The history of Ranchlands

The area that now makes Ranchlands was once comprised of a type of land formation called knobs and kettles. Knobs are small rounded hilltops while kettle’s are depressions or valley’s. Both are formed by the movement of a glaciers, specifically when ice chunks where deposited by a retreating glacier later melted, creating a field of steeply undulating hills.

The Ranchlands Park and Nosehill Park are some of the last remaining examples of this in NW Calgary. One of our local landmarks is the biggest indicator of glacial movement as well – in the Ranch Estates area, there is a glacial erratic that became a buffalo rubbing stone.

The natural areas around Ranchlands are full of plant life. Most of the plant is shrub brush, but Aspen and Buckbrush are more prevalent now then they were in the past. Natural patches of saskatoon berries, raskberries and nankin cherries can also be found through some of the community parks.

While bison used to be very prevalent in the area, they where displaced when the area became grazing lands for agriculture. Now a days we are have an amazing array of wildlife, including bobcats, skunks, porcupines, rabbits, squirrels and even a covey of Hungarian partridges! We also see owls, eagles, hawks, northern flickers and the occasional Blue Jay.

Annexed by the City of Calgary in 1961, the community of Ranchlands was established in 1977.

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