Virtual Tour
John George “Kootenai” Brown was a colourful character. He was born in 1839 in Ennistymon Ireland and immigrated to Canada via the Panama Railway. John George Brown served in the British Army in India during the mutiny of 1857. He was also active in the Caribou Gold Rush and traded with the Kootenay Nation. It was through this association he receive his nickname. Brown came to the Waterton Lakes area in 1865 after crossing the South Kootenay Pass.
He was immediately captivated by the area’s stunning mountain scenery and vowed to return. This he did permanently in 1877. Kootenai Brown’s initial work at Waterton Lakes included trading (with First Nations) and hunting. Later he became an advocate for preserving the Lakes for future generations. When the Kootenay Forest Reserve was created by the Dominion Government in 1895, Brown was appointed as its first Forest Warden.
In 1911 the area was elevated to Park status and John George “Kootenai” Brown was subsequently appointed as Acting Superintendent of the Park. Kootenai Brown was married twice. His first wife, Olivia D’Lonia was a Metis woman from the Dakotas. They had three children. Several years after Olivia’s death, he married Isabella, a member of the Cree First Nations. Kootenai fondly referred to her as “Neechemoose” Kootenai Brown died in 1916. He was 77 years old at the time of his death.
Ward Cabin
Kootenai Brown's Cabin
NWMP Outpost
The North West Mounted Police constructed rustic log buildings on the Canadian frontier. These structures were built to allow their member to adequately patrol the remote rural areas of the frontier.
The Kootenai Outpost,later renamed Big Bend, was built adjacent to the Waterton River, where the Waterton Dam is now situated. Big Bend was in operation from the early 1800s through to 1907.
The Kootenai Outpost was the center of the NWMP activity in 1896 when the force launched a manhunt for the murderer of Sgt. William Brock Wilde who was stationed at the Pincher Creek detachment. William Wilde’s memorial stone is exhibited next to the Kootenai Brown Outpost. Additional NWMP outposts in the Pincher Creek area included the North Fork, Police Flats (near the eastern entrance to the Crowsnest Pass), and Waterton Lakes. Later, the Kootenai Brown Outpost was purchased by a local ranching family. This family enlarged the building and used it as their private residence.
Father Lacombe Hermitage
Fishburn School
CP Rail Caboose
Pioneer Place
Blacksmith Shop
Blacksmith Shops were important businesses in prairie towns in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Though primarily known as places where horses could be shoed, blacksmith shops were the forerunners of modern day garages.
Blacksmith shops were equipped to repair just about everything and carried a huge inventory of hammer nails, wrenches, scythes, horse and oxen yokes, ice and cross cut saws. Often they would rent out needed equipment to their customers. The blacksmiths would have repaired wagons and buggies (particularly the undercarriage and wheels). The forge, fuelled by hot coals and fanned by the bellows, was the center of the blacksmith shop: there the tools and broken equipment were heated, reshaped and repaired. William Foote, Ian Dyson and Richard Wittkopf were among the first smithies in the Pincher Creek area. Within the blacksmith shop displays you will also find old license plates as well as artifacts pertaining to the local coal mining industry.
Soddy
Pine or spruce poles were placed across the roof with further sod being added as a covering. Soddies were sparsely furnished. Although the soddy offered some protection from the weather, they were usually recalled as being dusty abodes. They were also very wet and muddy after a rain storm.
The sod structure represents an important aspect of homesteading on the Canadian Prairies. “Soddies’ were easy and quick to build providing pioneers with temporary shelter until which time they could construct a more permanent structure.
Wide and thick swaths of sod were ploughed and stacked high on three sides. The fourth wall was built into the side of a hill. This provided stability to the structure and made it cool during the summer season.
Blue Monday Laundry
Heritage laundry equipment and supplies, many dating from the 1880’s, are on display in the Blue Monday Laundry Building. Hand and mechanically powered washers, mangles and harsh old-fashioned detergents can be seen in this unique structure.
The Blue Monday Laundry Building originally was designed and administered by the local Bank of Commerce. It was used as a regional and agricultural trophy house for the Pincher Creek community. For several decades, this building was situated at the corner of Main Street and East Avenue.
Quarry Car
Adjacent to the soddy is a massive railway car sitting on its original tracks. Known locally as the Quarry Car it saw service on a small spur line which came off the Crowsnest CPR Line at a point near the Pincher Creek Trestle.
The Harrad Quarry was located south of the main line and was mined for its rock. This mine was in operation for about fifteen years closing in 1914. The rock quarried at Harrad’s Quarry was used in the construction of local buildings. The Timothee Lebel Department Store (now the Legion Block), was built with rocks from this quarry. This massive rock weighs approximately eight tones.
Father Albert Lacombe, the famous and respected well Catholic missionary is perhaps better remembered for his religious work in central and northern Alberta. However he was in the Pincher Creek district in 1869 and again in 1885. In 1869 Father Lacombe worked with the First Nations and in 1885, he was in the area to lay the groundwork for the present St. Michael’s Parish. Father Lacombe’s Hermitage was constructed in 1885. The logs were harvested from the Beauvais Lake area located southwest of Pincher Creek.
The Hermitage was first situated where the Lebel Mansion now sits. It was called the Hermitage as it served as a retreat or place of religious study. Indeed it was Father Lacombe’s retreat. A small loft (no longer a part of the structure), was used as sleeping quarters.
The main section of the Hermitage was used for regular church service. In 1902 this small structure was replaced by a frame church. Unique features of the frame church were its ornate architecture and tower. It was located on the west side of Christie Avenue where St. Michael’s Church now stands. This small frame church was demolished in 1965, however the well-preserved statues and stands seen in the Hermitage came from this building.
Settlement in the Fishburn District, located thirty kilometres east of Pincher Creek, began in earnest during the 1880s and 1890s when ranchers and homesteaders began pouring into the area. Fishburn School was constructed in 1894. Grades one through eight were taught in this small school and often, as many as thirty students would be in class. Fishburn School was a typical schoolhouse. The students received a thorough grounding in the three R’s. An organ was played on a regular basis and a small library was shelved in another corner.
A potbelly stove, adaptable to burn either wood or coal – depending on which was accessible, sat in the center of the room. During the winter, students close to the stove remained warm while those sitting along the exterior walls of the building suffered in the cold. Fishburn School was more than just a classroom.
As the heart of the community it was the gathering place for political meetings, card parties, dances and concerts. This frame structure continued to be the local school until 1948 when a new structure was built. The latter continued to serve the educational needs for another fifteen years. Fishburn School No. 311 closed its doors forever in 1963. It was the last rural school to close in the Pincher Creek area and also had the most lengthy history of all the local country schools.
The Caboose onsite was in service for four decades following its 1949 construction. Pincher Creek has an unusual railway history. It is one of the few surviving settlements from south western Alberta which actually pre-dated the arrival of the railway. The Crowsnest Line of the CPR was constructed in 1897-1898 to access the ranching and coal markets on both sides of the continental divide. Pincher Creek was at that time a thriving community.
The NWMP and early ranchers had settled the area a generation before the construction of the railway.
There was an intense rivalry between the local pioneers and the large railway giant. Pincher Creek was bypassed as a local railway siding as the CPR wished to control the real estate development. Local residents never forgave the CPR for this decision. The Kootenay and Alberta Rail Line connected Pincher Station with the coal fields of Beaver Mines. This was the only local non-CPR line ever completed.
Berry House
Verigen Barn
Bath House
NWMP Horse Barn
The North West Mounted Police Horse Barn is the last surviving building from the NWMP horse ranch established on the Pincher Creek in 1878. The presence of the Mounties at Pincher Creek is historically significant in that it provided an agricultural base to raise the horses required by the police force. At one point, there were over 350 head of horses on site. The success of the operation proved that ranching could succeed on the south western corner of the Canadian Prairies. The Horse Ranch and the NWMP Detachment also acted as a catalyst for the establishment of Pincher Creek which has primarily served as a commercial and social centre for that ranching industry.
The NWMP detachment including that of the horse barn was situated on the south side of the creek where the multi-purpose centre and recreation facilities are now located and extended for several miles to the south and east. It was in operation until just prior to the First World War.
Beere Hall / Historic Main Street
Military Exhibit
Pioneer Pressroom coming soon
Cox House
Waldron Ranch House
Western Canada has a fascinating ranching heritage. Corporate and family ranching operations date back to the early 1880’s. The Dominion government of Sir John A. MacDonald established a western settlement policy where corporations could lease up to 100,000 acres of prime ranching holdings for twenty one years. The government was determined to assist the ranching companies in order to ensure that ranching commerce would flourish in the west. The Waldron Ranch was established in 1883.
The Waldron straddled the North Fork of the Oldman River between the Porcupine Hills and the front ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This ranch was organized and financed by Sir John Waldron, a wealthy British politician. Veterinarian Dr. Duncan McEacheran was appointed as the first ranch manager. In 1883, three thousand head of cattle were brought in from Montana.
Presently, the Waldron continues as a ranching co-op. The Waldron Ranch House was constructed in 1894. The house provided living and social quarters for the various ranch managers (1883 through to the 1950’s). The large parlour was a focal point for the ranching elite. Ranch hands were fed in the kitchen - their gear stored in an adjacent tack room. A framed diagram on the kitchen wall depicts the building’s original design which was considerably larger than the structure which stands today. Historical ranching photographs and veterinarian tools from the Jenkins family are on display in the Waldron Ranch house.
Doctor's Office/Drugstore
Dr. Malcomson and Dr. Mead were the first doctors to serve the community of Pincher Creek (1890s and early 1900s). In the 1930s and 1940s, Dr. Brayton and Dr. Rod McCrimmon had their medical practices in Pincher Creek. Early druggists were E. J. Mitchell and Del McCrea. The Memorial Hospital was Pincher Creek’s earliest hospital. It was constructed in honor of three Pincher Creek citizens who were casualties of the South African War (1899-1902).
St. Vincent’s Hospital was the second public hospital to be constructed. Built in 1910 as a private residence for the Lebel family, it was used as a hospital from 1924-1983. Heritage medical utensils, pharmaceutical items, medical texts and nursing uniforms are on display in the Doctor’s Office/Drugstore.
The first structure you will see when touring our village is Pioneer Place, a warm and inviting log structure, welcomes visitors to the Kootenai Brown Village. Built between 1998 and 2001, this structure represents the fulfilment of a community driven dream to expand our heritage facility. The official opening of the building took place in June 2001. Many organizations, agencies and individuals are to be acknowledged for their support in the Pioneer Place Building Project.
Thank you:
Alberta Historical Resources Community Development (Ian Clarke), The Alberta Museums Association, Cicon Engineering, Cowley Forest Products, and all the volunteers for their advisory, support and assistance with all aspects of this project. Special thanks to Financial Contributors including individuals, farms, ranches and businesses. Your help and support is greatly appreciated.
•The Province of Alberta
• Municipal District of Pincher Creek
• Town of Pincher Creek
• Twin Butte Log Builders
• Pincher Creek and District Historical Society
The rustic one-room Ward log cabin dates back to 1897. It was owned by two of our pioneering families, the Faulkners and the Wards. It was situated on Drywood Creek, and formed the nucleus of a successful cattle operation which remained in family hands through the mid 1960s.
Local logs were freighted by horses from Wood Mountain to build this structure. It was whitewashed inside.
The Faulkners lived in this cabin for two years from 1897 to 1899. Their cousins the Faulkners acquired the property in 1899.
It was furnished in a manner typical of many log pioneer dwellings of that time period; a bed or two in one corner of the room, and a wood burning stove used for heat and cooking in another corner.A few beloved fancy dishes were kept in a china cabinet which typically occupied a third corner of the cabin. Old trunks stored clothing and other treasures, and a few valued photographs hung on the wall.
Kootenai Brown
The Berry House is undergoing restoration and is not yet open to the public. Built in 1903, this single floor frame house was typical of the many pioneer homes built in the Pincher Creek area from 1989 to 1914. It is on its original site.
When fully restored it will showcase early 1900s exhibits as wellas fashion and furniture from the 1950s.
The Berry family owned the first hardware store in Pincher Chreek (1886). In 1906 the business was purchased by the Jackson Brothers. The Berry family also had a homestead on Chipman Creek. One of the Berry sisters married into the Jenkins family, well known for its ranching, veterinarian, and NWMP connections.
Pincher Creek has a vibrant and multi-cultural history. Among the many cultural minorities here are the Doukhobors who originally came from Russia to escape religious persecution there.
After 1915 several Doukhobor families settled in the Cowley and Lundbreck area. Initially they set up communal communities. In the 1930s the land holdings reverted to individual titles. Many of the Doukhobor religious traditions remain intact today. They are very active members of the local agricultural community.
The Verigen Barn (1930) is notable for its stout log style. Full length, round, dove tailed logs were harvested in the Beaver Mines area and hauled to the building site using horse power. The original foundation was cobble and mortar.It has a flared gambrel roof.
It was used for nearly six decades. In 1989 it was moved to the Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village in anticipation of the construction of the Three Rivers Dam.
The small two room Verigen Bath House was used much like a sweat lodge. It was constructed in 1940 and originally situated on the Verigen farm.Water was heated in the cauldron, and cold water was sprayed on the hot rocks around the cauldron.
The Reg and Mildred Beere Exhibition Hall served as the original museum building for the Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village. The north part of the building was constructed in 1972 and the second half in 198p. It was named in honour of two of our long-term, hard working volunteers.
It includes space for public indoor events, a full service kitchen, an old fashioned General Store is under construction, as is a press gallery featuring several printing presses, including one recently donated by the Coleman Journal, and press and artifacts from the Pincher Creek Echo. These displays are aesthetically complemented on the building exterior by rustic store fronts depicting Pincher Creek's dusty Main Street a century ago.
The hall is also home to our Military Exhibit, which had a particular emphasis on local contributions to the Rocky Mountain Rangers, the South African War (1899-1902), the Great War, World War Two, and subsequent military endeavors.
We also have outdoor equipment sheds on the ground, exhibiting a Democrat from the 1890s and a hand pulled red painted ladder truck from 1906, the year of Pincher Creek's incorporation as a town. This photogenic historic icon was used by the Pincher Creek Fire Brigade on many a fire fighting effort.
The other exhibits in the Equipment sheds highlight the agricultural and mechanical heritage of the Pincher Creek area. On display are horse drawn ploughs, aerators, and road making equipment.
The well constructed Cox House was originally located on the Mount View Ranch, 8 kilometres west of the settlement of Pincher Creek. Arthur Edgar Cox received this ranch as a land grant for his active participation in the Rocky Mountain Rangers, who were established in 1885. Mr. Cox had constructed a portion of this two story house before his marriage to Miss Mary Willock on 19th October, 1887. An addition to the structure was built in 1899. Mr. Cox was Pincher Creek's first schoolteacher. He taught from 1884 to 1891.
After 1897 he accepted a position as a Dominion Lands Sub-Agent. Mr. and Mrs. Cox raised 8 daughters and 3 sons. There are 4 bedrooms on the second floor for the family. During the summer months the boys slept in the bunkhouse. The house remained in the Cox family until it was sold in 1970.
Many of the furnishings, clothing, and books in the house came directly from the Cox family.
Father Lacombe
The buildings on our grounds are for the most part open to the public, and are furnished using authentic period pieces from our past. A booklet illustrating our village is free with your paid visit.
Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village
Hermitage circa 1885
