By Bill Bateman More Big Hill Country Page 281
John Bateman was born in Cork Ireland on March 25, 1865. At the age of 22, John left Ireland to see new land and came to Canada, settling in the Jumping Pound district in 1887. John Bateman worked for different ranchers in the area including Captain Gardner, J.A.W. Fraser and Stuart brothers. In 1894 John homesteaded on NE Sec 24 Twp 24 Range 5 W5M and built a log cabin. He attended dances and parties throughout the community. John met Jessie Potts at a dance at Frank and Isabella Ricks’ home. Isabella and Jessie were sisters.
Jessie was a daughter of James A. Potts who was born in 1828 in Locherbie, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. He came to Canada and settled in Cobourg, Ontario. He married Jessie Johnston and raised a family of six children: William 1862, Isabella 1865, John 1867, Walter 1870, Jessie 1876 and Lucy 1878. In 1884 James Potts, accompanied by John and Isabella, came west with a trainload of cattle for John Graham of Morleyville Settlement. By 1887 all the family was in the west. James Potts worked for John Graham until 1893 when he homesteaded SW Sec 2 Twp 26 Range 6 W5M and in 1905 took a second homestead in presumption. Isabella was married to Frank Ricks in 1887 by Reverend John McDougall. Jessie and Lucy lived at Frank Ricks‘ home while attending school in order to be close to the little log schoolhouse built for white children [sic]. Jessie rode horseback to school by sidesaddle
In 1894 John Bateman registered the BN brand which was used on the Right Rib for cattle and the Right Shoulder for horses. John Bateman and Jessie Potts were married on Monday, November 30, 1896. They lived in the log house on his homestead. Three children were born in the log house including Dorothy Louise on September 17, 1897, John James, June 26, 1899, and William Walter on July 13, 1901. John and Jessie acquired the Stuart Ranch on S Sec 30, Twp 24, Range 4, W5M where the family continued to grow. Charles Joseph was born January 31, 1903; Jessie Isabel April 10, 1905; Edith Lillian December 4, 1906; Francis Joseph January 12, 1909; Lucy Eleanor September 28, 1910, and Thomas Geoffrey May 5, 1913.
The home built in 1890 on the Stuart ranch was made of logs which were all dovetailed and the house still sits intact today (2007). It was a two-storey house with four bedrooms upstairs, one bedroom downstairs, a living room, dining hall, pantry and kitchen. Running a household in those days meant a lot of hard work. The
firewood was hauled in by team and wagon and cut and piled in a huge stack outside the house, enough to get through the winter. Water was hauled by pails from the spring behind the house.
The water would be frozen in the pails in the house by morning in wintertime. Jessie recalled once that she had a good fire going and the stovepipe got red hot. She called to John for help and he immediately threw a pail of cold water on it. It was a big mess to clean up with soot and water all over the room!
John (known as the “Boss”) took over the mail route in 1902 and had the Jumping Pound Post Office at his home. John Bateman’s first mail contract was for the sum of $235.00 per annum for service between Jumping Pound and Calgary via Springbank. He charged $1.00 per passenger one way or a $2.00 return. Freight on 50 lbs. of butter was 25 cents. The family milked 20 to 25 dual-purpose Shorthorn cows by hand morning and night in an open corral, regardless of the weather. Jessie could milk two cows to any other person’s one! The milk was cooled in the spring and the cream skimmed off. John would take the cream to a dairy in Calgary when he went for mail and other supplies by team and wagon. The family grew a large garden with lots of potatoes. Jessie liked to cook the new small potatoes, but John did not approve saying they needed to grow more to be larger and better. Jessie would sneak some out and cover up the potato hill again when John was gone for the mail. Since the post office was right at their home, it was not uncommon to have 20 people sitting down to dinner on Sundays when neighbours came for their mail and other supplies. Stanley Cope was one neighbour who never missed a Sunday for years. The family also took other children in so they could attend the “Little Jumping Pound School”. Two of these children were Albert Saunders and Wilf Darnell. The schoolteacher often boarded with the Bateman family also.
Dorothy Louise married Geoffrey Bealey Bateman on November 30, 1919. A son, John Robert Geoffrey Bateman was born on August 10, 1920.
John and Jessie’s life held much tragedy and heartache. Jessie Isabel died March 5, 1906; Charles Joseph died May 3, 1906; John James died December 27, 1921, of spinal meningitis. Francis Joseph drowned on February 18, 1912, in the spring. Dorothy Louise and Lucy Eleanor drowned on August 22, 1931, while swimming in the Jumping Pound Creek. However, the Batemans were true pioneers in spirit and heart and continued on in life. John ran the mail route with the help of his family until his death on January 1, 1942, of a heart attack. Jessie continued to live in their home until 1948 and then with their son Tom and his wife Margaret in their home until her death on May 3, 1951.
William Walter married Mabel Annie Crowe on April 23, 1926. Their children were born in Calgary; James Norman born on February 28, 1933, and Joan Marie born on November 9, 1935.
Edith Lillian married Clarence Johnson Sibbald on June 18, 1930, and had four children: Wayne Murray born February 22, 1937, John Franklin born January 5, 1942, Sandra Lynn born February 16, 1944, and Janet Louise born March 21, 1947.
Tom, the youngest son of John and Jessie Bateman was born May 5, 1913, at Jumping Pound. He attended the “Little Jumping Pound School” and had chores to do before and after school. At the age of sixteen, Tom started to drive and help his Dad with the mail. Transportation gradually changed from horse and wagon to automobile. With this change, John had fewer trips and gradually his family took over as mail carriers, although John preferred a team of horses to the automobile because of road conditions. Jim hauled the mail from 1918 until his death in 1921, then Bill hauled the mail from 1921 to 1926, and then Edith helped the “boss” haul mail for a time. A truck was an improvement from the team and wagon when Tom took over at this time as sometimes it became very difficult with deep snow and drifts or mud in rainy weather. However, the mail and supplies always got picked up and brought to Jumping Pound to the post office where everyone received their mail and supplies. Tom also worked on a road crew when Ollie Edge was road foreman. As well, he rode and checked the power line with Bob Armistead, Ernie Thompson and Mr. Colliday. If there was trouble on the line they may have to change insulators or stub poles. Tom also helped to service and repair the overhead rural telephone lines.
Margaret Isabella Rowan was born in Cranbrook, British Columbia, on November 12, 1910. She came to Calgary with her parents and attended school there. Margaret trained at the Calgary General Hospital and graduated in 1933 as a Registered Nurse. She worked in her profession until her marriage to Tom on March 31, 1937. Margaret met the Bateman family when she would visit her uncle Dave Lawson who owned the XC Ranch in Jumping Pound. Tom and Margaret’s first date was a Saint Patrick’s Day dance in Cochrane accompanied by Scotty Patterson and John Robinson.
Tom and Margaret lived with John and Jessie Bateman for their first year of marriage before moving into the Calgary Powerhouse across the road from the post office. Their daughter Elaine was born on February 2, 1939. Tom’s Dad passed away on January 1, 1942, and Tom took on the management of the ranch as well as the mail route and post office. Margaret was appointed Postmistress until the post office was closed and mailboxes were established. Tom continued to run the mail route until 1951.
Tom and Margaret moved back to the home place after John’s death and continued to live there where their two sons were born: James Thomas on February 13, 1942, and William Harvey on May 10, 1946. In 1945 they started building a new two-storey house just east of the original home. The new home was roomy and had coloured glass stucco on the outside. The family moved into the house in 1947. Water for the house was hauled from the spring behind the house and lamps were the only source of light: In the mid to late fifties, the power was installed. What a difference that made to their lives! They now had electric lights, running water, a flush toilet and bathtub, and the furnace was changed from wood and coal to oil and even had a thermostat. Wash days were so much easier with power instead of a temperamental gas motor that sometimes wouldn’t run or would smoke you out or just about deafen you. There was a grand housewarming when they got the power in. Harvey Huggard ran around flicking the lights off and on and yodelling at the same time, which he did with expertise. Jessie moved in with the family in 1948 until her death in 1951.
Tom ran a trucking service hauling livestock, fuel and supplies for neighbours. He hauled feed for Clem Gardner when he moved his cattle from the ranch on Pirmez Creek to the Ricks’ place or back again. Some of those times moving cattle occurred in the very cold of winter. You could hear the cattle coming from a distance with the crunch of snow and see the steam rising from the heat of the herd.
Social events were always a highlight for everyone. The family always attended the local dances at the Jumping Pound Hall where Tom was almost always the Master of Ceremonies directing the different dances and he excelled at calling the square dances. Tom and Margaret also sat on the Board of Directors and committees. Dances were also attended in Cochrane, Bragg Creek and Elbow Valley. Tom loved to play the mouth organ and Elaine the accordion. It was wonderful to listen to the old-time music and sing along when Tom and Margaret had family and friends visiting. Card parties and whist drives were held very often at different homes. There were Christmas concerts every December at the hall for all of the local children and adults with Santa making an appearance. Box pie socials were also a popular dance with surprises in store as to who buys. Community picnics were also enjoyed by everyone.
Tom and Margaret were also involved with the Cochrane Light Horse Association attending many local gymkhanas and competitions over the years with children involved as they grew. They were also members of the Southern Alberta Pioneer Association, taking executive positions and attending functions. Elaine, Jim and Bill belonged to the Springbank 4-H beef club under the leadership of Donald Matthews and assistant leader Earl Harwood. Margaret was a member of the Rebecca Lodge in Cochrane and thoroughly enjoyed her years of curling at the Cochrane Curling Rink.
Work on the ranch was important and everyone helped out, often with neighbours sharing tasks and then helping them in return. Elaine liked to drive the team and rake in the summertime putting up the loose hay in stacks. Jim would man the mower when haying and the tractor when cutting the crop. Bill, because of allergies to hay and grass, was not allowed in the hayfield until he was about 14 years old, and then it was with the aid of a mask and goggles for some protection. By this time they were making square hay bales. It was always great fun in the fall when Lennie Mickle brought his crew and threshing machine to thresh the grain. The threshing and stacking crew always consisted of some of the local native neighbours. There would usually be card games following supper. Someone always organized a baseball pool on the World Series which was always on during threshing time.
Elaine, Jim and Bill rode horseback to the Jumping Pound School. Elaine started in 1945 and attended Jumping Pound school until 1954. From 1954 to 1957. She attended Mount Royal College and then teachers college in 1957 and 1958. She boarded with the Clark family in Calgary. Jim attended Jumping Pound Schoo from 1948 to 1957, Cochrane High School from 1957 to 1959 and then drove to Calgary to Crescent Heights High School from 1959 to 1960. Bill attended Jumping Pound School from 1952 until 1957, Brushy Ridge
School from 1957 to 1959, and then Cochrane Schools from 1959 until 1963. Once the Jumping Pound School closed in 1957 Jim and Bill rode the school bus driven by John Robinson. Bill and Jim both played recreational hockey and Bill also played flag football.
Elaine taught school at Westbrook School for two years after graduating from Mount Royal College. She boarded at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Janz and rode horseback to school. Elaine then taught at Springbank School and lived in the teacherage. Elaine married Norman Hanna, son of John and Edith Hanna, on April 21, 1962. They reside on their ranch at James River north of Sundre and have two sons, Curtis Thomas and James John.
Jim attended the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology to become a machinist and continues to work in this field. Jim married Noreen Teghtmeyer, daughter of Carl and Rachel Teghtmeyer, on June 27, 1964, and they have one son Sean James. After Tom’s passing and Jim and Noreen’s divorce, Jim now resides on the original Bateman property.
Bill worked with his Dad, Tom, after finishing school and still resides and actively ranches on Bateman ranch property. Bill married Pat McGonigle, daughter of Clarence and Rose McGonigle, on November 12, 1966. They have three children: Shane William, Cody Lee and Jennifer Lynn.
In May of 1974, there was a spring snowstorm which caused the power to be cut out for seven days and roads became impassable. The families always found ways to cope with adversities such as this. Sadly Margaret passed away on June 4, 1977, from cancer, and 17 years later Tom passed away on July 6, 1994, from a heart attack.
Thanks for sharing this great story of the Batemans family contribution to our community. The courage and tenacity of those early immigrants is inspiring and to see how that zeal flourished in their decedents is rewarding. It is a long way, in many aspects, from Cork Ireland to the foothills of the Rockies.
I so enjoy reading about the early history of Cochrane and area. I admire and respect those that have gone before and those that continue to work hard so that we may benefit from the ranching industry.