Wayne Meikle, 74, published his book, titled “Mr. Fish Creek,” earlier this month, cataloguing the part that he played in advocating for the land that was once at risk of becoming unrecognizable from what it is today.
For more than three decades, Meikle worked with Alberta Parks, including many years as a ranger at Fish Creek Provincial Park, a role that he stepped into in the 1990s. At the time, he remembered a social shift that shaped priorities.
“In the 90s, it really started changing, where people wanted to use the park for pathways, recreation — so that whole concept had changed,” said Meikle.
“It changed, and people didn’t picnic anymore…they’d rather grab some fast food, go to a table, and eat it, and be off on the pathways.”
This strayed away from what was valued in the 1970s and earlier, when provincially owned public spaces were often used for camping. Meikle said this meant he had to adapt to what people wanted: a serene taste of the wilderness in all of its rich, historical beauty.
City council, however, pushed back, arguing that the not-yet-complete Deerfoot and Bow Bottom Trails should run through the park — to no avail, as the area was owned by the Government of Alberta.
Despite preserving it in one way, the province proposed demolishing a ranch house dating back to the late 1890s, citing its deteriorating condition and the cost of maintaining it. Meikle was tasked with finding investors, which is when he met Mitzie and Larry Wasyliw.
The couple created the Fish Creek Restoration Society in 1995 and revamped the historic Hull residence, which later opened as the Bow Valley Ranche Restaurant in 1999.
Meikle explained that between generations of Indigenous people hunting bison on the land and the settler pioneers who kickstarted the beef industry years later, Fish Creek shows how Alberta grew, and that history matters.
“History is very important to me, and I think that’s the key thing,” he said.
Wayne Meikle
“I think Albertans sometimes tear down their history instead of preserving it.”
After focusing on maintaining the past as a park ranger, Meikle moved on to preparing the land for the future in his subsequent role as urban park planner with the City of Calgary in the early 2000s.
There, he designed pathways, bridges, and flood mitigation systems, and also restored the polluted wetlands throughout Fish Creek. Meikle said he hopes readers will cherish the area’s history and the planning that went into keeping it.
“I hope they learn the history,” he said.
“I also want them to know why we did things because there’s a lot of why we did things and the issues we faced while we were doing this stuff. Planning for this park and doing a lot of this is not black and white.”
Meikle said it “feels great” to have played a pivotal role in making the park what it is today, and that Calgarians are fortunate to have a place like this not far from their doorstep. He said that his one wish is for people to look after it.
Meikle’s book is available for purchase online at https://a.co/d/07XT0Pq6.
