Though Calgary was situated almost on the northern periphery of the prime ranch country, it was the closest railway terminal, and ranchers immediately began to drive their herds to this point for shipment. Those enterprises connected with the cattle trade therefore, became the new community's predominant industry.
This photograph from the early 1900s shows employees of the largest meat packing firm, Burns Meat Packing Company. By the late 1890s the Burns company alone employed between 75 and 100 people and dressed about 600 to 700 head of cattle a month. In comparison to today's facilities, sanitation demands were much less rigorous and inspection of meat products was limited. The plant's southeastern location and prevailing westerly winds usually spared business and residential areas from the nauseous smell. The extent of the firm's Calgary operation in the 1920s can be seen in illustration 8.
