DVD capture

Contributed photo

Travel Directions:
42 km west of Fort Macleod on Hwy 3 (Crowsnest Hwy). Right (north) onto Hwy 510 / Range Road 1-3, left (west) onto Railway Avenue. Osler is the second street.

Remarks:
Cowley is a small town of about 200 people. First settled around 1880, it was once home to the Doukhobors, a Russian sect that escaped the persecution of Alexander III around 1915. Their progressive farming methods brought much-needed modern irrigation practices and mechanized agricultural equipment to the region. But it was the Doukhobors’ communal lifestyle that engendered resentment and widespread discrimination among their neighbors. Assassinations and predatory farm lending practices brought an end to Cowley’s communes during the Depression.

The Brokeback producers sought towns which had an authentic 1960s look to them. Cowley fit that bill perfectly. Frozen in time, it has no new buildings or modern signs to mar its vintage appearance.