He's got a park named after him in High River.

His name is synonymous with ranching in the Foothills.

And he was one of the founders of the Calgary Stampede.

And now George Lane is getting another honour as he'll be inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

It's a huge honour for Lane and his family, but Museum Board Member Mike Nicola says they're not the only ones honoured at the recognition.

"It's a huge honour for us too. We are very, very excited. George Lane will be the first Canadian inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners. We've had some other Canadians inducted into the Hall of Rodeo Champions that we have at the museum. But, the Hall of Great Westerners is very, very, very special and we are very excited about the induction of George Lane."

Two of the "Big Four" Archie McLean (l) and George Lane (c) hold court with the Prince of Wales in this photo from 1924 at the Bar U Ranch South of Longview. Photo courtesy The Calgary Stampede.

In a release, the Calgary Stampede and the Museum gave a brief synopsis of George Lane and his accomplishments.

George Lane was a tried and true cowboy who embodied the spirit of the West and western hospitality.

Born in the United States in 1856, Lane came to Canada in 1883 to be the foreman of the Bar U ranch, which is now a Canadian National Historic Site.

After proving himself as one of the best cowboys in the West, Lane bought the Bar U Ranch in 1905 and made it famous.

He was a true trailblazer, irrigating and growing grain on the Bar U to feed his cattle at a time when few others did.

He also established the top Percheron breeding herd in North America, and sold his horses to new homesteaders, linking the farming and ranching communities together.

Lane had a deep pride for Alberta.

He was elected MLA, was the President of the Alberta Stock Growers’ Association, and was one of the “Big Four” who backed the first Stampede.

Lane said that he saw the Stampede as a way to showcase the “modernity of the West” while celebrating the frontier past.

His business ventures included travels to the United States, Great Britain and France.

His contacts included such diverse personages as John Ware, Charlie Russell, President Taft, and the Prince of Wales.

“This honour affirms the strength of his character and the breadth of his achievements in the development of the West of North America,” added his grandson George Lane.

The announcement was made during Monday night's chuckwagon races to a packed house at the Stampede grounds.

The official induction goes April 15-16 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

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