NOSE HILL PARK, CALGARY ALBERTA CANADA ( HISTORY AND GUIDE )

NOSE HILL PARK, CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA

WRITTEN BY: J.R HILTON

2017 

NOSE HILL PARK ISN'T A PARK IN THE TRADITIONAL SENSE OF A CITY PARK

LOCATED IN NW CALGARY, ITS A VERY BIG AND SPREAD OUT HILL, COVERING 4.5 SQUARE MILES, 11,27 SQUARE KILOMETERS, OF RARE GRASSLANDS, PATHWAYS AND TRAILS THAT CRISSCROSS THE ENTIRE PARK
BOTH PAVED AND UN- PAVED.
THE HILL REACHES 4,035 FT. IN ALTITUDE AT IT'S HIGHEST POINT
IT'S BORDERED ON THE SOUTH SIDE BY JOHN LAURIE BLVD. TO THE WEST BY SHAGANAPPI TRAIL, AND ON THE EAST BY 14ST. MacEwen Glen BORDERS THE NORTH SIDE. 

HISTORICAL DATA

A LARGE RIVER THAT FLOWED FROM THE WEST BEFORE THE LAST GLACIAL AGE

DEPOSITED GRAVEL ON TOP OF THE SANDSTONE AND SHALE THAT FORMED THE HILLS BEDROCK. DURING THE LAST ICE AGE 15,000 YEARS AGO, ICE SHEETS WORE AWAY THE ROCK AND GRAVEL.

 WHEN THE ICE AGE ENDED, IT LEFT GLACIAL TILL ON THE TOP OF THE HILL AS IT RETREATED. THE GLACIERS RETREAT FORMED A HUGE GLACIAL LAKE

IN THE DEPRESSION THAT CALGARY'S  NOW OCCUPIES.

 THIS LAKE DEPOSITED SEDIMENTS IN THE SIDE OF THE HILL.

WHEN THE RIVER NOW KNOWN AS THE BOW STARTED TO FLOW FROM BOW GLACIER

IT ERODED THOSE SEDIMENTS AND HELPED SHAPE THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE HILL.

FROM THE BOTTOM OF THIS HILL, ONE ONLY NOTICES A HILL COVERED WITH GRASS AND LACED WITH PATHWAYS AND TRAILS. IT'S QUITE DECEIVING, BECAUSE WHEN YOU GET UP THERE, THERE ARE MORE TREES THAN ONE WOULD IMAGINE THAT ARE TUCKED INTO LITTLE HIDDEN RAVINES AND COULEES.
 THERE IS A SMALL POND THAT FORMS IN A EAST SIDE GULLY IN SPRING AND DISAPPEARS BY MID SUMMER. DUE TO THE SENSITIVE NATURE OF THE AREA YOU ARE ADVISED TO STAY ON THE PATHWAYS. SOME ARE PAVED AND MANY PEOPLE RIDE THEIR BIKES THROUGH THE PARK. IT ALSO PROVIDES AN OFF LEASH AREAS FOR DOGS WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE PARK. MANY PEOPLE USE THIS PARK TO WALK DOGS.


 PARKING LOTS AND AVAILABLE AMENITIES ARE LOCATED AS FOLLOWS

  

THIS PARK IS THE THIRD LARGEST URBAN PARK OF ITS KIND IN NORTH AMERICA.

IT'S A MUNICIPAL PARK AND IT'S HOME TO MORE THAN 66 NATIVE VASCULAR PLANTS

PARRY OAT GRASS, PRAIRIE CROCUS, GOLDEN BEAN, BEDSTRAW, AND SAGE TO NAME A FEW. 95% OF GRASSLANDS IN NORTH AMERICA ARE LOST TO CULTIVATION,POLLUTION, ENCROACHMENT AND DEVELOPMENT, MAKING IT  ENDANGERED AND VALUABLE NATIVE ROUGH FESCUE GRASSLAND. 

NOSE HILL IS ALSO HOME TO OVER 198 WILDLIFE SPECIES.

TO SOME IT IS SACRED

  TO SOME THIS HILL IS SACRED, AS THEIR ANCESTORS HUNTED THE MULTITUDE OF BISON HERDS THAT WINTERED HERE AND SURVIVED ON THE AREAS RICH BOUNTY.

THE PARKS NAME COMES FROM ABORIGINALS THAT BELIEVE THE HILL LOOKED LIKE A BIG NOSE FROM THE DISTANCE. THE HISTORY OF THE PARK IS INTERESTING.

IN 1779, THE HUDSON'S BAY SENT PETER FIDLER ON AN EXCURSION HERE TO EXPLORE THE PARK. HE WAS ESCORTED BY PEIGAN GUIDES AND RECORDED HIS ADVENTURE.

LATER ANOTHER HUDSON'S BAY TRADER, DAVID THOMPSON EXPLORED THE AREA NOTING THE AREAS CHINOOKS IN EFFECT, EFFECTIVELY TURNING A WINTERS DAY INTO A BALMY 58 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

A THISTLE THAT WAS STILL HANGING ON IN DECEMBER

 

IT'S THE CHINOOKS THAT ATTRACTED THE BISON HERDS THAT WINTERED HERE.
WHICH IN TURN, ATTRACTED PEOPLE HERE. THERE ARE TIPI RINGS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE PARK,CONSISTING OF HEAVY STONES THAT WERE USED TO HOLD DOWN ANIMAL SKINS OVER THEIR TIPI FRAMES.

 TIPI STONES ARE FOUND IN A CIRCULAR PATTERN BUT ARE OFTEN SCATTERED FROM THEIR CIRCLES BY PEOPLE AND SOMETIMES LARGER ANIMALS.

THERE ARE EVEN ANCIENT TOOL MAKING STATIONS USED BY THE NATIVES TO PREPARE FOR A HUNT.
 A STONE CAIRN TOPS THE HILL IN THE NE PART OF THE PARK.
MUCH EVIDENCE OF BISON KILLS HAVE BEEN FOUND, NOT SURPRISINGLY.
AN EARLY SETTLER OF THE NOSE HILL AREA STATED THAT THERE WERE BISON BONE BEDS 9 FEET THICK AND
AND 1 ACRE IN EXTENT. THIS WOULD INDICATE A BUFFALO JUMP ABOVE THE AREA.

A STONE MARKER WAS PLACED ON THE HILL INSTEAD OF NEARBY SPY HILL AS
THE PRESENCE OF ANCESTORS IS PRESUMABLY STRONG HERE.
WHEN ONE WALKS ALONE HERE, IF YOU ARE ATTUNED TO THAT SORT OF THING, YOU CAN FEEL PRESENCE OF ANCIENT SPIRITS WATCHING OVER YOU.
ITS A TREASURE RIGHT HERE IN OUR CITY, FOR CERTAIN. 

A STONE MARKER THAT REPRESENTS THE FOUR TRIBES OF THE BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY AND MARKS THIS PLACE AS TRADITIONAL BLACKFOOT TERRITORY. THIS 7TH MARKER OF THIS KIND WAS PLACED HERE IN 2015 WITH AN OFFICIAL CEREMONY.

TWO METHODIST MISSIONARIES ON A HUNTING TRIP, A FATHER AND SON CAME HERE IN THE WINTER OF 1886, AND ON A BITTERLY COLD JANUARY 24TH NIGHT, BECAME SEPARATED IN A BLINDING SNOWSTORM. THE FATHER WAS FOUND FROZEN TO DEATH AND NOT UNTIL FEBRUARY, 6, AS A RAGING SNOWSTORM MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SEARCH FOR HIM BEFORE THEN.

A LOVELY BOWER

CAIRN AT NE QUADRANT

THESE PICTURES WERE ALL TAKEN AT THE EAST AND NORTH SIDE  OF THE PARK
IT IS A FABULOUS AND UNUSUAL PLACE, AND ON A SUNNY DAY, VERY ENJOYABLE
BRING A HIKING STICK FOR THE MANY HILLS YOU WILL CLIMB.

IN THE EARLY HISTORY OF CALGARY FROM FORT TO CITY, A FEW QUARRIES AT NOSE HILL, EXISTED, MINING SANDSTONE THAT MANY OF THE FIRST GRAND BUILDINGS WERE CONSTRUCTED WITH DOWNTOWN.

PRIOR TO WWI, THERE WAS A STRING OF BORDELLOS ALONG THE PARKS EASTERN BOUNDARY CATERING TO THE MANY SETTLERS THAT CAME TO THIS AREA FOR THE CONSTRUCTION BOOM BEFORE THE WAR.

CATTLE WERE GRAZED UNOPPOSED ON THE HILL UNTIL 1969.
MANY PEOPLE USED THE AREA TO PICNIC AND CARS WERE LARGELY ABLE TO DRIVE ON THE HILL MOSTLY UNOPPOSED. OVER THE YEARS, A FEW DERELICT VEHICLES THAT NEVER MADE IT BACK TO THE ROAD LITTERED THE AREA, BUT WERE REMOVED EVENTUALLY. 

 

A VIEW OF THE PARKING LOT FROM ABOVE ON 14 ST. NW

 

 
DEVELOPERS STARTING TALKING ABOUT BUILDING ALONG THE SIDE OF THE HILL AS EARLY AS THE 1940'S. THANKFULLY THAT NEVER HAPPENED EVEN TO THIS DAY. THE PARK DESERVES TO BE PROTECTED, AND IS DESIGNATED SO. ITS A GREAT PLACE TO ENJOY NATURE. THERE WERE 300 KM. OF INFORMAL TRAILS HERE, AND NOW MANY ARE PAVED, GRAVELED AND, MAINTAINED.

TAKE WATER WITH YOU AND PROTECTION FROM THE STRONG WINDS SOMETIMES ENCOUNTERED. STURDY FOOTWEAR WILL BE AN ASSET.

THIS PARK IS A MUST SEE, IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN TO IT.
PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL AND PACK OUT YOUR LITTER

I HOPE YOU HAVE FOUND THIS INFORMATION HELPFUL

IF YOU HAVE ANY STORIES OR EXPERIENCES, RELATING TO THIS PARK, PLEASE COMMENT ON THEM AND THEY MAY BE PUBLISHED.
THANKS FOR READING THIS POST.

J.R HILTON