Cayley Stockyards
This area became ranching country during the 1880s, and several large livestock operations were located in the foothills. It took many days to trail livestock to Calgary, the closest market and rail loading point, but the construction of the Calgary and Edmonton Railway through the region in 1892 made shipping livestock much easier. Cayley became an important livestock shipping location because it was central for many large ranches in southern Alberta. As well, it was the highest point of land between Calgary and Fort Macleod, and trains with heavy loads of cattle could be started downhill from here.
The extent of ranching in the district and the design of the sorting pens, loading diamonds and weigh scales made the Cayley stockyards one of the largest livestock shipping points in the world by the early 1900s. The village of Cayley grew up nearby, offering a wide range of services to local ranchers and farmers. In the late 1940s trucks began replacing trains for shipping livestock, which could now be loaded at each ranch. The last big shipment by rail of slaughter cattle from Cayley took place in 1948, although the stockyards were not dismantled until 1965. During their heyday, however, they were an integral part of one of Alberta's oldest and most significant industries.