History, Birds, and Murals along the C & E Trail : Ponoka to Lacombe

Since today was set to be another warm day, and we were scheduled to give a presentation at Burman University in Lacombe later this evening we were on our way by 6:00 am.  As we set out and reached the edge of town we came to an interpretive sign indicating that we were passing close to the spot where Fort Ostell once stood. 

Fort Osnell was one of three forts that were established between Fort Calgary and Fort Edmonton in response to fears that the Métis rebellion lead by Louis Riel in the spring of 1885 would spread throughout western Canada. An Alberta Field Force was hastily assembled under the command of General Thomas Bland Strange.  They were joined by members of the North West Mounted Police and the 65th Canadian Militia from Montreal.  Together they built Fort Nomadeau near Red Deer, Fort Ethier near Wetaskiwin, and Fort Osnell near Lacomb.  The Rebellion turned out to be short-lived, and under the leadership of Cheifs Bobtail and Ermineskin the Cree in this area declared their loyalty to Canada. 

For the first few kilometres on the Trans Canada Trail we made our way through the sun soaked green fields on an old and crumbling paved road that ran parallel to highway 2A.  It was lovely to have our own path, and the going was easy, leaving us free to enjoy the scenery. 

We passed the small Ponoka Industrial Airport, with its long runway and line of colourful sheds standing watch.  Then we found ourselves surrounded by rolling hills and stands of trees.  The path took us over several small streams and ponds of standing water on tiny pedestrian bridges.  In one of these we spotted a pair of Blue-winged Teals paddling quietly among the cattails, trying to pretend they were invisible. 

Too soon our lovely little trail came to an end, but thankfully we found ourselves following a quiet, winding, paved country road. This road followed the Calgary & Edmonton Trail (C & E Trail), which has a long history of use.  It was developed along an ancient north-south glacial corridor located on the western margin of parkland, between the dense forest to the west and the hilly land to the east.  It is possible that the earliest inhabitants of North America migrated from Asia using this corridor.  Different First Nations, including the Cree and Blackfoot also used this route.  

In 1897, the Methodist missionary John McDougall, his brother David, and their father George blazed a crude 450 km cart track from Fort Edmonton to Fort Calgary, which followed the same route and became known as the C&E Trail.  It was then used as a commercial trade route for fur and whisky.  In 1883 the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in Calgary brought a huge increase in traffic.  The first regular mail service was established along the route in July of 1883, and a month later a stage service (passenger car) started.  A seat in the stage coach cost $25 per person, a considerable amount at a time when the average worker earned $2/day. 

As we walked along the winding and undulating paved road we noticed that the surrounding countryside was becoming increasingly hilly.  We were surrounded by large ranches, most of which had herds of beautiful and curious horses.  The pastures were bordered by wire fences and interspersed with stands of conifers. It was very peaceful in the warm, still, sunny morning. 

As we passed rolling green pastures and hay fields we spotted Savannah, Vesper, and Clay-coloured Sparrows on many of the fence posts.  An occasional Eastern Kingbird joined them on the wire fence.  As we climbed a gentle hill the loud and disgruntled screams of a Red-tailed Hawk rang out in the clear blue sky above us.  We've been noticing that many of the fence posts along the roads in Alberta host Bluebird or Swallow boxes, and they certainly work! A huge highlight for us was spotting a pair of Mountain Bluebirds perched on the utility wire above the road. These were a first for us!  

We continued on, past large homes on huge lots with acres of neatly mowed lawns on which Black-billed Magpies and American Robins were foraging.  It was encouraging to see several newer looking estates, and a couple homes that were under construction, suggesting a bit of a recovery after the past two years. 

The trail boxed around a large golf course that was already full of people out golfing on this beautiful morning.  There was a small and nice looking campground adjacent to the course, but we continued on, needing to reach Lacombe by this evening.  We crossed highway 2A, which we had spent most of yesterday walking down, crossed over a set of train tracks with a huge pile of railway ties beside it, and arrived in the small community of Morningside. 

A quiet neighbourhood with half a dozen streets and a large central park with a playground, a gazebo, and a creatively designed Little Free Library greeted us.  A small white community centre with a shaded picnic table sat opposite the park, and we gratefully stopped for a break in the shade.  

As we headed out of Morningside a very nice lady came down her driveway to ask what we were doing and to ask about the carts.  She talked about her own hiking and outdoor adventures, saying she had recently moved to the area and really enjoyed being just a two hour drive from the mountains.  Although we will still be walking south (and east) for at least another couple of weeks, her comment really put our position on this hike into perspective. 

The next section of trail was a very hilly, undulating gravel road that seemed to stretch out ahead of us straight towards the horizon.  One side was bordered by large homes on large treed properties, and from one of these the unmistakable calls of a peafowl could be heard.  On the other side of the road was the heavily forested J.J. Collett Natural Area. 

The J.J. Collett Natural Area consists of 635 acres of Aspen Parkland, with over 18 km of well maintained trails that take hikers through shrub land, aspen groves, stands of white spruce, wetlands, and grassy meadows.  It also features sand dunes deposited by glacial till, which are a unique feature of this area, creating steeply-sided hills called knobs.   The JJ Collett Natural Area Foundation was established in 1985, as a provincial volunteer stewardship group that helps maintain, preserve, and provide environmental education for this ecologically diverse and unique habitat.  Our trail did not go through this amazing sounding place, and we never actually saw the entrance, but it sounded like an amazing place to go birding! 

The landscape around the nature reserve was peaceful and full of life.  A large herd of bison were grazing contentedly in their paddock.  A little farther down the road a group of black Angus cows wandered over to the road to watch us pass by.  Ahead of us we suddenly caught a flash of red, and saw a coyote dash across the road and bound effortlessly up a hill and across an un-mowed field. 

Eventually we reached the end of the peaceful range road and turned onto a much busier paved thoroughfare.  Although the road had been undulating, we hadn't realized how much we had been climbing until we turned and suddenly had a panoramic view out over the surrounding countryside.  A patchwork of brilliant yellow canola fields, bright green grain fields and pastures, and uneven, darker green forests stretched out as far as we could see. 

After slowly descending the hill we had a stretch of less pleasant walking.  A long arching road without any shade or shoulders brought us ever closer to the community of Lacombe.  Transport trucks filled with livestock, smaller trucks hauling huge concrete panels, oil tankers, and a steady and unending stream of pickup trucks whizzed past us at incredibly high speeds.  We had to cross highway 2A once again at a very busy crossroad, while standing wedged against the crash barrier.   Then we continued towards the outskirts of the town along another long, shade-less, hot, curving road. 

When we reached Lacombe we were grateful to find sidewalks that wove us through pleasant neighbourhoods and small green spaces.  By this point we were ready for a break, so we diverted downtown to find an ice cream or a cold drink.  Lacombe is named after Father Alfred Lacombe (1827-1916), a French-Canadian Roman Catholic Oblate missionary that lived among and evangelized the Cree and Blackfoot First Nations of western Canada.  

Historic downtown Lacombe turned out to be full of surprises.  The main street was lined with small shops, cafés, and restaurants, and it was bordered with trees.  The historic downtown district, which featured several examples of Edwardian architecture, also showcased 20 murals depicting scenes from daily life in Lacombe between 1890 and 1910. These heritage murals were designed and painted in 2007 and 2008 by local artist Tim Giles.  As we explored the downtown we tried to find as many of these scenes as we could. 

During our wanderings we also came across the Lacombe Blacksmith Shop.  It was built in 1902 and is the oldest fully operational blacksmith shop in Alberta.  It served as a traditional blacksmith until 1939 when it also became a welding shop.  In 1991 the Blacksmith Shop was purchased by the Lacombe and District Historical Society and restored as a museum.  For the last 20 years blacksmithing demonstrations have been held on special occasions and during special functions. 

Just down the street from the Blacksmith Shop we found a small, two-story white clapboard home.  The Michener House Museum and Archives was built in 1894, and is the oldest remaining residence in Lacombe.  It was also the birthplace of the Rt. Hon. Roland Michener Governor General of Canada from 1967-1974. 

Apart from a rich and well-preserved cultural heritage, Lacombe is also famous for the Lacombe Hog, a breed of domestic pig that was developed at the Lacombe Research and Development Centre.  This white, medium-sized pig produces good quality meat, and is famous for its rapid weight gain and docile temperament. 

Lacombe's final claim to fame is that it is home to the World's Largest Fishing Lure.  The Len Thompson Fishing Lure holds the official Guinness World Record, measuring in at 40' 5.25" in length, which is nearly 25 ft longer than previous record, which was held by a lure in West, Texas. Sadly this site was inaccessible to us as the roadway was under construction when we visited.

We were making our way towards this tourist attraction, trying to navigate the maze of high-speed roads and train tracks, when we noticed a change in the sky.  Two very large and very dark storm clouds had been moving rapidly towards each other for some time.  Suddenly the sun was swallowed by one of the large swirling clouds, and a breeze began to ruffle the trees.  As we walked, the wind began to pick up, and we were passing through downtown when it began to rain. 

We ducked inside for shelter and within seconds large balls of hail were pelting down. For the next 15 minutes or so it poured, and the wind whipped the chunks of ice sideways. It was like the gods were hurling snowballs at the asphalt to watch them smash.  Small leaves and twigs were ripped off trees and shredded.  This created a layer of debris that was rapidly washed down the roads towards the storm drains.  The fine debris clogged the drains, creating large puddles and small floods.  As suddenly as the storm started it ended, and the sunshine came out, creating several rainbows in its wake. 

We had planned to stay with Colin and his family who had kindly invited us to stay tonight.  However, the sudden and violent storm prompted us to take shelter several hours before we were expected, so we checked into the Travel Lodge and proceeded to get on with our daily chores of showers and laundry. 

In the evening we headed out to Burman University, where we were scheduled to give a presentation.  It turned out to be a beautiful campus with a lovely view out over a lake.  We had a little trouble finding the library, since it turned out there was an old one (where we went) and a new one (where the presentation was actually being held).  Colin, who had very kindly organized the event, soon straightened us out, and we arrived with plenty of time to spare.  It was wonderful to give an in-person presentation again after two years of speaking to people via Zoom.  We spoke with was a very lively and engaged audience of about 25 people, one of whom came all the way from Carstairs, and brought us lovely trail magic in the form of delicious cookies!

After the presentation Colin and his wife treated us to slices of warm and in Rhubarb tasty pie, and shared stories of some of their own adventures, which were very inspiring.  They also convinced us to stay in Lacombe for an additional day to visit the Ellis Bird Farm.  It has been a very long and wonderful day, and we are looking forward to tomorrow.

See you on the trail!

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