Stories originating from inside the walls at legendary Rafter Six Ranch would take a lifetime to tell, but the fate of some of its iconic buildings took just a few hours to fall.
Gloria Cowley watched on with tears in her eyes as an excavator ate through the main wooden lodge off the Trans-Canada Highway in Kananaskis Country, Monday morning (Sept. 12).
A few days prior, former owners Stan and Gloria Cowley, and staff at the new Rafter Six experience across the dirt road from the old buildings, were in disbelief when heavy demolition machinery rolled down the dusty path.
It was a sign that change was imminent from the property’s new ownership. It is not known publicly what plans are in store for the land, which was purchased in 2015, but something happened in that short time, and it was a shocking conclusion for the Cowleys.
As heavy machinery parked outside the main lodge, Gloria got on the phone with the Municipal District of Bighorn.
She was informed on Aug. 31 three permits were issued to the new property owner for demolition of the main lodge, outdoor cookhouse and a metal quonset.
A demolition permit can be issued within days should an application clearly meet all conditions.
When the Cowleys started their hospitality journey in 1977, they envisioned a place where they could entertain – a place where guests didn’t need a lot of money to have an unforgettable experience.
The Cowleys completed construction of the log lodge in 1978 to complement the original lodge which was constructed in the 1930s, and used as the dining area after.
At its peak, the ranch resort had eight log cabins and four cedar chalets along with the 18-room main lodge.
Now separated by a grassy field and standing helplessly behind a weathered wooden fence, the Cowleys and staff stood locked out about 100 metres away from a lifetime of memories.
Demolition began at 7 a.m. and by noon, the three-storey log building was a splintered pile of rubble and dust.
“I guess I’m mourning the loss of history,” said Gloria to the Outlook, after she took a minute to collect herself. “We added something that was a guest ranch onto those original buildings and we just wanted more people to come and enjoy and experience this part of Alberta that was so full of stories and heritage.
“I’m so thankful for all the people that shared with us during this journey and I’m shocked that a log building is getting destroyed like this.”
After nearly four decades in the hospitality business, the original Rafter Six Ranch Resort closed at the beginning of 2014.
The closing of Rafter Six was primarily due in part to a joint venture with a Calgary resort development company in 2008, right before the financial crisis struck.
The Cowleys put their land and buildings in the agreement – including their home, and then things went sour for the development company, which went into a type of receivership. The ranch resort that saw millions of guests over the decades experience the Canadian Rockies on horseback, was closed.
“The plan for back in 2008 was to expand the resort,” Gloria said. “We wanted to build some better facilities, or some newer facilities. The travelling public was looking for more, but the character and heritage of these buildings could not be replaced, you could not replace this.”
During the time the Cowleys owned the old Rafter Six resort, they never requested any historical or heritage designations.
A historical inventory was completed a couple years ago on Rafter Six, and neither the MD nor the province of Alberta sought any historical or heritage designation consideration on the site, said Martin Buckley, chief administrative officer for the MD of Bighorn.
“I’m not saying there aren’t buildings on there worthy of consideration, but the ones being torn down aren’t, to the MD or province,” said Buckley.
Buckley added the MD has not received any applications from new ownership to build anything on the land and there are no indications as to what plans will be moving forward.
Gloria, who thinks the buildings at Rafter Six should have been considered an MD heritage site, said there should have been have been a better process before demolition permits were issued to the ownership.
“I’m somewhat speechless, as well,” she said, watching the excavator rip the lodge limb from limb.
As the main lodge’s walls kept falling, a tight-knit group of Rafter Six cowboys and cowgirls, some on horseback, some in tears, gathered outside the gated property to comfort each other as they watched the end of an era unfold.
The Cowleys will continue to operate the new Rafter Six, which is more geared toward horseback trail riding and a camping experience for guests, for as long as weather permits.
“We will continue as long as we can,” said Gloria. “Horseback riding and camping still gets people out here.
“You don’t have to have a lot of money to come where we are and we never expected it. People could come and be guests here and feel just as special as the princes and princesses that we’ve entertained. And the more people that can come and experience this, I think, the better.”
