DVD capture

Contributed photo

Remarks:
Welcome to the Twist Ranch. No other Brokeback location received the investment of time and money that the production team lavished upon this desolate farmhouse some 80 km NE of Calgary.

This is a well-hidden landmark; indeed the front is completely obscured by a dense thicket of Albertan caragana. Just as Ennis generally did, you will find it most convenient to approach from the rear. The structure, which has faded considerably since the film was made, is boarded up, albeit imperfectly.

The ranch is located on rural farmland in an area once occupied by Native Blackfoot peoples. They called the region “Clear Running Water.” A deep lake, said to be filled with old Blackfoot arrowheads, is 9 km away. The Canadian Railway established a rail line here in 1883. By 1909, the completion of irrigation canals permitted large scale cultivation of wheat and the area was homesteaded, largely by German families emigrating from Nebraska and Kansas.

The current owner of the house grew up on an adjacent farm. His family acquired the property in the late 1960s.

Important:
Always obtain appropriate permission before entering private property. Those planning to enter should bring flashlights and be cautious of loose or missing floorboards and railings. The building has been the subject of pilferage and vandalism. Please leave all that you find intact out of respect for the history, both real and fictional, of this powerful place.