Tip of the Smithbilt to those cherished utilities

During Stampede, perhaps more than at any other time, Calgarians celebrate their pioneer heritage.

The challenging lives of cattle ranching and farming are part of our provincial lore and come together in a mixture of reality and common myth. We celebrate the pioneering lives of those who opened the way.

And while we celebrate the way in which these pioneers lived at the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th, not many of us wish to live without the comfort of modern utilities like they did.

Life on the range was hard and demanding. The newly arrived often built sod huts that were not impervious to water leaking in or to prairie winds. A sod hut beat exposure to the elements, but not by much. Later wood or stone construction was no less drafty, and drafty quarters required good heating sources of wood and coal. Cooking over fire stoves made for smoky households.

None of the conveniences related to potable running water existed. Obtaining water for basic necessities was a…