Valentine Gala

A fundraising party for the
Pincher Creek & District Historical Society
$25 per ticket – $15 tax deductable
Friday, February 10, 2012


Cocktails & Social at 5:30 pm
Dinner at 6:30 pm and dancing to Play’n Country to follow
Semi formal attire – Cash bar
Driver take home available
Held at the Bloomin Inn


Live Auction for Valentine Gift Baskets and Grand Overnight Getaway Package!!


Bring your sweetie for a special night of 
romance and entertainment
Advanced tickets only as space is limited
Contact Tracy or Toni for more information & tickets
403-627-3684 or stop in at Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village


Support your local downtown Pioneer Village!

The Village Pond

Outdoor Rink available for groups, families and classes


Open weekdays 8:30 am to 4:00 pm
$3 per person for 2 hours
All day $12.00 skate

Group rate: $50 includes:  2 hours rink time, bonfire, and shelter.

Hotdogs and hot chocolate available at additional cost.

Come skate under the stars like our pioneers did!

Weather may affect the times, and dates.

Call 403-627-3684 or stop in at Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village to book your outdoor skating party!

Frontier Outdoor Turkey Shoot: Curling

Frontier Outdoor

Turkey Shoot: Curling

Kootenai Brown Village Pond

1pm, Sunday January 15, 2012

No entrance fee

Regular rocks 3 throws $5

Pioneer rock 1 throw for $5

First Prize - Turkey

Second Prize - Chicken

Third Prize - Cornish Game Hen

Special Prize for

First Place with Pioneer Rock

Entrance located through Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village back gate at the south end of James Avenue.

During office hours:403-627-3684

Whether the weather is fair or fowl there will be Turkey Shoot!

Outdoor rink, weather dependent.

Partially sponsored by Pincher Creek Coop and Bloomin' Inn

***Concession, and refreshments available.***

The proceeds for the throws to be split between

Pincher Creek Curling Club

and Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village.

Help build a new curling facility for Pincher Creek!

Holiday Closure

Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village will be closed from December 24 - January 8, reopening on January 9th, 2011 at the regular hours of 8:30am - 4:30pm, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

The Gift Shop will be open during our regular hours, and will be open during the Christmas Market held on Friday December 23 from 5 pm - 8 pm. Come on down and enjoy the variety of unique goods, visit with Santa, and enjoy some treats while they last.

Merry Christmas to you all, and a very Happy New Year!

Local history book goes to press

Dear Local History Enthusiasts:

The final edition of "Prairie Grass To Mountain Pass" is on sale now!

The long awaited re-issuing of the local history book for the Pincher Creek area, "Prairie Grass To Mountain Pass", will be hitting the streets in mid July 2012.  Do not miss this great opportunity to guarantee your copies of these much coveted memoirs, the final edition of our local history chronicling the exciting frontier heritage of this unique corner of southwestern Alberta.

Featured in this close to 600 page, two column publication will be 100 community histories and 700 genealogies, many not included in previous efforts, from the early days of the Pincher Creek district.  Businesses, community groups, and families who had a pioneer connection with this area between its establishment in 1878 and 1910 are chronicled in this volume.  A second volume, still forthcoming, will highlight those agencies and people who arrived here between 1911 and the end of the Second World War in 1945.  Riveting archival research coupled with vivid writings and accompanied by local historical photos make this volume a must read for anyone interested in local history as well as for those families and people who have a frontier connection with this area.  This volume is divided into close to forty chapters representing the communities of Pincher Creek, Cowley, Lundbreck, Twin Butte and the rural localities now encompassed by the Municipal District of Pincher Creek.

Prairie Grass to Mountain Pass, originally published in 1974, has long been out of print.  This new limited edition will likely be the final printing of this important historical work.  This is a great chance to order multiple copies for you, members of your family and friends.  You can order your copies directly through the Kootenai Brown Pioneer village by dropping by our offices at 1037 Bev McLachlin Drive, via Canada Post at P.O. Box 1226, Pincher Creek, Alberta. T0K 1W0, or by email to fswuth.kbpv@gmail.com.  If you pay for your priceless book before February 1st, we can offer it at $90.00 per copy, packaging it with two other book discounts: "Pincher Creek's Ill-Fated Railway Industry" at $11.00 and "Where The Rivers Meet" at $10.  Postage and handling are extra.

There will be a gala event on July 11th, 2012 at the Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village when the book will be officially unveiled.  This would make a wonderful Christmas gift for members of your family.  Why not order your copies today?  It will be a historical keepsake for all those people interested in the heritage of this vibrant frontier settlement.  Additional history books are for sale at the Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village giftshop.

For further information, please give us a call at the Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village at (403) 627-3684.

Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village Presents the Village Pond

Outdoor rink available for groups, families and classes 

December hours: 

• December 19-23 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm
• December 21 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm 

(James Avenue entrance).
$3 per person

Group rate: $50 includes:  2 hours rink time, bonfire, shelter and washrooms.
Hotdogs and hot chocolate available at additional cost.

Limited times available between Christmas and New Years. 
MUST be booked by December 23, 2011!!

New times available in January

Come skate under the stars like our pioneers did!

This pond is outdoors so weather may affect the times, and dates.
Call 403-627-3684 or stop in at Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village to book your outdoor skating party.

Shaw visits Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village

Toni Lucas, Pincher Creek Voice/KBPV

Lyn Ens of Shaw TV at Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village
Toni Lucas photo

Shaw Television paid a visit to the grounds of Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village (KBPV) of Pincher Creek Alberta Saturday, December 10, 2012. Staff, directors and volunteers were all on hand to discuss various different points of interest about the village.

Fran Cyr flooding KBPV rink
T. Lucas photo

Museum to hold outdoor curling event

Fran Cyr talked about the ice rink that he was flooding.  This year, in addition to having skating parties and access to the rink during our regular hours of operation, there will be a Turkey Shoot for curling early in the new year.  Both regulation rocks and the home-made rock that was used in some of the earliest games of curling in Pincher Creek will be thrown during this event.  This rock has been traditionally displayed at the Pincher Creek Curling Rink and is property of Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village.  Made by an innovative pioneer and avid curler, it is literally a fieldstone that has had a handle attached to it.  This event will be for the benefit of both the curling club and KBPV.  It will also give an exotic twist to those that have never had the opportunity to curl outside.  Tracy Glen spoke of the upcoming Christmas Market that will be held the evening of Friday, December 23rd, talking of the various vendors that will be showing their wares.  The gift shop and the hours that the village is open to the public were brought up.  Ray Degan told of the transportation display, and Pauline Breeze talked about the general store area and her duties as cataloguer.

Shaw Television does this as a public service for their watchers.  Those that subscribe to Shaw have a channel that shows local and community stories, Channel 12 in Pincher Creek.  Videographer Lyn Ens acts as their roving reporter covering  a large portion of southwestern Alberta.  Travelling to the communities of Pincher Creek, Crowsnest Pass, Taber, Claresholm, and Cardston, Ens helps promote not-for-profit events and community news free of charge.

Ens is well acquainted with camera work, having worked in that field with Shaw for 12 years. Ens did take a hiatus for a year to pursue other interests.  At the end of the year, he chose to return to Lethbridge, and Shaw.  "I love doing this too much.  I couldn't leave it."   When asked what it was that Shaw looked for he answered that  "We look for interesting stories for the public."   He stated that it is best when it makes good television, with both a strong dialogue and good visual imagery to make a story.   If you would like Shaw to consider doing a story to promote your event, and you represent a not-for-profit you can contact Ens at 403-380-7371 or email lynens@shaw.ca.  Ens has covered Kootenai Brown a number of times over the years and expressed that it is one of his personal favourite places to do a story on.  "It is a favourite of mine and co-workers because of of the enthusiasm of everyone who is involved."

Lyn Ens of Shaw TV filming at KBPV
T. Lucas photo

Pioneer Christmas Market

Santa Claus is coming too!!

Museum's Transportation exhibit gets significant donation

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice, with notes from Elwin Eddy and Farley Wuth

1929 Chev Coach, KBPV Curator Farley Wuth, Ray Degan, Elwin Eddy
C. Davis photo

On Monday, November 14 the Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village received a significant donation from Elwin and Marlene Eddy, Jim Eddy Junior, and Deborah Vogel (Eddy) in the form of a 1929 Chevrolet Coach automobile. The escape vehicle of choice for prohibition-era gangsters, this was one of the fastest production machines of its era, and also one of the sturdiest. It was propelled by General Motors' first 6-cylinder overhead valve engine, and had GM's first steel disc rims. Old-timer's of the day said they would never buy a car without spokes, particularly in this area, as the winds might blow it off the road.

1929 "Eddy" Chevrolet Coach
C. Davis photo

Elwin and his father Jim Eddy purchased the car from the original owner George E. Searle in Calgary in 1962 for $100.00. Searle, a former rancher, stored the car in his leaky Calgary garage for 10 years, and turned the engine over 10 times a week, with the crank, to prevent it from seizing. When Elwin and Jim bought it, it had only a little over 20,000 original miles on it. It presently has 31,193 miles on it. The car suffered some damage from Searle's leaky garage. Most of the wood in the roof and both door frames were rotten. Unfortunately, the main door posts were too damaged to get a good pattern from them, and the replacements are therefore as close as the Eddy's could estimate. Elwin and Jim had to get the stale gas out of the tank, the gas lines, the carb, etc. According to Elwin very little else was needed, except for new oil in the motor, transmission, and rear end, and a new covering for the roof.

For more on this story, go to http://www.pinchercreekvoice.com/2011/11/museums-transportation-exhibit-gets.html

Metis mark the death of Louis Riel with flag-raising ceremony at museum

Shinaya Gamache raises
the Metis flag at KBPV
T. Lucas photo

A respectful crowd assembled to celebrate the raising of the Metis flag over the grounds of Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village in Pincher Creek on November 16, 2011. They were gathered on the anniversary of the death of Louis Riel, who fought to have the offspring of European and Aboriginal parents recognized by the Canadian government. A prayer was said by Karen Gamache, President of the Metis Local 1880 Association, and then everyone went outside to watch Metis Youth Advisory Committee Leader Shinaya Gamache raise the flag, with the help of Vice President Kim LeBlanc of the local association.

Assembled for the raising of the Metis flag
T. Lucas photo

Karen Gamache and
Shinaya Gamache
T. Lucas photo

Metis Nation Region Three President Marlene Lanz was on hand to speak of the struggles of her people, the death of Louis Riel, and the future of the Metis Nation. MD Reeve Rod Zielinski and Deputy Mayor Lorne Jackson were also in attendance to pay their respects.

Kim LeBlanc and
Frances Riviere
T. Lucas photo

After the flag raising and speeches, everyone was invited to enjoy a social luncheon visit inside the museum's Pioneer Place. Lanz brought the special gift of a Metis sash-bag to be given to Dykota Letourneau, a winner of Great Kids Award for Alberta. Letourneau has been a dedicated volunteer for the Metis Association, and Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village. Gamache invited those that have great kids in their lives to nominate them for this award. "Often we forget to recognize and reward kids for the great work they do, and this community has many great kids," she said.

Throughout most of the day, the mobile Metis Nation Association bus was stationed outside the museum grounds. This bus travels to communities and offers employment and educational opportunities tips and suggestions for Metis people from employment councillors.

Crystal Goodrider, Melodie Bastien, Marilyn Halton T. Lucas photo