With a reported population of eight, Rowley is a ghost town and National Historic Site. This makes their monthly pizza nights, which happen on the last Saturday of each month, all the more intriguing.

We learned about these pizza nights when we visited Rowley in October 2015, and I knew I wanted to check it out sometime. The thought of this quiet and lonely ghost town transforming into a social hub once a month was fascinating.

Getting to Rowley Pizza Night

I finally made it to one of Rowley’s pizza nights on Saturday, March 25, 2017. I went with a group of seven friends, and it was so much fun. Easily worth the almost two hour drive.

As you head towards Rowley, keep a lookout for the towering grain elevators, a good landmark to let you know you are on the right track. These are not currently functioning, but have been recently painted. I hear they are working on restoring them so they can give tours.

Pizza and Beer, In that Order

We rolled into Rowley around 5:30 p.m. and things were just starting to pick up. If you want pizza, then head to the community hall first and place your order. If you wait until you’ve had a few beers before you order, you will either end up plastered, frustrated by the long wait, or both. The pizza can take up to an hour or more.

After you’ve ordered your pizza, head across the street to Sam’s Saloon. The beer is cold and the prices are awesome (at least by Canadian standards). A pitcher of craft beer is $12, and a “glass” is $4. They had Big Rock Warthog on tap when we were there. We ordered two pitchers right off the bat, which was enough for the 7 of us to have about a beer and a half.

Leroy and Friends Keep Rowley Pizza Night Going

Behind the bar is Leroy, one of Rowley’s handful of dedicated volunteers. These pizza nights, along with a few other community events, are all volunteer led. If you are interested in the history and current events in town, there will be plenty of people around who can enthusiastically tell you everything you want to know.

These folks are dedicated to preserving Rowley’s history, and are constantly working to secure government funding to keep Rowley going. Another volunteer made sure we signed the guest book, as they get some of their funding based on the number of people who come to visit.

Camping in Rowley

When we went to Rowley the first time, I wondered about safe designated driving after pizza nights. This place is, after all, in the middle of nowhere, and there is no lodging in town.

Turns out, they let folks camp in the town with a donation. There are washrooms that are open 24/7, and a small campground for tents and small trailers. So, if you head to Rowley, and nobody wants to drive back to the city afterwards, think about bringing camping gear.

A Note on Diversity and Inclusion

This is small town Alberta, so I want to include a note about inclusion and diversity. The town seemed very welcoming. Tiffany and I felt safe there, and I didn’t notice any judging eyes.

The experience was pretty redneck, though, and there is a huge confederate flag on one of the walls in the saloon. So, some minorities may feel uncomfortable here. If you want a ghost town saloon experience without having to see racist paraphernalia, check out Last Chance Saloon in Wayne, Alberta.

Overall

I had a blast drinking beer, eating pizza, and hearing the locals tell stories about the place they love. I thought that finally visiting pizza night might end up being my last trip to Rowley, but now that I know you can camp there, I’m planning to head back for a pizza night in the summer with tent in tow. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Do you have any favourite ghost towns? Have you heard of anything like Rowley Pizza Night where you are? Let me know in the comments.