On Sunday, June 4, the completion of the Meadowlark Trail will be marked with an official opening ceremony. The portion of the trail which runs from Irricana to Beiseker will be celebrated with various activities and local dignitaries coming to join the ceremony. 

According to the Village of Beiseker, this celebration is an important segment of the Trans Canada Trail and part of the historic ‘Carbon Trail’ - a route once travelled by buffalo, Indigenous and Métis peoples, and early settlers to the region.

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Construction of the trail began in 2021 and one of the groups spearheading its completion, the Meadowlark Trail Society, a group of rural community members from Rocky View County, Beiseker and Irricana said that this historical trail is rich with ancient history stretching back hundreds of years. 

Jeannette Richter, chairman of the Meadowlark Trail Society, said that next's month event will mark a culmination of several year's work and advocacy.

"People have been very anxious to be on the trail since it was since the top was put on last year. I've had contacts from bike groups, from walking groups," she said. 

Looking at the history of the trail, one must go back to 1910 when the Canadian Pacific Railway came through the area. By 1992 it was decommissioned and was left abandoned for decades.

"Previous to that the railroaders would follow the buffalo trails because the buffalo knew how to the best way to cross the rivers and the creeks," Richter added. "The trail is historic and now people are walking and riding their bicycles on it - so it's a very historical and very special place."

And for those wondering if the namesake of the trail can be spotted, Richter says that indeed the meadowlark is known to inhabit the area.

"You can hear it - it's beautiful," she concluded. 

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