Visit Heritage Park
1900 Heritage Dr. S.W. Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2V 2X3
Email: info@heritagepark.ca
Phone: 403.268.8500
Botsford Harness Shop
Closed
Hours of Operation
-
Monday
Closed
-
Tuesday
Closed
-
Wednesday
Closed
-
Thursday
Closed
-
Friday
Closed
-
Saturday
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
-
Sunday
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Upcoming Alternate Hours
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Monday, Oct 14 2024
Open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
The Historical Village is open weekends and Thanksgiving Monday from Sept. 3 - Oct. 14.
Exhibit Details
Category
Building/Museum, Shopping
Guest Amenities
- Wheelchair Accessible
About the Botsford Harness Shop
The Botsford Harness Shop, first constructed in 1906, features unique gift items, figurines, jewellery, hats, dolls, cast-iron creations, wooden toys and more.
Open summer only, during regular park hours.
History
In the newly settled villages of the Canadian Prairies, one of the first businesses to open was a harness shop. Everybody needed tack for their horses or oxen, and saddles, yokes, horse collars and harnesses were always in high demand.
From 1884 to 1908 the population of Langdon, Alberta, grew from 10 to 800. Oscar Botsford had constructed his hardware and harness shop in 1906 to take advantage of the boom. Besides making and repairing harnesses from the Langdon and Dalemead area, Botsford also repaired shoes, sold hardware and mended canvas, often before an audience of the town’s children. The Municipal District of Rockyview No. 44 sold the building to Heritage Park for the nominal sum of one dollar in 1965.
