"Egg Money" Bronze Statue

The bronze sculpture is to honour the spirit of Pioneer Women. It is impossible to imagine the inner strength of these courageous women, who not only coped with the challenges of homesteading, but in many cases also had to deal with sadness and grief. These heroic women were truly remarkable individuals who made a lasting imprint in the building of our great Heritage.

Income in those early days was used to finance the operations of the homestead, resulting in the farm wife having no funds to call her own. Consequently she turned to her feathered friends to remedy the situation. The income received from the sale of eggs was hers to do with as she wished, and it contributed to her sense of independence-something for the farm house, a gift for her dear friend, a special dress- the list was endless.

Members of The Ranche at Fish Creek Restoration Society felt that some type of memorial should be erected to honour these valiant women. Accordingly, they commissioned Don and Shirley Begg of Studio West Bronze Foundry in Cochrane, Alberta, they put their many talents and master craftsmanship to work and created Egg Money, a timeless tribute to these special women. Donations were received from across Canada and the United States in support of Egg Money… These contributions evidenced the wide spread respect and admiration held for these pioneer women.

On Mother's Day, May 12, 2002, The Honorable Dr. Lois Hole, C.M., AOE, the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, unveiled Egg Money ,this official declaration sealed in time a loving tribute to those pioneer women who gave so much and asked for so little in return.

ithin the 2.5 acre setting along the Ranche Promenade (featuring gas lampposts) nestled between The Ranche House and Annie's, is a spectacular garden setting, showcasing a landscape representing the rich history of this area. The Native Gardens highlight native plants and grasses from the late 1800's. Re-introduced to this site are trembling aspens, white spruce, saskatoon and chokecherry bushes, native roses and shrubs, snowberries, junipers as well as hundreds of wild flowers. Bunch wheat, needle grass and several other species of native grasses also compliment these gardens. Volunteers of the Calgary Horticultural Society helped to restore this site back to its original heritage, by assisting with planting and maintenance.

These serene, educational and interpretive gardens feature quiet pathways, pine benches, an intimate period gazebo, a mini-amphitheater, historic gas lampposts and tons of sandstone boulders recovered from the surrounding natural area. Opened in June 2000, this assembling of the past that once harbored teepees, buffalo rings, wagon trails and farmlands, winds us through a historical course providing physical interaction and knowledge of our heritage.

The Ranche at Fish Creek Restoration Society gratefully acknowledges the dedication of Clancy Patton and Judy Lowas who contributed to the development and maintenance of the Native Gardens.

Features of the Native Gardens
Fish Creek Provincial Park is a unique and diverse landscape that contains immense historical, cultural and environmental significance. Of major importance is the plant life that existed in this area since time began. The Ranche at Fish Creek Restoration Society has created a historic Native Gardens, containing trees, shrubs, bushes, flowers and grasses which were so familiar to our ancestors. The 2.5 acre Native Gardens is situated between the restored Ranche House and Annie's Café. Initial construction of the gardens began in the fall of 1999. White spruce and trembling aspens together with chokecherry and saskatoon bushes were planted in areas defined by the network of paths that meander through the gardens. Sandstone boulders, which occur naturally throughout Fish Creek Provincial Park, were strategically placed. Some of the rock boulders are engraved with sponsor's names, acknowleding their contribution to the restoration project.

Virgin prairie sod with all its accompanying plant life was donated to the Native Gardens by a local land developer. The prairie sod was reclaimed from the Cranston area, a new residential development in southwest Calgary, near Fish Creek Provincial Park The sod, containing all root material, was transported to the Native Gardens and carefully planted in the new home. Native plants that continued their life cycle include wild roses, yarrow, crocus, snowberry, sage, native grasses, prairie coneflower, wolf willow, bedstraw, wild clover, potentilla, blanket flower, vetch, goldenrod, asters, fleabane and windflowers.

Golden Acre Garden Sentres generously donated large quantities of plant material such as native roses, junipers, chokecherries, saskatoons, alpine currants, silver and russet buffaloberries, wolf willow, and dogwood. Additional prairie flowers indigent to the area were obtained prior to the "planting bee". In June 2000, members of the Calgary Horticultural Society planted "plugs" of nodding onions, crocus, asters, bell flowers, bee balm, blanket flower, prairie smoke, wild flax, prairie coneflower, and blue-eyed grass. Other species of plants native to aspen woodlands and which grow in the Fish Creek area will be introduced into the Native Gardens over a period of time. The Calgary Horticultural Society has formed an alliance with The Ranche at Fish Creek Restoration Society to maintain the Native Gardens and the Formal Gardens adjacent to The Ranche House. The Horticultural Society will also be involved in further design and planting of the site gardens and introduction of a composting system. The Calgary Horticultural Society has introduced an "Adopt-A-Garden" concept, which provides for the maintenance and care of individual smaller areas within the Native Gardens.

A beautiful heritage gazebo creates a focal point in the Native Gardens together with five extraordinary hand-hewn pine benches. Fifteen black, cast iron gas lamps create an auora of "days gone by" on the Ranche Promenade, along the southern edge of the Native Gardens. A mini-amphitheater, created from large flat rocks, is located at the east end of the gardens. This is an ideal location where outdoor classes can be held to inform school children, the general public and tourists about the fascinating history existing in this beautiful and historic part of Calgary.

Photos of Native Plants
The following are photos of selected shrubs, plants and trees found today in the Native Gardens........
(Photos courtesy of Myrna Pearman and Clancy Patton)

Chokecherry: (Prunus virginiana)

Common in central and southern Alberta, the Chokecherry alludes to the sensation of choking caused by eating the sour-tasting berries. The fruits are relished by birds, bears, and rodents and were eaten raw and dried for use in soups, stews and pemmican by the natives. Chokecherries are used to make wine, jellies and syrups.

Red-oiser dogwood (Cornus stolonifera)

Widespread throughout Alberta, the berries of the shrub were considered to be a famine food by most Indian tribes. The natives used the outer bark for dyeing and tanning hides, and the inner bark in tabacco mixtures and tea. Red-oiser dogwood is often grown as an ornamental in Alberta because of its bright red bark and attractive fall leaf colour.

Fleabane (Erigeron flabellus)

The Fleabanes, or wild daises as they are commonly called, make up the largest genus of the Daisy Family in Alberta. Many species of this genus brighten the prairies, the foothills, the valleys and the slopes of the Rockies in spring and early summer.

Aster (Aster lindleyanus)

The Asters are one of the most ornamental wild flowers throughout Alberta. There are twenty-one native Asters and they usually come into bloom in late summer and early fall. Lindley's Aster is a commom aster of open woodlands and scrubby thickets.

Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)

In Alberta, in woods, fields and along roadsides, the ten speices of Goldenrod give the countryside a continuous golden glow in August and September. What appears from a distance to be one huge flower is actually hundreds of very small flower-heads crowded into a spectacular cluster.

Prairie cone-flower (Ratibida columnifera)

The Prairie cone-flower thrives on dry gravelly soil and is found along roads and coulees in warm, dry southern Alberta from July until August. Its most notable feature is its several showy flower-heads, each one borne at the end of a long stalk.

White spruce (Picea glauca)

Widespread throughout Alberta and Canada, the White Spruce usually grows in a mixture with other conifers and poplars. Certain tribes made cooking baskets, canoes and baby carriers out of the wood. Spruce wood is used for lumber, plywood and pulpwood production.

Saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia)

Common throughout Alberta in open woods, coulees, ravines and hillsides, Saskatoons may grow as slender trees or compact shrubs. The sweet and juicy purple berries contain many seeds and are high in iron and copper. The plant is occasionally called serviceberry, due to its slight resemblance to the mountain ash or serviceberry. The attractive fall coloration of the shrub makes it a popular ornamental.

For information on the unique challenges of gardening in the Calgary area, the Society recommends this attractive and useful book........."Back to the Future: An Heirloom Plant Collection for Calgary" (authored by Clancy Patton). Preserving heirloom plants is vital and this book lists over one thousand varieties known to grow in Calgary. Discover the importance of preserving those plants first introduced by our original settlers and discover, when it comes to plants, why newer is not necessarily better.