Ranching in Canada ~ Lorraine Nelson

 

rider at Calgary Stampede 2002

Ranching in Canada has traditionally been dominated by the province of Alberta. The most successful early settlers of the province were the ranchers, who found Alberta's foothills to be ideal for raising cattle. Most of Alberta's ranchers were English settlers, but cowboys such as John Ware—who brought the first cattle into the province in 1876—were American. American style open range dryland ranching began to dominate southern Alberta (and, to a lesser extent, southwestern Saskatchewan) by the 1880s. The nearby city of Calgary became the centre of the Canadian cattle industry, earning it the nickname "Cowtown".

The cattle industry is still extremely important to Alberta, and cattle outnumber people in the province. While cattle ranches defined by barbed-wire fences replaced the open range just as they did in the US, the cowboy influence lives on.

Canada's first rodeo, the Raymond Stampede, was established in 1902. In 1912, the Calgary Stampede began, and today it is the world's richest cash rodeo. Each year, Calgary's northern rival Edmonton, Alberta stages the Canadian Finals Rodeo, and dozens of regional rodeos are held through the province. British Columbia also has a significant ranching history and cowboy culture in the interior, and has been home to the Williams Lake Stampede since 1920.

courtesy of Wikipedia

Now that I’ve shared some of the history of ranching in my country, Canada, I’d like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and leave you with this Christmas song.

 

"Christmas For Cowboys"

Tall in the saddle, we spend Christmas Day,

driving the cattle on the snow covered-plains.
All of the good gifts given today,

ours is the sky and the wide open range.
Back in the city they have different ways,

football and eggnog and Christmas parades.
I'll take the blanket, I'll take the reins,

Christmas for cowboys and wide-open plains.

A campfire for warmth as we stop for the night,

the stars overhead are Christmas tree lights.
The wind sings a hymn as we bow down to pray,

Christmas for cowboys and wide-open plains.

Tall in the saddle we spend Christmas Day,

driving the cattle on the snow-covered plains.
So many gifts have been opened today,

ours is the sky and the wide-open range.
It's Christmas for cowboys and wide-open plains.

 JOHN DENVER - Christmas for Cowboys (1975) - YouTube