Stan Cowley left behind a lasting legacy in Alberta. In his 87 years of life, Cowley was a shining light in the lives of many in his many roles as an artist, sailor, honorary First Nations chief, designer and visionary. But his two most important roles were that of husband and father.
Cowley passed away on October 11.
He was born in Calgary in 1936, marking the beginning of his adventurous lifestyle. Cowley was a member of the Scottish gentry, but he never let his status define him. Instead, he carved his own path and forged his own connections with those around him.
Vision Quest
Growing up in Calgary, Cowley spent a lot of time around the Calgary Stampede. In no time flat, he developed a deep appreciation for Western culture and the cowboy lifestyle.
He spent over eight decades participating in the stampede. During that time, Cowley made some lifelong friends.
Among his many friends were the Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda Chief, Walking Buffalo.
The two met at the Calgary Stampede’s Elbow River Camp, the “Indian Village” where participants learn about the Kainai, Piikani, Siksika, Stoney Nakoda, and Tsuut’ina First Nations of Treaty 7.
When he became a teenager, Cowley agreed to go on a vision quest, a spiritual journey sacred to Indigenous cultures.
Participants, usually adolescents, receive sacred knowledge and strength from the spirit world during their journey. During a vision quest, participants often go without food and sometimes sleep.
“At 13 years old, he was taken up to a mountaintop and left there for three days by himself with no food, no shelter; just left by himself and told to stay,” Cowley’s daughter Kateri told the Rocky Mountain Outlook.
Upon his return, Chief Walking Buffalo and Cowley became blood brothers.
Cowley also received a Stoney name that translates to Deer Fawn. The name reflected his Scottish and English roots and his freckles. Cowley returned from his vision quest with his own knowledge but shared one piece of advice.
“If you ever have to eat live grasshoppers, pull the legs off first. Otherwise, they will grab you on the way down!”
Cowley went on to work with the Chief, other Indigenous knowledge keepers of Treaty 6 and 7, and the Métis to establish the Buffalo Nations Cultural Society.
Cowley helped advance the Society and its objective of creating a cultural park and education facility in the Bow Valley to promote understanding of First Nations cultures.
Cowley’s relationship with Indigenous communities was one of the many connections he made while alive.
Rafter Six Ranch
Stan also connected with many people through the Rafter Six Ranch.
If that name rings a bell, Rafter Six Ranch was one of our province’s largest and most famous guest ranches.
But it would never have existed if not for Cowley’s curiosity.
In 1976, Cowley decided to turn off the Trans-Canada Highway near Seebe on a whim. Cowley’s impulse led him to a scenic ranch spanning 30 hectares on the west side of the Kananaskis River and west of Stoney Nakoda First Nation.
He purchased the site with plans to retire there but quickly changed his mind. Cowley was always eager to share and wanted others to enjoy the beauty of the ranch.
“Dad left with many life lessons to share. If you have something special, share it, and it will grow,” expressed Kateri.
Cowley designed a three-storey log lodge on a napkin. Cowley famously came up with some of his best ideas by sketching on napkins.
He headed for Lac La Biche to pick out the most beautiful logs for the lodge but ‘stumbled headfirst’ into something even more beautiful: Gloria, the woman who would become his wife.
“Instead of watching where he was going, he actually knocked himself out on a low beam. So, my mom’s a real knock-out, I guess. Together, they shared their dreams, they shared their home, they shared their life and shared with the world, too,” reflected Kateri.
The couple started a life together on the ranch, eventually having five children and grandchildren. The ranch featured eight log cabins, four cedar chalets, and an 18-room main lodge. Here, visitors could enjoy the area’s many trails on horseback.
Since it was opened to the public as a guest ranch in 1978, Rafter Six Ranch has welcomed millions of visitors from around the world.
The End and New Beginnings
But adversity struck, and in 2016, the Rafter Six Ranch was demolished. The ranch’s end began in 2008 after the family partnered with a resort company.
The family hoped the larger company could help transform their ranch into a five-star resort. Instead, the company went belly up and took the ranch down with it. Drowning in debt, they were forced to close Rafter Six Ranch in 2014. The family eventually sold the property in 2015.
In August 2016, the new property owners demolished the ranch, tearing down decades of memories. In just a few hours, everything Cowley and Gloria built was razed to the ground.
While most would give up, Cowley and his family never did. After closing the ranch, they opened the new Star Six Ranch in 2014.
“One of the most profound lessons that he taught me was especially difficult when we lost the ranch. He told me, ‘Kateri, in every situation, you have two choices. You can get bitter or better,’” recalled Kateri.
The new site is located right next to the old Rafter Six Ranch site and is branded as a scaled-down, intimate experience featuring trail riding. Unlike the old ranch, the new site has no permanent buildings and is operated mainly by family and friends, including Cowley’s daughter Kateri and son David.
“In the old days, if you burned down, you rebuilt. If there was a flood, you rebuilt. You rebuild with what you have,” Cowley told the Calgary Herald in 2015.
While Cowley’s passing is a tragic loss for Alberta, he leaves behind an extremely hard-working family.
He left his mark on the world through the connections he made and the lives he touched through Rafter Six Ranch.
His family will undoubtedly keep his vision alive at the Star Six Ranch.
