Pizza Night in Rowley

Inside Sam’s Saloon on Pizza Night

A friendly reminder to keep the place tidy – it’s run by volunteers after all

Sam’s Saloon was hopping.

Rowley volunteers were busy making pizza in the old community hall.

The playground was filled with kids and the local campground was jammed.

It was Pizza Night in Rowley, one of the coolest events in the Canadian Badlands.

The Rowley Community Hall is the source of a steady stream of pizza pies

Held the last Saturday of every month (except December), Pizza Night in Rowley was started several years ago by a group of dedicated volunteers determined to keep their ghost town alive. Like many early communities in the Canadian Badlands, Rowley was built along railroad tracks when rail was king. Today, it’s a 4km drive down gravel roads off a two-lane highway.

Patrons take a break from the rowdy bar scene at Sam’s

We arrived just as the sun was beginning to set on a gorgeous June day. Our first stop was the community hall to order our pizza. The place was steaming hot with the oven pumping out pies at a furious rate. Despite the heat, the Rowley volunteers still managed to give us a smile while we placed our order. We were given a number and told to listen for it at Sam’s Saloon. It took awhile given the size of the large crowd so we took a stroll through town. Main Street has some old shops, a funeral home and a former hospital. The town’s beautiful little railway station is still here along with a one-room schoolhouse turned museum and three grain elevators sporting a new coat of paint. Apparently the new paint job was a deal made by the town and a movie company that filmed in Rowley.

Come early and make an evening of it

We met some fellow pizza-goers, people who once lived in Rowley, folks from the surrounding area and tourists like us.

Finally our order number was called so we found a picnic table and opened the pizza box to find the perfect pizza pie. It was a great way to end a spectacular June day in the Canadian Badlands.

View of the Rowley Community Hall from Sam’s Saloon

Snacking on popcorn in the park across from Sam’s

Rowley still has three grain elevators – freshly painted

Rowley is about two and a half hours northeast of Calgary and 42 km (about 26 miles) north of Drumheller in the Canadian Badlands of southeastern Alberta.

Historical information about Rowley and its buildings can be found at the Starland County website. Also check out Johnnie Bachusky’s excellent Alberta Online Encyclopedia article and the Rowley page at ghosttowns.com.

Look for the RowleyWood sign… and arrive early, it’s a popular spot.

Watch for the massive "Rowleywood" sign on the west side of Highway 56