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Okotoks - Profile

Population: 6,628

Okotoks is located 25 km. (15 miles) south of Calgary, and 200 km. (91 miles) north of Lethbridge. Its location has helped establish it as a service centre for the surrounding, rich farming and ranching land.

Okotoks was originally known as Dewdney, named after Lord Dewdney. Lord Dewdney was a lieutenant governor of the Northwest Territiories, as the area was called at that time. In 1886 the town changed its name to Okotoks, an Indian name meaning "Big Rock".

Big Rock, wich is actually located 10 km. (6 miles) west of Okotoks on Highway #7, is one of the largest erratics in North America. It is 18,000 tons. Carried east by glacial movement, this rock shares a common source with Mount Edith Cavell in the Canadian Rocky Mountains of Jasper National Park.

In the 1890's, when the railway arrived, Okotoks became the shipment center for the Turner Valley oil. Just northwest of town, a large sandstone deposit led to another large business in the area. Many of the local buildings in the area are made of this sandstone.

There are many exciting, historical attractions in the vicinity of Okotoks, such as: Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump, Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, the historic Bar U Ranch, and the Okotoks Cultural Centre.

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