The Prairie Elevator and big open spaces

The carefully reconditioned Prairie Elevator in Acadia Valley

Few travelers to the Canadian Badlands end up this far from Calgary (390 km east or about five hours of driving), but we highly recommend it. We’re talking about the far east side of the Canadian Badlands, close to the Saskatchewan border. Around here, you’ll find the Special Areas. Covering 2.1 million hectares of southeastern Alberta, the region is sparsely populated and prone to drought. In the 1930s, the Alberta government established a governing body to oversee its municipal services. To my knowledge, the Special Areas and its governing body are unique in Canada.

Open prairie, part of the Western Uplands Ranch, near Bindloss, Alberta

To reach Western Uplands Ranch was a half hour drive up a gravel road but it was worth it. The lodge is a refurbished 1903 homesteader’s log cabin that operates as a B&B in the summer months. Beautifully appointed, it sleeps twelve comfortably and has high speed internet. Harold and June have been the ranch managers here for almost 30 years. They greeted us when we arrived late in the evening, got us settled in and then bid us good night. The size of this working ranch is incredible, an astonishing 34,000 acres.

Western Uplands Ranch

Following a hearty cowboy breakfast of bacon and eggs, beans, toast and coffee that June delivered on a tray to the lodge kitchen, Harold and his granddaughter took us on a tour of the ranch. The sense of space in this part of Canada took our breath away and so did the scenery. We ended up on a cliff high above the Red Deer River. On one side of us was what looked like a pile of rocks. Harold told us it was actually a cairn and part of a giant medicine wheel and as I looked around, I could see rocks strategically placed in a massive circle. Medicine wheels are all over the Badlands. The best known is the Majorville Medicine Wheel near Brooks. A Canadian archaelogist/author who has studied medicine wheels for over 30 years thinks it pre-dates Stonehenge. Check it out here.

Intricate wooden construction of the grain elevator at Acadia Valley, Alberta

We said goodbye to Western Uplands later that morning and continued on our journey to the small prairie town of Acadia Valley. I’ve always wanted to see the inside of a grain elevator and in this town you can. These prairie icons are fast disappearing from the Canadian landscape since most grain is now shipped to larger cities by truck instead of rail. The good folks in Acadia saw fit to save theirs and turn it into a museum. It’s a good spot for an inexpensive lunch too. There’s a little tearoom open every day in July and August and the food is all homemade including the pies, cookies and Kuchen, a german dessert. When the railway was discontinued in this region in 1989, this elevator was no longer being used so the local historic society bought it for a dollar.

Durum wheat is the main crop in these parts. Canary seed, millet, safflower, rye and barley are the other big crops. We got a great tour that I would highly recommend to any foodie. By hour’s end I had learned how the grain was weighed, graded and how to identify different grains. Out back, the museum staff has planted durum wheat, safflower, barley, rye, and millet so we could see what the crops look like growing in a field. I discovered that Durum grows like a fish hook. Safflower turns a brilliant orange when it blooms and is generally planted in fall, and Rye has little beards and is harvested in mid summer. Our tour guide told us she is a geology student at the University of Saskatchewan. When she’s ready to settle, she wants to return to this area to live. I suspect that’s music to the ears of many in this part of the world.

Knarls-N-Knots art studio in Empress

Population numbers have dwindled over the years in many Badland communities. Empress, our next stop, is actually listed on an Alberta web site as a ghost town. It’s right on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. In fact, the last street in town is on the Saskatchewan side. Despite its tiny size, we discovered that Empress is an artist colony. Three galleries are here. We visited Knarls ‘n Knots where Aaron Steinley makes furniture out of driftwood and Lori Kelly produces mosaic tile works. Aaron explained how he gathers dead cottonwood from along the Red Deer River to build his one-of-a-kind pieces. The Western Uplands Lodge has one of his chairs.

A view of the prairies from the second floor deck at Riverhills Outfitting

Just outside of Empress, we made one last stop before heading to Medicine Hat. Riverhills Lodge kicks butt. This beautiful spot out on the open prairie is a perfect place to spend a night. In fall, it is a high-end hunting lodge (the owner is a well known outfitter). At other times of the year, it’s a popular choice for family reunions and women’s retreats. Rates incorporate meals, including packed lunches for those who want to use the place as a base for taking day trips.

The lodge at Riverhills Outfitting