The Bragg Creek Shopping Centre celebrated a 40-year milestone in 2019. But long before the mall was built, this piece of land (originally granted to the CPR) had been acquired by Jake Fullerton. The original quarter section was adjacent to his homestead at Circle 5 Ranch (later Elkana), and in 1939, Jake developed this subdivision that included cabin lots north of Balsam Avenue. In 1945, Jack Merryfield bought vacant lots on the corner and with his brother, opened and operated a Purity 99 gas station and garage until 1952.
Early 1950s – Jerry Cooke’s dance hall addition, a false front, supposedly headquarters for a new club named “The Grizzly Club”
In 1948, Jack sold the lot west of the Purity 99 station to Jerry Cooke, who with other friends and investors (Stan Boyce, Bill Colpitts, Alex Baptie), added a dance hall to the community. Jerry (of Cooke Motors, a Calgary car dealership) had a band and called the square dances. His group of friends, known as the “Grizzly Club,” was always on hand to both grizzle and help. The Corral dance hall, with its distinctive western saloon false front and painted murals, hosted locals and cabin dwellers throughout the 50s.
A barn and a corral — this one for horses — were added to the property to accommodate a “dude” riding business. Don Sanders and Freddie Nash, who had been operating from land that became the site of the Bar B Q Steak Pit land, moved the operation to Jerry Cooke’s land so the entire operation took the name The Corral. (A side note: Freddie was a former forest ranger and also the stunt double for leading lady Barbara Kent in the western “His Destiny,” filmed in the Highwood country in 1926.)
The Corral dance hall burnt to the ground on October 31, 1963. Folklore claims arson was the cause and the site then sat vacant for many years.
In 1979, the current mall opened and featured a Red Rooster Food Store, Grandma Lee’s Bakery, Treasury Branch, Rural Roots (an arts and crafts store), Husky, a hardware store and, notably the only remaining original tenants — The Powderhorn Cattle Co. and Frontier Candy & Ice Cream. The post office was added as a stand-alone in 1985 and the second part of the mall added years later.
The land where the Shell was built in 1994 was once the site of the burger stand that became
The Steer Inn where tourists loved the fresh burgers, home cut fries and the capital S branded on each bun. Fittingly, their slogan became “let us brand your buns.”
These gathering places of the ‘hood have spawned many tales, some fit for print, some not. One story, about the horse named Dozer from Elkana who would bring his rider down to the ‘Horn for a beer, is classic. Dozer also enjoyed a libation, never dropping a drop. These days, this might pose a liability or public relations issue, but for a 1200-pound fan of the barley, could one beer really hurt?
Photo Credits:
“Purity 99 Gas Station – early 1950’s”, photo courtesy of Marie Nylund.
“The Corral Dance Hall”, photo courtesy of Marie Nyland.
“The Steer Inn – 1980”, photo courtesy of Bob Everett.
“Bragg Creek Shopping Mall”, Elkana Ranch Hold Up 1980, Gang, photographers Jamie Treit and Jon Jurok.