History

The community of Bow Island received its first families in 1900. In February, 1910, the Village of Bow Island was formed, and February 1st of 1912 the village was declared the Town of Bow Island.

 

The naming of Bow Island brings many stories to the forefront - but the most prominent one is that the communities of Grassy Lake (located 15 miles west) and Bow Island had their respective names mixed up. North of Grassy Lake the confluence of the Bow River and the Oldman River form an Island called "Bow Island", and just south of Bow Island a low depressional area was called "Grassy Lake".

 

The Town of Bow Island was one of the first towns in the province of Alberta to have natural gas wells and operated them until the franchise was sold to a private company. The community of Bow Island suffered through the depression years as did all the communities in Western Canada.

 

In the early 1950's irrigation was extended to the Bow Island area. The Town of Bow Island doubled in population when irrigation water finally flowed through the ditches. 110,000 acres of highly productive lands surround the Town of Bow Island. Some of the most modern irrigation systems in the world are located in the area. The first pivot sprinkler system in Canada was erected on a farm in close proximity of Bow Island in 1961.

 

The first linear sprinkler systems in Canada were put into operation in the Bow Island area. A completely automated distribution system was installed in 1982 by the St. Mary's River Irrigation District (SMRID). The system is known as the Lateral 12 System and has been toured by groups from around the world.

 

Bow Island has become a vibrant agricultural community with many agri-processing industries located here such as: Bow Island Dry Edible Bean Plant, and Alberta Sunflower Seeds Ltd. (Spitz).