Nickelback and 4000 dolls

On both of our recent Canadian Badlands road trips, we passed through Hanna, Alberta, home town of the famous rock band, Nickelback. Located close to the intersection of two major Alberta highways, #9 and #36, Hanna’s population has remained pretty constant over the last one hundred years. This town of 4000 owes its beginnings to the railway. Hanna was the regional centre for the Canadian Northern Railway. An old wreck of a roundhouse is a reminder of the railway’s importance. Built in 1913, it has 15 bays that once serviced steam locomotives (there are pictures in a photo gallery on the Hanna website). A Hanna couple purchased it awhile back and word is they hope to revive it as a railway museum. Few roundhouses survive in Canada, so I’m hoping their dream becomes reality.

Strolling along Main Street at the museum in Hanna, Alberta

The big event here every year is a rodeo that takes place in the third week of September. It’s the last pro rodeo before the “mother” of rodeo events in Canada, the Canadian Finals in Edmonton. We didn’t make it to Hanna’s rodeo but we did make it to a couple of interesting Hanna attractions. The Museum & Heritage Town is full of historic area buildings including the 1920s Pollockville railway station, an old jail, the original Hanna hospital, and an old schoolhouse which is stuffed to the rafters with local artefacts and memorabilia. Hanna old-timer volunteers man the place and are happy to share their local knowledge. A buffalo rock on site caught our eye. This prairie relic is one of several we came across on our road trip. The corners of the huge boulder were rubbed shiny smooth by passing buffalo which once roamed the North American plains by the thousands. We thought the boulder was pretty cool but this town’s biggest surprise came in the form of the Hanna Tea Room & Doll Palace. Owned by female dynamo, Violetta Link, it is a great Badlands lunch stop and its doll palace is something else. Violetta’s cooking is legendary in these parts, especially her Friday Fried Chicken Buffet. Even the gas guys drop in for it. Desserts are all homemade too, including Violetta’s famous sticky buns. If you decide to stop for lunch, be sure to get to the tearoom by 11:30am. This place fills up fast.

Part of Violetta Link's extensive doll collection

Violetta’s doll collection began with a 1942 Baby Doll that her mom and dad bought for her in New York City. Today, 4000 dolls are crammed into the back room at the tea palace. Over 74 different doll companies are represented and 90% have their original clothes and range from an 1890 Minerva doll to present day. I found several Norah Wellings, including an army doll, a Hawaiian and a French Boudoir. I also saw a Shirley Temple, an old Kewpie, a Howdy Doody, and a Simon Says. Even the Three Stooges were represented in doll form. In the 1950s, a “Gail of the Golden West” was yours if you bought enough groceries from a certain grocery chain and any girl living in the 1960s will remember Chatty Cathy. Finding my Laura was my biggest thrill though. Made by Reliable circa 1964, she was my all-time favourite doll and I still have her. Shortly after I got her as a Christmas present in ’64, my sister cut off most of her hair. For the first time in over 40 years, I got to see what Laura looked like with a full head. It was great fun.

The AB Cottage Rest-A-While Bed & Breakfast north of Hanna

There is a Best Western in Hanna but we were looking for something authentically western, so we chose the AB Stay Awhile B&B. Owned by June and Gus Mathies, this B&B farmhouse is twenty-two kilometres (14 miles) north of Hanna by gravel road. The farmhouse stands on its own 640 acres that has been designated a natural habitat by Alberta’s Fish & Game Department. The place was returned to its natural grassland state by June and Gus shortly after they bought it, and today it teems with wildlife, including a wide variety of songbirds. We arrived late on a Friday night. As I walked through the place, it felt like someone had just up and left leaving everything behind. The decor had a real 60s feel except for the kitchen which was early 50s. The fridge was a vintage one of a kind- a half size affair built into the counter and the gas stove was also from that period. According to June and Gus, the farmhouse was built in 1947 by a CPR / teacher couple and for its time, had more comforts than most farms of that era.

Gus Mattheis

Gus and June bought the place in 1993 and began operating it as a B&B in 1996. Neither the fridge nor the stove were in working order and that was okay because June arrived with a fabulous breakfast the next morning. I have to say it was one of the tastiest we’ve had at a B&B. The coffee was piping hot and we got introduced to homemade rhubarb juice which is easy to make. June gave me her mother’s recipe (four cups of finely chopped rhubarb, cover with water, let boil, add honey to taste then chill and serve cold). Her homemade quiche was delicious too. Glenn pronounced the crust top drawer. We also tried June’s Fried Dough, made from an old recipe of her ma’s and enjoyed some fresh fruit. June and Gus run a small cattle ranch close by. If you ever want to discuss beef, Gus is your man. He’ll tell you what the best beef is, the best cut is, and how he arrives at both.

Another B&B worth looking into is That Country Place. A Quebec photojournalist friend of mine and her young family stayed here last summer and loved it. For more information on places to stay, check out the Canadian Badlands B&B Association.