As a child barely out of diapers Nose Hill was a place I remember seeing just how big the world can be. While I chased dragonflies and felt the warm sun on my face I also remember the gravel trucks and the dirt roads that surrounded the hill, or the colourful hand gliders swooping down from the blue sky. A great place to watch fireworks, eat a burger and admire the twinkling nights; or a day hike with peanut butter and banana sandwiches and tough bike ride to the summit. As a teenager, it was a great place to be kissed, and as an adult a great place to escape with the dog.

  Nose Hill Park is one of the largest municipal parks in Canada and North America; the 11 square km park is located in northwest Calgary. This hill has many stories and a colourful history and some of them are how Nose Hill was named. My two favorites were because like the Chief’s nose, and the other where two women fought and one of them bit the nose off the other. I have also been told because of its height it was a sacred place used for ceremonials and burials and where the chief could signal with his shield to surrounding tribes a day’s horse ride away if they were under attack. Today, Tipi rings can be seen as you stroll through the park.

  Nose Hill was also a place for European settlers as they began using the area in the late 1800's for farming and ranching. Prior to WWI Bordellos<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bordello> built along the banks of the creek helped sustain the local prostitution trade.

  In 2006, 750 tonnes of gravel have been removed on the plateau which is slowly being reclaimed by nature. In the 1980's, much of the park was destined for residential development. However, Friends of Nose Hill Society as a grassroots group cared enough to keep this hill away from real estate the hill also signified to me we can all make a difference for generations to come. We can continue to intertwine or daily existence of kite flying, fort making and picnics and for many years to come. The owls, coyotes, deer, butterflies, birds and porcupine to name a few call it their home.

  I hope many people will grow to love the subtle beauty, smell the sage, and listen to learn its quiet history and sounds of the warm grassy winds that caress the plains. Nose Hill Park it is a part of my history and many others, and while change is constant in our lives, it was  best said by Running Weasel who by his request is buried by Nose Hill creek who said said…

  “Put me where I can see the great city grow beneath my feet.” 
- Running Weasel 1896.