Cowboy Poetry.
“Cowboy Poetry is an event held every year where different cowboys and ranchers get together, and locals, as well as people who aren’t locals, come to visit,” said Russell. “We have stories, we do plays, and a bunch of stuff like that. It’s a unique event local to the area.”
On a more regular basis, you can find the Pioneer Farmers' Market held on Fridays through the summer. Each week it runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“There are a variety of vendors who show up with vegetables, fruits, meats, baking, jewelry, handicrafts; basically anything you can think of,” said Russell.
Local dining
While you can find fresh food at the farmers' market to make your own delicious meals, you can also have any of the locally-owned restaurants cook one up for you. There are an assortment of Asian food stops, coffee shops and pizza places.
“Denise’s is a nice little bistro,” said Russell. “Then there’s also the Grill, and Celestial Sweets, a local coffee and sweets shop, Luigi’s Pizza and Steakhouse—locally owned—an Asian place called Bright Pearl’s Restaurant, Antonio’s Pizza and New City Restaurant—another Asian place. All locally owned.”
Town history
Pincher Creek became officially incorporated as a town in 1906, 30 years after the construction of a North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) horse farm on the townsite. The NWMP are a part of Canadian history—they were the predecessors to what is known today as the RCMP. According to Russell, one of the settling NWMP officers also helped to contribute to the name of the town.
“Basically, we’re in the area where an old settler was looking in the creek and found a pair of pincers,” he said. “Since that day, it has been known as Pincher Creek.”
Pincher Creek was historically significant as one of the earliest places in Alberta for pioneer families and traders.
“It was an important place for basically any settlers or travellers coming into the area, for people from B.C. taking passage, and it also served as a Native American trading ground,” said Russell.
