Tag: Okotoks

Okotoks ( /ˈoʊkətoʊks/, originally /ˈɒkətɒks/) is a town situated on the Sheep River, 18 km (11 mi) south of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The town is a member of the Calgary Regional Partnership, a cooperative of communities within the Calgary Region. Okotoks has emerged as a bedroom community of the City of Calgary. According to the 2011 Census, the town’s population has grown by 42.9% since 2006.
The town’s name is derived from “ohkotok”, the Blackfoot First Nation word for “rock”. The name may refer to Big Rock, the world’s largest known glacial erratic, situated about 7 km (4.3 mi) west of the town.
Before European settlement, journeying First Nations used the rock as a marker to find the river crossing situated at Okotoks. The tribes were nomadic and often followed large buffalo herds for their sustenance. David Thompson explored the area as early as 1800. Soon trading posts sprang up, including one established in 1874 at the Sheep River crossing on the current Okotoks townsite….