Alberta Heritage Center, Calgary

I normally wouldn’t post back to back like this, but we are spending the next 2 days at the Calgary Stampedes, and I think that post might be overloaded!

We got into our campground, Calgary West, just after 11:00, and it was a riot trying to get all these big rigs parked in a old, cramped, unlevel campground. It was definitely not designed for 40+’ long RVs with slides on both sides. However it is the only campground in the city limits. After (almost) everyone was parked, we collected for a car pool to the Alberta Heritage Center. I was only lukewarm, and I was, again, thrilled with the venue.

There is a semi-modern section when you arrive, and we started looking at cars from the early 1900s through the 1920s in their automobile exhibit. There were dozens of fancy roadsters.

But I was amazed at the number of fully restored and operational work vehicles.

Oil delivery truck
A basic delivery van
Another oil truck
They even let people get in some of the trucks

I found it interesting that they use period trucks to deliver workers and goods when guests are in the facility.

Note the period clothing too

After we left the automobile area, we visited the main area of the 1910s or so. Lots and lots of buildings plus lots of docents and guest workers in period costume. This is only a small number of the buildings in this section.

The Wainright Hotel was THE place to be
The bank had a second floor access to be used to shoot robbers!
An impressive town hall
The local Mountie talked to us a while
We got a coupon for a free ice cream cone as part of our admission.

We only spent time in one other era, the Settlement. This represented the period of fur trading by the Hudson Bay Company.

There was a clerk at the Hudson Bay offices
And there had to be a church of course
The sauna was an unexpected addition
Shows the tradition from early settlement to more modern times

The facility covers dozens of acres. There is an old-time amusement park, a farm, and so many other beautiful things. We both said we wanted to come back on another trip, but hopefully on a cooler day.

The next two days we will be at the Calgary Stampede. Long days so I don’t expect time to post. We are on another long day the third day sightseeing some of the classic Banff National Park locations on a bus tour. Not the way I would have gone if we did it on our own (we would probably have spent 3 days!), but it will be a sampler. At least I can sleep on the bus on the way back!