Bar U Ranch goes digital

Innovative technology met with Alberta’s ranching history this summer out at the Bar U Ranch bringing the national historic site into the digital world.

Google Maps and Parks Canada teamed up to collect images of more than 50 historic sites and national parks across Canada and to put them online for Canadians and all Internet users around the world to take a virtual tour.

Rather than have the cameras perched on top of a car like the normally do with Google streetview, one of Google’s members came with a hand held “Trekker.”

“We had one of the folks came out with the Trekker, that’s that camera backpack that sticks way up above them kind of like a little ball, and they just basically walked where they could on site and we took them around for a wagon ride,” said Bar U Ranch site manager Mike McLean.

“We mounted the Trekker on one of our percheron dawn wagons and off we went through the site.”

While the Parks Canada website stated the Trekker would be making the rounds across Canada on foot, car, and on land and water, it may have been the first time that it has taken a ride on a horse-drawn wagon.

“That just said ‘Bar U,’” McLean said. “It just said cowboys it seemed to be a good way to tour the site.”

The cameras were actually scheduled to come out in the summer of 2013, but due to the flood damage that the Bar U faced, they had to rescheduled the visit to June of this year.

“At the time (after the flood) we kind of went 'ok it's not really going to work’ for getting the pictures,” McLean said. “But we were confident that we were going to get back on the list to get our images up."

While the cameras were out a few months ago, it wasn’t until this week the images were launched on Google Maps. McLean said he thinks they did a great job putting it all together.

“It is really interesting, I found the easiest way for me to get to it is just to go Google maps and Bar U Ranch National Historical Site and click on the little balloon there you are all ready to take a street view of the historic ranch,” he said “You get a really great 360 degree three dimensional view of the Bar U Ranch.”

McLean said he thinks it’s going to a great opportunity for more people to experience the ranch, both online and in person.

“Of course it can never replace actually coming out and experiencing the Bar U first hand but what a wonderful way to connect our urban population back to where it all started again, and hopefully we'll encourage lots of people to come out and rediscover the Bar U,” he said. “I think it is a good thing for the Bar U, lets say if you’re planning a trip you can get a sense of what the bar u is like and what to expect if you're going to come here.”

McLean said it’s also a great way to get kids involved in learning the history of Alberta’s heritage.

“In a classroom situation you can sit down and you can add to the curriculum by taking the tour of all of these historical buildings and again the Bar U buildings they are the original buildings from 1882 when the ranch was founded right up until 1950,” he said. “So they’re getting a chance to see history right there in the classroom if they want to, and again to encourage them to come out an experience this. It’s probably the largest collection of historical buildings in our country.”

And, now people around the world can take it in from where ever they are, 365 days a year.

“It was a unique experience again and we seem to find these at the Bar U,” McLean said. “To have the high tech of Google meet our roots.”