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Meets Thursdays at noon,
Heritage Inn, 1217 - 2 Street West
You've come to the home of nearly 20,000 people, clustered in towns like Brooks and Bassano, villages, hamlets and communities or spread over the prairies on farms and ranches in Southeastern Alberta. The area is located in a near-desert climate with a short grass prairie environment called the "Palliser Triangle".
The town of Brooks is located in the heart of South Eastern Alberta. Near the turn of the century, the Canadian Pacific Railroad initiated the construction of an irrigation system as a means to attract settlers to the area. The town, named for a CPA engineer Noell Edgell Brooks, was surveyed in 1907 and incorporated in 1910.
Early settlers built an irrigation aqueduct that in 1915, was then one of the largest concrete structures in the world, spanning 3 km of prairie. Brooks has 105,000 hectares (260,000 acres) of irrigated farmland and 400,000 hectares (1,000,000 acres) of prime grazing land. The aqueduct was operated until 1977, and is now a National Historic Site as a monument to the early engineers and farmers.
South of town, Lake Newell is the focal point of the area's recreation,
providing sailing, windsurfing, fishing, hunting, and camping.
Kinbrook
Provincial Park is on the eastern shore of the lake.
Annual events include: Kiwanis Ice Derby at Lake Newell (February), The Gather-a
big sale of 10,000 cattle (March), Annual Trade Show (April), Little Britches
Rodeo (June), Brooks Kinsmen Rodeo (June), Eastern Irrigation Ag. Society Fall
Fair (August), Pheasant Festival Week (October).
Climatically the Brooks district is one of the more envied areas in Canada: it boasts the most hours of sunshine in the nation and is known for its long growing season and mild winters.
We love it here, and we know you will too. Our stable economy is based on agriculture, oil and gas, and the services required by people and industry. We have health, educational and government services that suit our needs and our budgets.
Welcome and please enjoy yourself.
Kinbrook Island Park
-(403) 362-2962
Located on a island in Lake Newell, this park offers a large public beach,
camping facilities, a boat launch and the opportunity to participate in a number
of water based recreational activities. Adjacent to the park is a wildlife
sanctuary noted for its diversity of waterfowl and aquatic birds. Lake Newell is
located 16 kilometers south of Brooks.
Brooks Kinsmen Pro Rodeo - For a real western experience this professional rodeo event is held each year on the first weekend in June.
Brooks Aqueduct National/Provincial Historic Site - Opened in 1914, the Brooks Aqueduct was the longest steel-reinforced concrete structure of its kind in the world. Constructed by the Canadian Pacific Railway, this 3.2 km (2 mi.) structure linked irrigation water to the arid lands of SE Alberta for 65 years. Site guides offer public programs and tours. Picnic facilities and self-guided trail. Location: 5 km (3.12 mi.) E of Brooks. Open: May 1 - Sept. 1, Admission: Charged. Phone: (403) 362-4451
Brooks
and District Museum
.4 km south of Trans-Canada Highway
(403) 362-5073
This museum covers local history over the past century, including Indian
culture, the RCMP, early ranchers and homesteaders, the railroad, and
irrigation. The museum includes several restored buildings including log cabins,
a blacksmith shop, a railroad station and a church. It also has complete
one-room school from Wardlow, Alberta, equipped with 1930 school books, and a
North West Mounted Police barracks. It also features the 1903 National No. 2
Table Tool Drilling Rig, used in early Alberta oil & gas exploration. The
museum is open May to September, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and from 1
p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Allow 1.5 hours.
Crop Diversification Centre South - Provides research, extension and development services which cover a number of special and horticultural crops. Picnic shelter and lawn area are open to the public. Open: June-Sept. Admission: Free. Located 4 km (2.5 mi.) E on Hwy. 1. Phone: (403) 362-3391.
John Ware Cabin - Alberta's noted black cowboy built his log cabin in the area in 1903. Located in Dinosaur Provincial Park.
Lakeside Farm Industries Ltd. - 3 km W of Brooks via Hwy #1. One of the largest meat packing and feedlot operations in Canada. Open year round, tours available. Phone: 362-3457
Dinosaur
Provincial Park/ Tyrell Museum Field Station
20 km NE of town: take highway 873 north to 544, drive east past Patricia.
(403) 378-4342
The park's badlands ravines have unearthed the bones of dinosaur bones, that are
millions of years old. Visit the Tyrell Museum Field Station, where scientists
are continually unearthing new dinosaur skeletons, and even new species. A world
record 35 species' skeletons have been found at this location. The field station
is open from Victoria Day to mid-October. Admission: $2 adults, $1.50 youth. You
can also fly over the park with Quickway Aviation in Brooks.
EID
Historical Park and Museum
Scandia (10 km W on Highway 1, then 40 km S on highway 36)
The museum of the Eastern Irrigation District (EID) features horse-drawn
machinery, irrigation equipment, early household furniture and artifacts, as
well as native clothing. This museum is open from May 15 to Sept. 15 from 9 a.m.
to 6 p.m. on weekdays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
