Trails and Trials

Alberta's ranching heritage occupies an important place in the province's historical consciousness. Trails and Trials documents the development of the beef cattle industry in Alberta from its open-range ranching phase to the beginnings of the modern era. This narrative history documents how the beef cattle industry responded to the challenges following the end of the open-range era through two world wars and the Great Depression.

This is a story of struggle, victories, and defeats, as a romanticized industry struggled to survive and mature in the real world. It provides a new case study of Canada's economic development and settlement history.