Pakowki, Alberta

Pakowki (Blackfoot) "Bad Water"
unincorporated community
Aerial view of Pakowki Lake about 10km south of the former town site of Pakowki.
Pakowki
Coordinates: 49°27′56″N 110°56′51″W / 49.46556°N 110.94750°W / 49.46556; -110.94750
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Southern Alberta
Census division	1
Municipal district	County of Forty Mile No. 8
Government
• MP	Jim Hillyer
Time zone	MST (UTC-7)
Postal code span	NA
Area code(s)	+1-403
Highways	Highway 61
Waterways	Pakowki lake

Pakowki is an unincorporated community in Alberta, Canada within the County of Forty Mile No. 8. It is located along Highway 61 in southeast Alberta. It is one of many ghost towns along the historic Red Coat Trail route. Pakowki name originates from nearby Pakowki Lake, about 10 km south. The word "Pakowki" is Blackfoot for "Bad Water".

Very little remains of Pakowki, foundations and impressions in the ground from buildings can still be seen, although nothing remains, except the former Canadian Pacific Railway section house that has since been moved to a nearby community.

Taken from "The Ghost Towns Journal"

There are many basic causes behind the creation of ghost towns in the Canadian West. Some of these are the failure of a mineral deposit to retain its worth, causing the town that grew up around it to die; falling world markets which in turn speeds the move from town to city; and natural disasters which wipe out, or make untenable, a community. However, the ghost town of Pakowki is one of those unique places which owes its deserted look primarily to miscalculations on the part of its creators.

The Stirling-Weyburn branch of the Canadian Pacific Railway reached the site of Pakowki in 1915, and almost overnight a substantial town sprang into being. Despite the fact that the previous year had been a complete disaster, with scarcely one bushel having been harvested, some of the first buildings to be erected were grain elevators.

The site of present-day Pakowki is reached by traveling 6.5 miles east on Highway 61 from Etzikom. The country is gentle and rolling, beautiful in many respects even when parched and brown.