Welcome to the Village of Arrowwood Alberta
The Village of Arrowwood from the air.
Located on Highway #547 17 km south of Highway #1 (at Gleichen AB); or 50 km north of Vulcan on Highways #24 to #547 east or 100 km east of Calgary on Highways 22X & 901, south on #547. Arrowwood is on the shortest route for travelers who visit the Tyrell Museum in Drumheller & the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump at Fort Macleod. We are 4 km. south of the Siksika Indian Reserve near Gleichen, which is a member of the Blackfoot Indian Confederacy. Siksika is the Blackfoot word for Blackfoot. |
The Village of Arrowwood, surrounded by choice
farmland, lies between the East & West Arrowwood Creeks with the Bow
River 5 km to the north and the Buffalo Hills to the South. At the
Blackfoot Indian Reserve Sale in 1911, A. M. Grace bought the E½
32-20-23 and later sold it to the Canadian Pacific Railway. Part of this became t
he
village of Arrowwood. Arrowwood was incorporated into a village in 1926.
The 2007 population of the village is some 227 persons. The name Arrowwood is
taken from the Blackfoot language. Mista Katpisko, which means 'Wood
Village'. To say Arrowwood in Blackfoot it sounds like
'Hents-ziks-kway'. The arrowwood shrub's branches were strong and straight
therefore very popular with Natives peoples for making arrows. It has been
cultivated since 1736 and blooms for 2 weeks in late spring. There is at least one planted by residents
in their yards.
Arrowwood is a progressive village. In the last 20 years more than 20 new residences have either been built from the bottom up; moved onto lots from outlaying farms or came in the form of mobile homes. In 2000 the Prairie West Centre was built and brings a new shopping experience to the area. The water treatment plant is a new addition & provides the residents & businesses with water that tastes second to none. A new welding shop and car wash are recent additions. Seven years ago a card lock fuel centre opened and six years ago a tire shop. A new shop has been built in our light industrial area. We boast one eating establishment will more than satisfy your taste buds.
In 2002 the Village won 3 of 5 blooms in the Communities in Blooms & finished in second place behind Caroline in the 0 to 1000 category for the Province of Alberta. In 2003 we won 4 of 5 blooms and won first place in the same category. In the 2004 competition we attained 4 of 5 blooms again but placed second behind Bittern Lake. In 2005 we attained 4 blooms once again but we finished in 1st place......again! 2006 was a banner year for us as we attained 5 blooms and once again won for the province. In 2007 we competed nationally and won 4 of the 5 blooms awarded, but not first place. The special mention for Arrowwood was our creative beautification of residential properties. Hats off to the Communities in Bloom Committee for all their hard work! Residents should also give themselves a pat on the back for their efforts in making Arrowwood what it is today! A great place to live!
ANNUAL& COMING EVENTS
The annual sports day sponsored by the local Lions Club is the 3rd Saturday of June. Enjoy the free pancake breakfast followed by the parade at 11:00 AM. Games are played during the afternoon. A barbequed beef supper with homemade pies for dessert is served by the Lions Club at 5:00 PM followed by kids dig for cash and fireworks at sunset.
The annual yard sales are sponsored by the Mary Block Library on the fourth Saturday of May. Many residents participate in the event & shoppers came from as far away as Calgary looking for great bargains.
The United Church Women hold their annual fall supper and bazaar in November at the Community Centre.
The Gospel Mission Church holds their Daily Vacation Bible School at the Church in August.
In January the Lions Club hosts a Christmas tree burning with hotdogs & other goodies.
The old way to deliver the harvest was to elevators like these. Sad but many of these stately structures are no longer in use. Many millions of bushels of grain have been delivered to the Arrowwood elevators over the years. At least one farmer has delivered one million bushes to the Alberta Wheat Pool here.
The water tower that was our water storage facility for many years is now a landmark due to our new water purification system. Wells are our source of water and we have excellent drinking water.
Arrowwood Country Store Museum & Canada Post
Last updated January 26, 2010.
Thanks to photographers R. Montgomery, L. Norton, I. Swanson & P. Swanson.
This site was built in 2004 and is maintained by grannypennysworkshop.com