Seebe Dam Alberta ( Alberta Places )

Seebe,  Alberta  ( Alberta Places )

Written by : Jeffrey R Hilton

Seebe is a former hamlet in southern Alberta,  located on highway 1A West of Calgary
adjacent to Seebe Dam on the south side of the Bow River.  The former hamlet's existence,  owed to being set up for Calgary Power Company Limited for the purpose of housing some of it's employees.   The town site is closed now, and in it's last days,  it boasted no more than one small building that contained a post office,  general store,   and a cafe.   At one time,  Seebe was an important technical hub for remotely controlling 6 or more,  important water sheds.  Drainage from Lake Minewanka,  Spray River,  Ghost River,  Kananaskis River,  the Brazeau and even the North Saskatchewan River.  Seebe,  is a Cree word for river,  and across the river from Seebe is the Stony Indian Reserve.  Seebe is just downstream from the confluence of the Bow and Kananaskis,   rivers at Kananaskis Falls.  The Dam at Horseshoe Falls down stream was built first in 1911,  while Seebe Dam itself was built in 1913 and then expanded in 1951. The dam at Kananaskis Falls was built in 1929.       

From September 29 1939 to January 28 1946,  there was a prisoner of war camp situated at Seebe that housed up to 200 inmates.  The camp was known as,   POW Camp No. 130.

Locals referred to it as " Camp-Kan-A-Nazi"   ( See Picture Of Camp Below  )  and it must have been a fairly nice camp to be in,  as far as POW camps go.  The view of both Mount Yamnuska and,   Pigeon Mountain are fabulous from Seebe.  

Seebe,  at one time in the 70s and 80s was a magnet for Calgarians and nearby residents to swim,  picnic,  BBQ,    cliff dive and party.  Access was by driving over the dam on the flimsy access road perched on top of the dam which when finally closed,  spelled the end to a lot of fun and a great place to go on a summer day.  Fishermen are a common sight there still and cliff divers still frequent the place now as they did back then.  There was even a waterfall you could sit under or in and it was warm as the sun shone on the shallow water  before making it's way over the gentle falls.  Broken glass became a big issue at one time and the carelessness and disrespect for the land,  probably speeded up it's demise.     

SEEBE WWII POW CAMP

A few movies have filmed scenes at Seebe. Kevin Costner's movie "Open Range" was filmed on the Stony land across the river in 2003 while Seebe was still inhabited.  A scene from " Broke Back Mountain" was also filmed there.  A proposal was made for sizable redevelopment of the former town site in,  2006-7,  but I don't think it ever got anywhere.  For now Seebe will remain quiet and nature will go on thriving in the area undeterred by much presence of man.  Evidence of it's interesting past is slowly disappearing,  so let this post stand as a historical record of it's past glory.  

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Do Have A Good Day And A Better Tomorrow.


Jeffrey R Hilton

The North Ghost In Alberta

North Ghost Valley

The North Ghost is kind of misleading as the actual area of North Ghost Wilderness Preserve is 60 square miles of raw wilderness established in 1967 along the front range of the Rockies 70 km. from Calgary bordering Banff National Park. The area includes Mount Aylmer,  Mount Allen,  Mount Apparition,  Mount Oliver and  Mount Costigan.  Most of the rest of the area is called Ghost River Valley and encompasses 262 square miles.  It takes in a much bigger area that includes the Ghost Valley, Waiporous, Burnt Timber, Fallen Timber, Hunter Valley and several other areas where off road use is lawful,  unlike the Ghost River Wilderness Preserve where only foot traffic is allowed and the area is heavily monitored and many restrictions are in place to protect the pristine wilderness. There are many ice climbers in the area in winter as there is some renowned climbing available. 

Getting here is half the fun and while a lot of it is accessible to cars and motor-homes, it's much more suited to trucks and 4x4's.  the road in is usually pretty hard going,  from bumpy hard packed gravel with millions of pot holes to soft mud and water on the road in some places along with a few small creek crossings.  On my last trip there I was really disappointed to walk down a trail and see a TV set that obviously quit working and was thrown on the fire then smashed and left in the bushes by some careless and thoughtless asses that think being able to camp here free is their right and not a privilege to be coveted.  For God sake's,  if you're that irresponsible then stay home.  It's people like these that end up spoiling it for all the rest as usual.

There are beaver ponds in this area that are stocked with trout and caught early in the spring or summer before their flesh becomes too mushy, make an excellent pan fried breakfast.  While there are loads of off road vehicles in the area, it's still easy to find a peaceful place to camp.  I don't usually camp on a ridge but the last time I went, it was in a car and places near the creeks were too hard to get to or were already taken. It was a stunning view though, nice and breezy and no rain after we arrived after it poured all the way there.  There is an abundance of wildlife including, Bears,  Wolves,  Big Horn Sheep Deer,  Moose and Cougars.  Ghost River starts in the high ranges on the boundary of Banff National Park and has 2 tributaries being Waiporous Creek and The South Ghost River.  The river and creek levels usually remain high all summer due to runoff of melting snow from the mountains.  The area is generally always breezy.    

The Ghost River name comes from a Stoney tribe legend that was told to Dr. Hector, a member of the Palliser expedition. Indian Ghosts were witnessed along the river collecting the skulls of warriors killed in a battle with the Cree tribe.  Legend has it that the ghosts had taken the skulls and hid them in nearby Devils Head. Legends abound in the area regarding The Cree, The Blackfoot and The Lokoda tribes. The Blackfoot or Blackfeet were a feared tribe and were always at war with most other tribes like the Sioux and the Cree.

Devil's Head Mountain

The area is also used heavily by the equestrian set.  Margaret Lake is not to far from here and is an alpine lake stocked with Trout that often suffer winter kill. Margaret Lake is situated with a lovely backdrop of mountains.

Margaret Lake

I already can't wait to get back there this summer and enjoy a few days of peaceful 
camping and relaxing.  I've had so many great trips to the area with and without a Dirt Bike. Common sense, bear safety and being well prepared apply as always to using the back country.








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Do Have A Good Day And Explore The World At Every Opportunity.

Jeffrey Robert Hilton

Big Hill Springs Provincial Park Alberta: A Definitive Guide

Big Hill Springs Provincial Park

While researching this topic I noticed the information available was scant and repeated often.  With  that in mind,  I thought perhaps I could present a more completely detailed explanation and history of the area on one site instead of several for a more complete picture.   In addition,  if you have any more information about the early history of the site you would like to see added,  please forward it to me so I may update this post further.  Thanks kindly in advance.

Big Hill Springs Provincial Park in Alberta occupies approximately 26 Hectares of land with a unique history behind it's pastoral facade.  Situated in the rolling foothills of the Rockies,  on Highway 567,  10 km. north of Cochrane.  The valley was formed by Glacial migration and subsequent  inland sea that filled the valley. A Coulee forms the lower end of the park while the rest is forest and a series of small waterfalls that cascade gently over Tufa Rock formations forming a clear warm spring fed stream that flows all year round. The Tufa forms when Limestone deposits from Carbonate and minerals mix with warm water to form layers over the years of  calcium carbonate,  ( Calcite ) not unlike what you would see inside your teapot if it was never cleaned of it's mineral buildup.  These formations are delicate and subject to Eco damage.   

Long before any settlers came to the area,  Big Hill Springs was part of the Blackfoot Confederacy Navigation System as well as The Cree. The cliff along the road into the park provided an excellent place for a Buffalo jump  providing  fresh Bison meat and Hides.  The thousands of Buffalo bones that were excavated there years ago attest to the slaughter of many Bison.

A Tufa Rock Formation

Later in history, settlers moved into the area,  the hill and all surrounding hills in the areas were surveyed and marked.  Big Hill Springs became the site of Alberta's first Commercial Creamery and thrived for awhile providing Cream to Calgary, the local area and even to to men that were building the railroad.  The Creamery's foundations are still visible on the hike through the park.

Later yet,  it became the site of a Fish Hatchery that didn't survive for long.  Big Hill Springs is a serene place and a gentle easy hike suitable for dogs and kids.  The trail itself  becomes muddy sometimes and is a little steep in places as it winds up through the trees and flattens out again before a series of switchbacks takes you down again to the trail head and the parking lot.  There are a few picnic tables there and it is pretty kid safe place. There is also a bench that looks out over the valley on the trail.  The area is rich in berries and has provided for both Humans and Birds with it's Pin-cherry Bushes,  Saskatoon Berries and Choke Cherries.  The hike through this park only takes about an hour if you were in a hurry,  but take it slow and take in all of natures bountiful beauty. Below are more shots I have taken of the Park. 

Water Is Life

A pleasant reminder to the past in the woods.

 If you visit the Park, facilities are limited to outdoor above ground toilets and no potable water,  so plan ahead.

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Do Have A Good Day And A Pleasant Hike.

Jeffrey R Hilton