Kootenai Brown Historical Park

Pincher Creek, Alberta

Type: Museum/Gallery
Address: 1037 Bev McLachlin Drive, Pincher Creek, AB, Canada
Get directions
Hours: 7 Days a Week, 10 am to 6 pm
Phone: 4036273684

Kootenai Brown Historical Park is one of Southern Alberta’s premier heritage attractions, featuring 36 historic buildings, engaging exhibits, extensive archives, and thousands of artifacts that preserve and share the stories of Pincher Creek and the surrounding region.

Visitors can explore authentic heritage structures, discover local history through guided and self-guided tours, research family and community histories in our archives, and enjoy special events, educational programs, and seasonal activities. The park also serves as a unique venue for weddings, birthday parties, community gatherings, and private events.

Through preservation, education, and community engagement, Kootenai Brown Historical Park connects people of all ages with the rich heritage, culture, and stories of Southwest Alberta, ensuring that our region’s history is preserved and shared for future generations.

Amenities

Educational Institution
Family-Friendly
Food and Beverages
Guided Tour
Parking
Washrooms

Fun Facts

Did you know how Pincher Creek got it’s name? From a misplaced tool! In 1868, gold prospector William Samuel Lee was panning for gold on an upper tributary of the Oldman river. A prospector’s gear was very specialized, and included tools for shoeing horses and mules, vital when climbing steep mountain trails. A set of pincers, a pliers-like tool, was lost in the creek by Lee. Despite several searches, the pincers were not recovered, and frontiersman unofficially referred to the site as “Pincher Creek.” In 1878, the rusted tool was finally discovered.

Did you know John George “Kootenai” Brown was the first settler in the Waterton Lakes National Park, also the first game guardian and fisheries inspector, and became the first Waterton Park official in 1911. He is buried next to his two wives, Olivia and Isabella, near Lower Waterton Lake.