The CKUA Heritage Trails

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Homesteading

• Reverend Forbes Homestead in Grande Prairie - The hard work and fortitude of the Forbes family allowed them to create a mission house, complete with hospital and church, in the wilderness which is now Grande Prairie.
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• Homesteading, Part One: Political Context - Before people could settle in newly-bought Rupert's Land, the Canadian government put policies in place that would secure it for various purposes, including homesteading.
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• Homesteading, Part Two: Advertising For Settlers - How did the government of Canada attract settlers to Alberta? Listen to learn more.
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• Homesteading, Part Three: Getting Here - Alberta's first settlers had to endure many hardships before they even arrived in the province. Learn how immigrants dealt with the arduous journey into Alberta.
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• Homesteading: Part Four - Who was allowed to come to Alberta? What were the provisions of settlement, and what could settlers bring with them? Listen to find out.
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• Homesteading: Getting Started on the Land - What were the immediate prospects for the new settlers? You'll discover this was no time to relax!
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• Homesteading: Breaking the Land - Before the settlers could build their homes, they needed to clear and break the land. Listen to historian Pat Meyers describe the implements and the hard work of these pioneers.
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• Homesteading: Seeding - Learn how homesteaders spent their first spring and summer in the fields. Hear about the first season of seeding their new land.
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Farming

• Threshing, Part One - How did Alberta's first settlers deal with the huge cost of farm equipment? Listen as historian Pat Meyers explains how the difficult task of threshing was accomplished.
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• Threshing, Part Two - Every farmer needed the large threshing engine when fall came. But the steam machine was also charged with destruction of many kinds.
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• Threshing: Jobs - Learn about the engineer, the head of the threshing team.
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• Threshing: Jobs - Hear about the many people of the threshing crew, including the separator, engineer, and pitchers.
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• Threshing: Harvest Excursionists - Not even the largest of families could handle the annual job of threshing by themselves. Many young men from the east came as excursionists to help the threshing team.
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• Threshing: Feeding the Threshing Crew - Men weren't the only ones working hard during the fall threshing season. Farm women had to plan and prepare hearty meals for the hungry threshing crew.
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• Haying Season, Part One: Horsepower - Preparing plants for fodder was an important part of the agricultural year. Hear how farmers cut and collected hay.
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• Haying Season, Part Two: Haystacks - Listen to learn how farmers managed to stack and store their hay during the hot summer season.
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• Haying Season, Part Three: From Horses to Engines - The tractor replaced horse power on Alberta farms after the second world war. Find out why!
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Ranching

• The Mexico Ranch - Lord Beresford had ranched in Mexico, so when he came to the badlands of Alberta, he named his cattle operation the Mexico Ranch. Hear more about the history of this fascinating site.
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• Sheridan Lawrence Ranch - When Henry Lawrence first came to the Peace River area, the area had not even been opened for settlement. But in a few years, he had both a family and a successful ranching operation.
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• Stampede Ranch at Longview - The Stampede Ranch was famous not for its cattle, but for its hospitality. It even became the set of several Hollywood westerns!
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• The Bar U Ranch: Part One - The Bar U Ranch's success in the 1880s owed much to Britain's demand for beef.
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• The Bar U Ranch: Part Two - The Bar U hosted a famous outlaw and a famous artist. Hear about the celebrities associated with this ranch!
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• Bar U Ranch: Prince Edward Comes to Visit - His experience at the Bar U so impressed Edward, the Prince of Wales, that he bought a ranch for himself. Hear about the prince's visit to Longview, Alberta.
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• Bar U Ranch: Gee Bong Polo Club - There was more to recreation at the Bar U than you might expect. See what challenging sport the cowboys played for fun!
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• Bar U Ranch: Percheron Horses - As the market for cattle declined, George Lane decided to breed horses, and built the world's best Percheron ranch of the time.
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• Bar U Ranch: The Life of the Cowboys - Learn about the many types of men on a ranch like the Bar U, from the riders to the choreboys!
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• Bar U Ranch: Cowboy Life - Listen to Simon Evans explain living conditions for the riders at the Bar U, and hear about the famous cowboy, Charlie Miller.
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• Bar U Ranch: Aboriginal Cowboys - First Nation peoples contributed greatly to the success of the ranches like the Bar U.
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