The Sweet and Storied Side of Alberta
- Ginger North
- Jun 15
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 1
#30CanadianFoods : Where flapjacks fool you and doughnuts carry cowboy history
Alberta: land of towering peaks, prairie skies, and unexpectedly fascinating heritage sites. Sure, you’ve heard of Banff and the Calgary Stampede, but did you know you can walk in the footsteps of ranch hands, bake like a museum curator, and learn about a doughnut-slinging legend on the same trip?
In this leg of our #30CanadianFoods series, we’re galloping back in time to explore Alberta’s deep roots, ranch culture, and curious culinary contributions. Buckle up for cowboy cookouts, curious museum finds, and historic treats you’ll want to try at home.
Explore the entire #30CanadianFoods series here.
🐎 Prairie Patchwork: The Making of Alberta
Where wheat meets wilderness and cultures collide
Before the oil booms and the high-rises, Alberta was a diverse tapestry of Indigenous Nations, Métis communities, fur traders, ranchers, and immigrants from around the world. The Blackfoot Confederacy, Cree, Dene, Nakota Sioux, and many others called this land home long before it was Alberta.
The fur trade brought Europeans, but it was the 19th-century ranching boom and the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway that transformed the landscape. Eastern Canadians, Americans, Eastern Europeans, and Chinese labourers each left their cultural marks—from food traditions to farming practices.
🎯 Fun find: In 2024, archaeologists uncovered pre-contact hunting tools in the foothills near Okotoks, offering new insight into how Indigenous groups tracked bison migrations across the plains.
🤠 Cowboys, Campfires & History Come Alive
Bar U Ranch National Historic Site Visit Bar U Ranch
If you’ve ever wanted to time travel to the days of wide-brimmed hats and cattle roundups, Bar U Ranch is the place. Located along the Cowboy Trail, this ranch was once the headquarters of the legendary Northwest Cattle Company.
At its peak in the 1890s, Bar U was home to thousands of cattle and employed some of the most skilled riders in the west—including Indigenous and Métis cowboys whose stories are now being highlighted more intentionally.
🧡 What you can do:
Ride in a horse-drawn wagon
Watch blacksmith demos
Learn from interpreters in period dress
Attend a Roundup Camp (yes, with doughnuts!)
Explore heritage buildings from the 1880s
🌟 Real visitor comment: “It felt like walking into an old western movie—but better, because it was real and grounded in Canadian history.”
The ranch doesn’t shy away from telling the full story—including the impact of settlement on Indigenous communities and the evolving role of women on the range.
🐾 Alberta’s Hidden History Gems
Three More Spots for Culture & Curiosity
🔍 Banff Park Museum National Historic Site Visit Banff Park Museum
Nicknamed “the University of the Hills,” this rustic log cabin-style museum has preserved Alberta’s natural history since 1895. Inside, you'll find original Victorian taxidermy and the famed “Cabinet of Curiosities” which inspired one of the recipes below.
The Cabinet features the "more curious and unique discoveries" made by former Curator Norman Sanson (1896 to 1932). An avid collector of flora and fauna, Sanson was eager to make the museum a ‘university of the hills’ for all to enjoy. He travelled through Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks in search of new species to display, logging more than 20,000 kilometres on mountain trails.
🌾 Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village Visit the Village A living history museum just outside Edmonton, this open-air site recreates life in early Ukrainian settlements. You can bake in a clay oven, visit heritage homes, and learn about the deep agricultural roots of Alberta’s Ukrainian community.
🍲 Heritage Park Historical Village Check out Heritage Park
Canada’s largest living history museum, this site features vintage steam trains, costumed interpreters, and heritage food you can sample—including old-fashioned candy, fresh bread, and even train station lunches.
👻 Ghost Cooks and Oatmeal Lore
Strange, sweet, and oddly inspiring
📚 In the early 1900s, Banff Park Museum curator Norman Sanson logged over 20,000 km on horseback in the Rockies collecting specimens. Local lore claims he still haunts the museum, watching over his beloved displays. Staff jokingly say that mysterious rearranged exhibits are “just Sanson checking in.”
🐴 Meanwhile, Bar U Ranch celebrates Charlie Lehr, the tidy chuckwagon cook who fed cowboys and made famously good doughnuts—while keeping his gear cleaner than your kitchen.
Both these figures left behind food stories that are just too good not to bake into your week.
🥄 Recipes from Alberta’s Living History
Thanks to Parks Canada, we have two delicious recipes from Alberta heritage sites.
🍬 A Curious Flapjack
Despite its name, this is a square and not a flapjack. The recipe hails from Banff Park Museum National Historic Site and it's sweet, chewy, and ready to hike.
Ingredients
4 oz | 115 g butter or margarine
4 oz | 115 g light brown sugar
2 tbsp | 30 ml golden syrup
8 oz | 225 g porridge oats
2 oz | 60 g shredded coconut
½ tsp | 2.5 ml ground ginger
Pinch of salt
Directions
Place the butter or margarine, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan and stir over low heat until the butter and sugar have melted. Add the oats, salt, coconut and ginger; blend thoroughly.
Press into a well-greased 9-inch pan. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Score into slices while still warm. Cool completely before removing from pan.
Enjoy squares while hiking or on outdoor picnics!
📝 Heritage Note : Named in honour of the “Cabinet of Curiosities” at Banff Park Museum, this oat-based square nods to the kind of durable snacks favoured by alpine explorers like Norman Sanson.
🍩 Charlie Lehr’s Doughnuts
Sugar-dusted treats from Alberta’s ranching roots and Bar U Ranch National Historic Site campfires.
Ingredients
3 eggs
¾ cup | 145 g sugar
3 tbsp | 45 ml melted butter
3 cups | 300-400 g all purpose flour
5 tsp | 20 g baking powder
½ teaspoon | 1.25 g cinnamon
½ teaspoon | 1.25 g nutmeg
¾ cup | 175 ml buttermilk
fat for frying
additional sugar for coating
Directions
Beat the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the butter. Sift the dry ingredients and stir into the egg mixture alternately with the buttermilk. The dough will be very soft. Cover and chill approximately 1 hour.
Roll out to about 1/2-inch thick on a generously floured board. Cut with a doughnut cutter.
In a large saucepan, preheat 1 inch of fat to 350°F (180°C). Fry the doughnuts a few at a time, turning once, until golden brown. Remove from fat and sprinkle with sugar: put additional sugar in a paper bag − with a pinch of cinnamon if desired − and toss warm doughnuts in the closed bag.
📝 Heritage Note from Parks Canada: Charlie Lehr, chuckwagon cook extraordinaire, made these doughnuts for hungry ranch hands. Today, you can try them at Bar U Ranch’s Roundup Camp—cowboy hat optional.
🎉 Take a Bite Out of Alberta’s Past
It’s easy to overlook history when you’re surrounded by mountains, lakes, and buzzing cities—but Alberta’s heritage is woven into the land, the food, and the people who shaped it. Visiting places like Bar U Ranch or Banff Park Museum makes it real—and delicious.
So next time you’re planning a trip or looking for a weekend bake, give one of these historic recipes a go. Who knows? You might just find yourself falling in love with Canada’s past—one doughnut at a time.
Disclaimer: Fair & Furious is not sponsored by the businesses or brands mentioned in this post. We just really love sharing anything Canadian with you! You can help boost our efforts by sharing our posts and interacting with our content! Thanks for your support 💛
Comments