Ranching is a profitable business in Alberta and for that reason it’s viewed as a defining cultural and economic landmark. Ranching in Canada (generally) the practice kicked off in British Columbia interior in the late 1850’s. It sprouted vastly spreading to British Columbia valleys, the Rocky Mt foothills and eventually into the Cypress Hills and semiarid plains of South-eastern Alberta and South-western Saskatchewan. The terrain and climate favoured this economic practice with the demand for beef fuelling its advancement. Cochrane Ranch—(Alberta's first large-scale livestock operation established by Senator Matthew Cochrane in 1881), Bar U—(founded in 1882 as the Northwest Cattle Company, the Bar U was one of the first and most enduring of the large corporate ranches established in Southern Alberta—Fred Stimson was a notable figure in its establishment) and Oxley Ranch (established in 1882) are famous ranches when discussing the history of ranching in Alberta. Extensive cattle ranching declined drastically following settlement policies for settlers (homesteading) instituted by the government. The initiative tended to transform the region into a farming community.
