Exshaw, Alberta

Exshaw, Alberta (Coord|name=Exshaw, Alberta|51|04|N|115|10|W| Elevation: 4261 feet) is a small hamlet of about 350 people. Located at least 45 minutes driving time from Calgary city limits, and 60 minutes from downtown Calgary, Exshaw is located on the north side in the eastern portion of the Bow River valley. The community is now outside the Banff National Park boundary another 30 minutes west up the valley; however, the original park entrance was actually only a couple miles east of Exshaw. Exshaw is the largest hamlet in the Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8, which also includes the communities of Harvie Heights, Dead Man's Flats, Lac Des Arcs, Seebe, and Jamieson Road, as well as large swaths of ranchland west of Cochrane, Alberta. The MD No. 8 Administration, Council, Public Works, Roads, and Waste Management offices are all located in Exshaw. East of Exshaw are smaller company town villages of Kananaskis (lime plant) ( not the recreational area Kananaskis, Alberta) and Seebe (now closed) (power dam).A small ranch area, now mainly dude ranches, is also near the community. A number of smaller parks with camping facilities have also developed in the east Bow Valley. Directly across the Bow River south from Exshaw is the recreational community of Lac Des Arcs although no bridge communicates between the two communities. Heart Mountain is also to the south. About 15 minutes west further up the valley is the community of Canmore.

Sir Sanford Fleming named Exshaw after his son-in-law, E. William Exshaw (B. 15 Feb 1866, Bordeaux, D. 16 Mar 1927; of Anglo-Irish decent; and Sailing Olympic Gold Medalist at the Paris 1900 Summer Olympics), who with Fleming helped establish the Western Canada Cement and Coal Company. A cement plant, now owned by Lafarge North America. Although the original cement plant was further west, the community has had a large plant for many years. The limestone is quarried on the mountain north of the plant.

A number of other plants and quarries are in the area east and west. East is Graymont lime and limestone products plant, and west, Baymag calcined magnesium oxide plant.

A dam on the Bow River is east of the community at Seebe.

The smaller Exshaw Mountain, 1783 m (5850 ft.), is north of the community, and is locally known as Cougar Mountain. Across from the community south beyond Lac Des Arcs is Heart Mountain, known as an easier scramble. People often marry outdoors on this mountain because of the heart shape.

Exshaw Creek, locally known and identified on the 1A bridge as Canyon Creek, runs through the hamlet. The eastern portion of the hamlet is on the flood plain for Juta Creek.

Grotto Creek, 3 km west, has pictographs, including a possible "fluteplayer" Kokopelli image that may be from the Flute Clan of the Hopi tradition.

The local area is known for wildlife, despite the industrial development. Duncan MacGillivray, with explorer David Thompson on his survey of the Canadian Rockies, first encountered a Big Horn Sheep, near Exshaw, on 30 Nov. 1800, which lead to the specimens collected and subsequent scientific naming.

Bruno Gerussi, a Canadian television actor who is best known for the lead role in the CBC series The Beachcombers, grew up in Exshaw.

Notes

Further reading

* Alexander, Rob, and Dene Cooper. Exshaw: Heart of the Valley. Exshaw, Alta: Exshaw Historical Society Centennial Project, 2005. ISBN 1553830938

Geographic Location (8-way)
Centre = Exshaw
North = Lake Minnewanka
Northeast =
East =

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