On the Lighter Side
Mrs. Bonniman went out and caught a rooster, wrung its neck and plucked it. She left it on a porch step for a minute while she went into the kitchen for something. When she came out, it was gone. She blamed the neighbour's dog until she heard a ruckus in the hen yard. The poor rooster had all the hens upset as he streaked around the yard." (Nel Noonan)

"One of Dad's stories of early Okotoks was about a local carpenter who fell from a building he was working on and his helpers gathered around him. One offered a drink of whiskey. "Oh no thanks" said the carpenter, "I can't go to heaven drunk." (David J. Morrison)

"The Mayor and Corporation of the Town of Okotoks. I have much pleasure in presenting the following Report of Infectious and Contagious Diseases occurring within the Municipality of Okotoks during the year ending December 31, 1906: Diphtheria, one case (not contracted within limits); typhoid, two cases. Yours respectfully, Henry W. Welch, Jr., M.H.O." (Excerpt from promotional brochure entitled "Okotoks - the Eldorado of South Alberta", 1907).

"This old trail she ain't what she used to be" - Macleod Trail
Kenneth Cameron and Alexander McRae (1882), and John Macmillan (circa 1880) were the first settlers in what has become Okotoks. Cameron and Macmillan each established stopping houses to serve travelers on the Macleod Trail which ran between Fort Calgary and Fort Macleod. The Cameron stopping house was on the west side of today’s Centre Avenue, at the base of the escarpment, and the Macmillan stopping place was east of the railway bridge; both were located on the north side of the river. The Macleod Trail was the main connection between Calgary and destinations to the south prior to the arrival of the railway in Western Canada. The modern-day Macleod Trail in Calgary is located approximately where horse and oxen traffic along the old cart trail once wore a path across the prairie.

 

Okotoks Firsts
Many firsts were celebrated in the early years, including the first local wedding in 1892, the first hotel constructed in 1892, and the first community school constructed in 1900. The Okotoks Fair was a reflection of the agricultural focus of the early years. The Fair in 1900 attracted 600 horses for horse races, shows, and pulling contests. In town, one could also compete on a polo, cricket, or football team. The first and last gold rush in Okotoks was created when Mrs. Tillotson, while preparing goose for a meal, discovered a gold nugget in the bird. Many claims were staked, extending as far as 1/4 mile east of the Sheep River bridge, but no gold was discovered.

Fire Guard
We've lost much of the agricultural vocabulary that was present at the turn of the century. A "fire guard" was ploughed around houses to protect them from prairie fires.

The "Essential Services"
We were lucky living in Okotoks in 1906, because we had telephone service. Phone service operators in Okotoks were dubbed the "hello girls", who said "good-bye" to Okotoks in 1963 when the switchboard closed. Electricity arrived in 1906, and by 1912 we were heating our homes with natural gas. Though we don't think about getting into our cars to go to the corner store today, the arrival of the first car in Okotoks in 1909 (driven by Ed Hayes) was a major social event. Many of the buildings constructed during our town’s early history were destroyed by fire due to the lack of water. It wasn’t until 1952 that Okotoks residents enjoyed a public water and sewer system. Finally, indoor plumbing!