BRANT

NAME: Brant COUNTY: N/A ROADS: 4WD GRID: 2 CLIMATE: Mild summer,cold winter BEST TIME TO VISIT: Summer

COMMENTS: SW Corner of Alberta REMAINS: Many buildings.

Brant is another of those towns that started out with high hopes when southern Alberta was thrown open to settlers between 1906 and 1914. Thousands of Canadian and American homesteaders flocked to the area. With the rapid influx of settlers, the Canadian and Pacific Railroad was not long in stringing branch lines in hopes of being able to haul the great grain harvest these newcomers were sure to produce. Brant was one of the first towns to be built along the new line. As early as 1914 Brant had a population of 125 and it grew steadily from there. During the years 1919-1929, unlike the dried-out area to the east, crops were good. As late as 1950, Brant was a still a viable village. But poor crops to the south and east forced the CPR to drastically cut back on train service and, by 1966, the village population was down to 51 and still dropping. Present day Brant, with its many empty buildings beckoning the ghost town enthusiast, can best be reached by following Highway 23 from its junction with Highway 2 near High River, east for 13 miles and then turning south over a good gravel road to the site. H.B. Chenoweth

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