Welcome to the Village of Arrowwood

Welcome to the Village of Arrowwood Alberta

The Village as seen 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 & 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 being the Blackfoot word for Blackfoot.

The Village of Arrowwood, surrounded by choice ranch and 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 the village of Arrowwood. Arrowwood was incorporated into a village in 1926. The June 2011 population of the village is some 188 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 were very popular with Natives peoples for making arrows. It has been cultivated since 1736 and blooms for 2 weeks in late spring. They grow to 3 meters in height with beautiful white flowers. At least one has been planted by residents in their yard and some near the east entrance to the village on Railway Avenue.

Arrowwood is a progressive village. In the last 25 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. In 2009 as new state of the art fire hall was built on Railway Avenue. We boast one eating establishment that 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 and our majestic trees. 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 10:00 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 a kids dig for cash and fireworks at sunset. Other special events are usually planned as well.

The annual yard sales are sponsored by the Mary Block Library on the last Saturday of May.   Many residents participate in the event and 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 Prairie Angels Red Hat Society Annual Strawberry Tea is held the 1st Saturday in June each year. The 10th Anniversary will be celebrated June 2nd 2012. Anyone interested in joining in the fun, must be a Supporting Member of the Red Hat Society. Please contact Queen Clydine of Many Shoes, Ambassador For The Red Hat Society at (403) 534-3308 or clydine@wildroseinternet.ca


The old way to deliver the harvest was to the country elevators. Sad but true many of these stately structures are no longer in use. They were a landmark visible from miles around. Elevators in the distance indicated that you were close to a town or village. Many millions of bushels of grain has been delivered to the Arrowwood elevators over the years and from here shipped to either Thunder Bay on Lake Superior or to the Pacific ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert At least one farmer has delivered one million bushes to the Alberta Wheat Pool here. Some of these structures are now used as seed cleaning plants and are privately owned.

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

Thanks to the storm of August 2009 most homes in the village have been given a facelift.

Here are a few examples.

Last updated October 30, 2011.

Thanks to photographers R. Montgomery, L. Norton, I. Swanson & P. Swanson.

This site was built in 2004 and is maintained by grannypennysworkshop.com and is updated periodically as

needed by the community's changing demographics.