Tiny hamlet named one of the most eccentric spots in Alberta

An Alberta hamlet just made a list of the most eccentric spots in the province, thanks to its wacky museum.

World Atlas, one of the largest publishing resources in geography, released a list of the eight most eccentric towns in Alberta, and Torrington made the cut.

Torrington is a small hamlet located about 160 kilometres northeast of Calgary. As of 2021, it had a population of nearly 240. In 1929, the Canadian Pacific Railway went through the area that would become Torrington and shortly after, a blacksmith and grain elevators were built. 

More businesses developed, and a Chamber of Commerce was established in 1931. In 1997, Torrington dissolved into part of Kneehill County.

What makes the hamlet so eccentric is its world-famous Gopher Hole Museum. According to its website, the museum features over 80 taxidermied “gophers,” which are actually Richardson’s ground squirrels, in 42 different displays.

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Each display offers its own eccentric take on Torrington’s history, or is just a funny scene of a gopher. Back in May 2025, the gopher museum faced some struggles due to persistent maple bugs and wasps and is now on the hunt for a new location.

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The museum was featured in an episode of Heartland when it was filming in Torrington in 2017.

It’s safe to say Torrington is known for its gophers, because World Atlas also noted its mascot, Clem T. GoFur, a 12 ft. gopher statue that can be found in the hamlet, and the fact that all 11 of the fire hydrants in Torrington have been painted to look like gophers.

Other destinations to make the list were Drumheller, Gibbons, Vulcan, Bon Accord, Pincher Creek, Vegreville, and Camrose. 

You can view the full list online.