Business View Magazine | March 2019

198 COCHRAN HOW THE W C ochrane is a town in the Canadian province of Alberta, located some 28 kilometers northwest of the City of Calgary. It was established in 1881 as the Cochrane Ranche, became a village in 1903, and was home to 158 residents by 1906. Before World War I, Co- chrane was home to a stone quarry, a sawmill, and four brick plants. Skilled artisans in the community combined their talents with local products to construct buildings of quality and individual style, giving Cochrane a unique and special character, which it retains to this day. Cochrane was incorporated as a town in 1971, with a population exceeding 800. The general economic boom of the 1970s brought many new residents and a burst of construction activity. Today, Cochrane is still noted for its western heritage, unique buildings, and popu- lar historic downtown, as well as its small- town hospitality. With the completion of the downtown revitalization and celebration of the town's centennial in 2003, Cochrane became a