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One boy, Wallace R., passed away in 1913; the other boy lost his life in World War I. 

Tractors were becoming popular as well as grain binders and threshing machines so in 1916, a local blacksmith George Hope, acquired a John Deere franchise.

As there were no medical Doctors in the late 1800s,  Midwives assisted in many of the births in the district. Margaret (Hatton) Robinson was here in 1898 and delivered many babies.

At one time a carpenter built the whole house, doing the plumbing, electrical and gas fitting but as construction became more complicated, sub trades appeared.

Our brother Tom was a big lad and very handy at building things. He built a wagon from old brake wheels, thrown away off the boxcars. He bought an old horse and drove around gathering up buffalo bones for the sugar refineries. They used these bones for bleaching the sugar. Tom piled the bones along the railway track and they were loaded into boxcars when there were enough to ship. We kids had lots of fun playing on the big piles of bones. 

Clara Jeanette and John Johann Mjolsness had raised eleven children in Minnesota when talk began of some of their boys coming to Alberta to take advantage of the homesteads being made available to encourage settlement.

The Cochrane Chautauqua

The second appearance of the Dominion Chautauqua held at Cochrane for three days, Friday, Saturday and Monday, May 21st, 22nd and 24h., with the aid, perseverance and capability of the local committee proved a success from start to finish and entertained with great success the public attending, the Chester Hall being filled with audiences to full capacity at each of the six sessions…..

Although this letter is very long, my intention is to explain just how much I value and appreciate CHAPS and all of the volunteers that contribute to keeping the history of Cochrane alive!

People came by saddlehorse, buggies, cars, train and airplanes, Yes, there would be three or four monoplanes land in the polo field, some said they came up from the States. The CPR advertised and filled a train in Calgary. It would stop next to the track, let everyone off, then back up to Cochrane and the sidetrack and pick up their load again after the day was over, and return to Calgary. 

page 59 More Big Hill Country The Post War years brought many changes to Calgary and the surrounding area, which inspired many War veterans to start new businesses. These were the times that brought Cliff Gillespie and Norm Newsome together. They started a small business in the Bearspaw area. In approximately 1946 they purchased a … Read more