Hanna | Delia | Hand Hills - Canadian Badlands Tourism

Hanna | Delia | Hand Hills
A special part of the Canadian Badlands.
The Hanna Museum and Pioneer Village contains a full block of historic buildings including a hospital, church, school, general store, blacksmith shop, train station and ranch house
tually climbs into the hills and gives you
a commanding view of the surrounding
countryside.
The Handhills Lake Stampede has
been a yearly event for almost a century.
It began as a fundraiser for the Red Cross
in 1917. One event back then was the Roman Race where two cowboys would each
ride two horses simultaneously. Today, the
Handhills Lake Stampede is Pro-Rodeo
up close and personal. Note: “There is
NO FUEL close, fuel up your vehicles in
Delia, Drumheller or Hanna”.
The Hand Hills were once an important buffalo hunting and spiritual area for First Nations and provided a strategic lookout over the prairie.
Hanna
Inside the Hanna Doll Palace you’ll find Alberta’s largest doll collection as well as delicious sticky buns
Gus Mattheis from AB Cottage Rest-A-While B&B
Delia
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Hand Hills
of town and the Hanna Visitor Centre
is in the old railway station which now
stands at the west exit to Hanna off of
Hwy. 9. For a cool virtual tour of Hanna,
check out www.hanna.ca. Hanna also has
a Facebook page.
If you had a favourite doll growing
up, be sure to stop by the Hanna Doll
Palace and Tearoom. Violetta Link, the
owner, often takes a minute for a chat.
This energetic woman gets up at 4 am
every day to cook her famous hot lunch-
es and bake her sticky buns. Her Friday
Fried Chicken Buffet is legendary, so if
you plan on going, get there early. Over
4000 dolls are crammed into the little
doll museum at this tea palace. The oldest is a Minerva circa 1890.
The Hanna Museum and Pioneer
Village is a full block of historic buildings filled with antiques and turn-of-thecentury artefacts. Members of the Hanna
Historical Society are on hand to bring
the past alive with their stories.
The Roman Race – Photo courtesy of the Handhills Lake Stampede – www.handhills.ab.ca
The Cactus Corner Truck Stop is at the intersection of Hwys. 9 and 36, just east of Hanna – it’s open all night, the coffee’s fresh, and it’s the last place to get gas for a while
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Hanna (population: 3000) is proud to
be the home of rock band Nickleback,
which won 2009 Album of the Year.
Hanna is also a farming and oil and gas
centre with a rich rail history. A rare, old
CN roundhouse still stands in the centre
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Hanna Delia Hand Hills
The restored grist mill in Delia
Street mural on the Value Drug Mart in Hanna by artist Donna Brink
Hanna Delia Hand Hills
The village of Delia is located 45 km (28 mi) northeast
of Drumheller – it is a small farming community 1 km off
Hwy. 9, about 8 km north of the beautiful Handhills
The Hand Hills is the second highest elevation (after Cypress Hills) in all of Canada between the Rocky Mountains and Labrador – this area is sometimes called the “Roof of the Prairies”
and spectacular views can be had in all directions – the Hand Hills rise 200 m (656 ft) above the surrounding plains to an elevation of about 1077 m (3536 ft) above sea level
For golfers, this prairie town has its events here. Hanna even has an All-Girls
own Hanna Golf and Country Club. Its Rodeo every July.
18 holes includes plenty of water and
If you want to use Hanna as a base
sand hazards. Rodeos are popular annual to explore this area of the Canadian Bad-
lands, here are some ideas for overnight
camping and accommodation in the area:
Prairie Oasis and Fox Park are two
Hanna area campgrounds. Fox Park is
3 km west of Hanna. Prairie Oasis is
located 30 km south of Hanna along Hwy.
36. Both have great swimming and hiking
available. Prairie Oasis also has a boat launch
and a 20-boat slip marina. Spring and fall
seasons attract birdwatchers. For complete
area campground listings, check the Town
of Hanna website.
That Country Place is a gorgeous
B&B that offers golf, spa and theatre
packages. Full breakfast is served each
morning and satellite TV and wi-fi is
available in each of its three ensuite bedrooms.
30 kms north of Hanna, along the
Palliser Trail, lies the AB Cottage Rest-AWhile B&B with complete kitchen facilities, comfortable furnishings, fireplace
and outdoor fire pit. Right out of Little
House on the Prairie, it’s like having your
own farm yard with a working cattle and
horse operation. A full country breakfast
is delivered to the door by hosts Gus and
June Mattheis in the morning. This secluded and private 800 sq. ft., three-bedroom cottage sits on a section (640 acres)
of land that has awesome bird watching.
In fact, it was honoured as a bird and
wildlife reserve by the Alberta Fish &
Game Association “Habitat Steward.”
Hollywood celebrities John Malkovich and Dennis Hopper know of Delia.
Back in 2001, they were here on location
filming Knockaround Guys. Delia is just
west of Hanna. It has a nice B&B called
the Mother Mountain Guest House, a
two-bedroom cottage with living room
and a fully equipped kitchen. Close by is
the Mother Mountain Tea House where
Texas style Baby Back Ribs are a house
specialty on Friday nights.
The Delia visitor centre is part of the
Delia Museum & Grist Mill at 207 Main
Street. The working grist mill is the only
one of its kind in western Canada. 403364-3848.
Just to the south of Delia, you’ll find
the Handhills. The Cree call them the
Michichi. For thousands of years, these
hills have been a local landmark and strategic lookout for travelers. You can see for
yourself. A gravel road leading south off
of Hwy. 9 between Hanna and Delia ac-
Flynn’s Truck & Car Wash in Hanna
Abandoned truck at the old roundhouse in Hanna
Hanna’s mascot
Delia is quiet and peaceful – a quintessential Alberta farming community
The Hanna Doll Palace, Tea Room & Gift Shop
www.canadianbadlands.com
Town of Hanna – www.hanna.ca That Country Place B&B – www.thatcountryplace.com
Mother Mountain Tea House, Delia – www.mothermountainteahouse.ca 403-464-2057
Handhills Lake Stampede – www.handhills.ab.ca
Mother Mountain Tea House, Country Store & Restaurant is located in the old Crown Lumber building built in the
early 1900s – it served Delia and the surrounding community for many years supplying lumber for barns and houses,
fishing and hunting equipment and many other items
AB Cottage Rest-A-While B&B north of Hanna
Hanna Delia Hand Hills