Provinces and Territories · Drawing 28 of 42
Roping at the ranch
Alberta
In Alberta’s foothills, ranches have raised cattle since the 1880s. Here, a child learns to throw a rope loop over a pretend steer’s horns.
Look together
Which ranch job would you like to try?
An idea to try
Build a little ranch fence on the table with pencils or sticks. Then draw the animals that live behind it.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
Founded in 1882, the Bar U Ranch was one of the first large ranches in southern Alberta. On the doorstep of the Rocky Mountains, about an hour’s drive from Calgary, it is now the only national historic site run by Parks Canada that commemorates the importance of ranching to Canada. Visitors can try to cast a rope loop over a replica steer’s horn. Rodeo events grew out of such everyday skills with horses, ropes and cattle.
Talk with your child about ranch jobs: cowboys, saddle makers, cooks. Remind them that we never throw a rope at a person or an animal in play.
Sources and illustration notes (3)
An imagined, simplified ranch with no brands on the animals and no logos; the pretend steer is a simple practice object.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- Parks Canada — Culture and history, Bar U Ranch National Historic SiteFounded in 1882, one of the first large corporate ranches in southern Alberta; the only Parks Canada-administered national historic site commemorating the importance of ranching; on the doorstep of the Rockies, an hour from Calgary.
- Parks Canada — All activities, Bar U Ranch National Historic SiteRoping: learn to cast a rope loop over a replica steer’s horn; cowboys, saddle-makers and cooks among the interpreters.
- The Canadian Encyclopedia — RodeoCowboys’ games developed from skills practised daily with horses, ropes and cattle; calf roping is still practised on the ranch.
Page prepared on September 24, 2026. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.
This drawing is from the book My Canada to Colour
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