by Bill Belsey
How do I love thee, Cochrane? Let me count the ways. With apologies to The Bard, I will try.
At a time when the world seems increasingly polarized and divided, having a sense of community, a feeling of belonging and a shared feeling of place and common purpose may be more important now, than ever. For me, Cochrane gives me all of that, and more.
Cochrane is one of Canada’s fastest-growing communities; we now number approximately 30,000. Upon reflection, it’s easy to see why. Why? What is it about this community that has endeared itself to me and so many others? The answers are both simple and complex.
Location! Location! Location!
Some of the reasons I appreciate Cochrane are elemental; having to do with our geography. We can be considered rural, yet we are close enough to Calgary to be minutes away from the City of Calgary. We have a “Small Town Vibe” featuring a Western-themed downtown. We can be on a mountain in the Rockies, the Badlands or prairies within minutes in any direction.
Cochrane is nestled at the base of Big Hill in the Bow River Valley, some 1,000 meters above sea level. This elevation and winds blowing down from the snow-capped Rocky Mountains mean that while of parts of the world may be sweltering with heat and oppressive humidity, we do not need air conditioning as the summer nights are refreshing and cool.
We have clean air and water. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, millions around the world have to wear masks to protect against air pollution and are forced to drink bottled water, not us, not here. I can’t imagine how many around the world would love to be able to turn on their taps and drink water that originated in the glaciers of the Rocky Mountains.
The regular chinook warming winds truly earn their meaning, “Snow-eater” from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox. The chinooks help to moderate our version of a Canadian winter. Many days in winter you don’t have to shovel your driveway thank to the chinooks.
If you love weather, then Cochrane is the place for you. Alberta is called “Big Sky Country,” and for a good reason, the sky often looks large and dramatic. Sunrise and sunsets here can be breathtaking. When I first moved to Cochrane, I was having lunch at a now-defunct restaurant called, “The Doughnut Ranch”. A rancher sitting next to me asked me how I liked the weather, then he said, “Well, if you don’t wait a few minutes”. This oft-heard expression was indeed prophetic. Within the next hour of my departure from the cafe, the weather changed from hot and sunny, to pouring rain, to hail to blue skies with a gorgeous rainbow. The rancher was right.
Having the Bow River winding through our town is both a blessing and a challenge. “The Bow” offers world-class fishing opportunities. We can walk on the pathways by its banks, but it can also challenge our community resolve like it did in 2013. The “Flood of the Century” brought out the best in our community as people pulled together to help one another during a tough and scary time.
Cochrane has something for just about everyone’s lifestyle; walking, jogging, hiking, golfing, mountain climbing, rafting, cycling, snowboarding, downhill and cross country skiing are just minutes away. Residents can swim, curl, play hockey, ringette, figure skate, do gymnastics and work-out in our world-class recreation centre. Skateboarders in Cochrane have one of the best skateboard parks anywhere; in fact, many people come from far and wide to challenge themselves at this well-designed park. Cochrane was a centre for paragliding instruction, with the renowned Nick Mueller family who operated a school at the top of the Big Hill. The Big Hill is a popular training ground for cyclists from the area, who take advantage of its 7% grade and 3.5 km distance uphill. One of Cochrane’s very best attributes and perhaps Cochrane’s best-kept secret is our extensive pathways system that now winds its way throughout town for over 60 kilometres!
We can easily access many parks; Glenbow Ranch, Big Hill Springs, Cochrane Ranche Park, Ghost Reservoir Provincial Recreation Area for boating, and Riverfront Park for a walk by the river or a game of Frisbee golf. The amazing Kananaskis Provincial park, as well as the famous National Banff and Jasper Parks, are just a drive away. Cochranites, like most Canadians, love our parks!
If you are an animal-lover, Cochrane has off-leash dog parks that are often packed with dog-lovers patrolling pampered pooches. Cochrane has at least half a dozen pet stores, animal clinics and the incredible Cochrane Humane Society, where you can get an animal needing a loving home, or volunteer as a dog walker.
For those who love to camp in an RV, or pull a “Fifth wheel’, the Bow River’s Edge Park is a gem.
Cochrane offers families excellent local schools. An article from the BBC called Canada an “Education Super-Power” and Alberta’s Public School system is much-admired well beyond our borders.
Cochrane’s Public Library, also known as the Nan Boothby Library, or “The Nan” to many locals is an incredible community resource!
The Cochrane Movie House presents a variety of films for all ages and tastes. If you want to see a first-run, just-out movie in Calgary, but can’t because tickets are hard to get, or the line-ups are too long, come to Cochrane, and you’ll often have no problem. The Cochrane Movie House has a “Small-town look” on the outside, but inside you’ll see movies with digital video, Dolby sound and comfy lounger-style seating. Movie watching doesn’t get much better.
Cochrane has a strong and growing artistic community. Art walks and celebrations of Art and our local artists happen regularly throughout the year, often organized by the Cochrane Art Club, or very active Cochrane Photography Club. The Chinook Film Group often hosts screenings of unique films at our excellent Cochrane Movie House. One world-class example is Don Begg, who is an international award-winning bronze sculptor. Don Begg and his wife Shirley Stephens-Begg own and operate the fine art foundry Studio West Ltd. Don is personally involved in each stage of casting and finishing his bronzes, specializing in monumental sculptures. Don has created more than 85 public monuments across North America. Don’s limited edition bronze sculptures appear internationally, in private, corporate, and museum art collections on five continents, including the collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Cochrane now boasts epicurean offerings from around the world. Casual diners and Foodies alike can sample delicacies from Thailand, Greece, Italy, India, Vietnam and more. And, of course, there is MacKay’s Ice Cream! Since 1948, MacKay’s Ice Cream has proudly served its locally made, premium ice cream to customers from around the world. You have to look at the many pins affixed to their world map inside the store, and you’ll see this with your own eyes.
Cochrane has no business tax, this, along with our healthy lifestyles options, encourages new businesses to grow here. Cochrane has a burgeoning technology sector, which is lead by the likes of Garmin Technologies.
Cochrane’s excellent amenities aside, what is the beating heart of any community is its people, and our community has a mosaic of compassionate, caring Cochranites.
Coming down the Big Hill into Cochrane, you can view the community from a distance, and you might develop general impressions. Moving closer, we can begin to appreciate better those who make up the mosaic that is Cochrane, Alberta.
Many Canadians would be surprised to learn that the first person to use the term “mosaic” to describe the national character of Canada was, in fact, an American. In 1922, Victoria Hayward referred to our country this way in the published work, Romantic Canada, a piece of travel writing detailing her journey across our fair land.
Visitors to Cochrane might find themselves at our “City Hall”. At first glance, the intriguing artwork in the foyer of the Cochrane Ranchehouse entitled “Trust”, looks like a horse, lovingly embraced. Upon closer inspection, you can see this marvellous mosaic consists of up of 216 individual paintings that were created by a team of local artists, coordinated by artist Lewis Lavoie of St. Albert, Alberta, it was unveiled on Canada Day, 2007. I like to this of this Art as a mirror that tries to reflect Cochrane’s increasingly diverse mosaic.
Cochrane’s community mosaic reflects that of Canada. The Stoney Nakoda, or “People of the mountains”, were first to have lived in this area for many years. In time, they were joined by others who would farm and ranch in the area. Cochrane was established in 1881 as the Cochrane Ranche, after Matthew Henry Cochrane, a local rancher. It became a village in 1903, and it had a newspaper and volunteer fire department by 1909. Cochrane incorporated as a town in 1971.
Today, Cochrane’s increasingly diverse population enriches our community in countless ways with their Art, music, food, dance, stories and traditions. It used to be that you would hear languages from around the world in the line-ups for Mackay’s Ice Cream downtown on a hot summer day, today, this could happen anywhere, anytime in our community.
If someone were to draw up plans or create a recipe for the kind of community they would most like to live in, I have a feeling that Cochrane, Alberta would fill that bill and more.
Cochrane, how do I love thee? Well, I’ve tried to make a dent with some of my reasons, but the good news is, we’re just getting started!
