Cochrane, an Alberta Foothills Community.
"An outstanding addition to Cochrane."
The start of a community at Cochrane in 1881 when Senator M H Cochrane came west from Ontario with a herd of over 6000 cattle, The devastating weathar in the first 2 winters dpeleted the herd and sheep replaced the cattle. Yet again the sheep did not prove viable, so the Ranche did not survive, but the memory of those pioneers is still strong in the town.
Cochrane reached village status in 1903 and a Town in 1971, the population in 2006 was 13,760.
The Town is situated on the Bow river, 22 kms west of Calgary where Highways 1A and 22 meet.
Some 12 years ago the Cochrane RancheHouse was built below the Big Hill to commemorate the start of Ranching in the area. The land here is part of the rolling foothills between the Prairies and the Mountains.
In time the Ranche House became the home of the Cochrane Council and the offices associated with the operation of the town.
The complex houses a small museum, several meeting rooms, a Theatre, a Hall of Vision and a Dining Room.
However to me the attraction is a vast mosaic style mural gracing the main staircase. It measures 14 ft by 20 ft and is made up of 216 paintings in oils and acrylics, each measuring one ft square.
