From the south, the gravel road winds along the river and bends hard left then over the old wooden bridge into Hat Creek. The gravel road brings travellers into Hat Creek on 50th Street towards the town’s one and only traffic light, which is almost always green. And now, Hat Creek has a STOP sign too.
What is it about Hat Creek? It looks pretty much like any other prairie town? Yet, there is something that makes it very different. It is a quiet town. It is a town that time has truly forgotten. In fact, you could stand in the middle of 50th Street all day and not ever be in anyone’s way. Like lots of prairie towns, 50th Street is a wide street. It seems that the first mayor of Hat Creek, Alfred J. Tramore, thought that there was a need for wide streets on the northern range. Alfred J. Tramore had the idea that wide streets would be able to handle the crush of traffic from the city. It never happened in Hat Creek.
Like most prairie towns in Alberta, it’s angle parking and it’s free. There are a couple of parking meters in town too but nobody puts any money in them any more. And, nobody minds. Besides, there is plenty of free parking just off 50th Street in front of Hat Creek’s only restaurant, the Golden Lotus Cafe. There is even more free parking across the street from the Community Hall.
