The Brooks Aqueduct is a defunct historical site and museum. The aqueduct was built initially by the Irrigation division of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company between 1912 and 1914.
The aqueduct provided much-needed water to the arid farmlands of southeastern Alberta. It was a colossal engineering feat at the time, and it is still possible to visit and marvel at this enormous engineered concrete structure that stands as a testament to the brilliant agricultural pioneers who developed the structure.
Irrigation transformed this part of Alberta from a bone-dry landscape to highly productive farmland, and the scale of this structure is staggering, given the period in which it was built. Visitors can walk around eventually with the self-guiding brochure and plaques of information.
If you have some time, you can walk along the new canal east towards the “Siphon,” a tube that controls the water under the railway tracks. It is interesting to observe it when a train travels across. Please note that the site is only fully open over the summer.
Photo: Grapher78, CC-BY-3.0
