Laycock Park is built on a small piece of land once part of a large farm owned by the Thomas Laycock family. Laycock immigrated to Calgary from England in 1888 and set up a grain and cattle farm in 1892 that was eventually passed on to one of his sons, Thomas Hayes Laycock.
Before his death in 1920, the elder Laycock was known throughout the Alberta cattle industry as a pioneer breeder of Holsteins. He often put his knowledge of cattle to use in his position as a judge at the Calgary Exhibition, which later became the Calgary Stampede. The family’s cattle herd continued to thrive over the years and Hayes Laycock showed the animals at fairs and exhibitions in Western Canada.
Hayes and his wife Violet worked the Nose Creek farm until it was sold in 1957. The couple then retired to the Thorncliffe district, and Hayes died in March 1988.
The recreational park commemorating the Laycock family was built with funds raised by the Thorncliffe/Greenview community, and subsidies from the City of Calgary, and lottery funds from the provincial government. The park includes picnic tables, a playground, and a parking lot on the east side of Nose Creek with connecting pathways to the community of Thorncliffe/Greenview.
Laycock Park has been identified as the first potential site for the Calgary Wetland conservation Plan which will protect existing wetlands within the City of Calgary. As part of the Nose Creek watershed and with existing damage to the riparian zone, Laycock Park is a natural candidate for a wetland restoration project. The projected work will also help address water quality concerns in Nose Creek.
The headwaters of the Nose Creek Watershed are located near Crossfield. From there, the creek flows south where it eventually drains into the Bow River. The Bow River is one of the top trophy trout streams in the world and Nose Creek is a tributary to this incredible river system. Recent studies have found trout species using the Nose Creek system at the confluence of the Bow River. Therefore, this creek system serves as a critical component to the overall health of the Bow River and the Bow Basin.
Laycock Park has also been selected as a public art site and will be home to artwork themes related to watersheds, water and the environment.
To learn more about local Geocaching activities, visit the Calgary Area Cacher's website. (Just Google "Calgary Area Cachers")