CHAPS Cochrane Historical Museum
Cochrane Historical & Archival Preservation Society
Beautiful Scenery
Visitors to the CHAPS Museum in Cochrane, Alberta are within an hour’s drive of Banff National Park and the mountain playgrounds west of Calgary that offer year round outdoor activities in a beautiful setting.
Located within The Cochrane Ranche
The Dominion Government incorporated a company in 1881 and it was known as the Cochrane Ranche Company. (excerpt from Big Hill Country page 155).
The Museum Building's History
Constructed in 1909 by the Davies family using bricks from the Collin’s Brick Yard. Built to be used as a hospital/nursing home and private residence. Moved to its current site in 2014.
Experience the history of
Canada's West
Through the eyes of its settlers, ranchers and farmers;
the service and supply businesses, the educators and more.
Ken Raby Family
In 1910 he ran the livery stable in Cochrane and Stage Coach for passengers and mail to Bottrel and Dog Pound.
Sam and Helen Scott
Helen managed to get a school on the prairie, northwest of Hussar. Shallow Water School was quite a change from the doctors’ homes she had worked and lived in, in Calgary. Her living quarters were a dugout basement under the school and it was full of mice. To get away from the mice as best she could, Helen slept on the floor of the classroom until some of her pupils brought her some cats.
Vern and Evelyn Lambert – A story worth retelling
Vern and his brothers were very musical. In 1953 they started their own Country and Western Band which consisted of Vern, Ray, Gordon, Al McMahon and Fred Steinmetz at the beginning with Ted Westerson joining the Lambert Brothers later on.
Stories of the Wild West, a retelling
CHAPS goal is to to identify, preserve, protect, and educate the public about historically significant properties and buildings in Cochrane. Time is not on our side. We need people to help gather and record our stories. Would you like to help? This blog was originally published in 2020. While researching other stories this week I
Countess Bubna and the Merino Ranch
The Countess Bubna was one of Cochranes’ great characters. Be sure to read the links in Deep Dive to see her Kelowna – Vernon interests.
Motorcycle Hill-Climbing Originally published 2018
This article was originally posted in 2018. It’s such an interesting topic we updated and reposted. Look at the number of people it attracted. Click on the photo on the left to see a larger version. Did you know Cochrane had Motorcycle Hill-Climbing in the 1930’s? Just like today, people from Calgary liked to visit
