Visit Our Welcome Centre
OPEN MON-FRI: BY APPOINTMENT
OPEN WEEKENDS & HOLIDAYS: 12PM-5PM
The History of Bearspaw
Historical Willow Creek
These lands have a history.
Before settlers arrived, a gentle people were the caretakers of the lands in the Rocky Mountain’s rolling eastern hills. It was their way to share wisdom, respect and an appreciation for nature throughout the land. The protector and leader of these people, known as the Stoney Nations, was Chief Masgwaahsid. His intuitive sensibility guided him to do everything in his power to protect his people and their land – he understood the inherent value and beauty of this land and the life it provided.
On September 22, 1877 Chief Masgwaahsid gathered his fellow leaders and sat with representatives of the British Crown at Blackfoot Crossing to sign Treaty No. 7 as friendly recognition of the Stoney Nations’ treasured lands and way of life.
Years later in June 1909, a station for the Canadian Pacific Railway was established on the same eastern hills where Chief Masgwaahsid lead his tribe. The railway named their station and the surrounding lands after the Chief to honour his commitment to the land, his people and his peaceful approach. Literally translated from Cree, Masgwaahsid is ‘Bears Paw’.
Immigrants and homesteaders were the first to settle the area and sculpt the landscape. As Calgary grew, so did the natural attraction to these special rolling hills and wetlands. Bearspaw is now home not only to the descendants of the original homesteaders but also to some of the finest prairie estate living available.
Bearspaw is the place for you to make your mark, create your dream home and become part of its history and evolving character.
