Stories of the Wild West

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While researching other stories this week I came across this delightful YouTube channel by the Heritage Resource Committee of the M.D. of Bighorn called the oral history project.

CHAPS has a similar goal of capturing these family stories while there is still time. When you watch this video you’ll understand why we feel this is so important.

Erik Butters tells the story of how his maternal great-grandfather came to Alberta. Along his travels, he meets some of the most famous (infamous) people of the wild, wild west.

You have to watch this!!!

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Read more

  1. Sundance Kid once worked as a Ranch hand on Bar U.
  2. Sundance Kid
  3. Sundance Kid Facebook
  4. Sundance Kid article – CHAPS also gets a mention

Calgary Stampede Chuckwagon Photos 1947-1948

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I was looking through some of my Dad’s stuff to see what we might loan to the Museum for the upcoming Equine Exhibit. I didn’t have to look far.

Dad, Bill Boothby was an outrider for the Slim Fenton rig in the late 1940s. Dad obviously treasured those times as he created a bit of a Museum downstairs highlighting those times. 

I’m sure he told us about those times but I could not recall much. He spoke a lot of adding the “stove” at the start of the race but that’s about all I remember. Since they are great action photos of the World Famous Chuckwagon Races and contain locals,  I think they are a great fit for the Museum. Lynn Ferguson with the Museum committee agreed so I started doing some research and looking for ways to loan the photos.

My brother (Dana) believes Dad might have ridden a horse named Dixie who was the parent of Old Blue, a horse I was familiar with from my childhood. Since Old Blue was Blue in colour and his parent would probably look similar.  That was a good clue. There are two “Blue” horses in the photos.

Gayle Dionne’s grandfather is Slim Fenton. So I got in touch to find out if the family knew who else might have been on the team. Gayle responded that her mother (Frances) recalled that Bill Boothby, Mac Leask, Slim Leask, Roy Fenton,  and Alf Dionne were the others. 

Slim Fenton’s canvas is visible in a couple of photos. It says Slim Fenton, Horse Creek with a longhorn image. I don’t know how successful they were. I’m thinking of following up with the Stampede to see if they have records. 

That led me to contact Jackie-Lou Leask(Edge) an old high school chum to see if Mac and Slim were members of her husband’s family. Sure enough, they are and Jackie remembers having photos of those times on a display when Mac was inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame.

When I removed the photos from the frames for scanning and a bit of touchup I saw they are from 1947 and 1948. Some of the photos were taken by Lorne Burkell, then of the Calgary Albertan.

As we dig up more details, I will add to the story.

Dad told me everyone when I was doing family trees. He loved those pictures, and the stories....WOW they had a lot of fun, with the team from the farm. My grandfather could do anything with horses. He was quiet training them out in the field with my Aunt Joy blocking them to go around the barrels.....

Gayle Dionne Tweet

I’ve heard there were other people involved in the Stampede. If anyone would like to contribute stories of their family, I’d love to hear them. I’m just as certain the Museum would like to talk to you about borrowing any photos.

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Hooves of History 1990

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In 1990, the Canadian Rodeo Historical Association (C.R.H.A.) and the Stockmen’s Memorial Foundation organized a fundraising cattle drive for the Western Heritage Centre to be built in Cochrane. The event is remembered in a video and book.

In 2020, the original VHS tape and a DVD copy was donated to the Cochrane Historical & Archival Preservation Society. (C.H.A.P.S) CHAPS is the umbrella organization that runs the Cochrane Historical Museum.

CHAPS goal is to educate the public about the town and area’s rich history.

Consequently, we thought the video would be a wonderful, very popular addition to our YouTube site. You can see the video by clicking below or by visiting our YouTube channel.

Please like and subscribe to our channel to see this and many other memories of Cochrane and Area.

CRHA Logo
Stockmens Logo

Malcolm Mackenzie, a local artist and rancher donated stock, developed the event logo and created a bronze for fundraising.

He is also the creator of  the Man of Vision statue that stands in Cochrane Ranche.

 

Preparation for the massive event took 50 volunteers over 6 months. The day of the event over 200 volunteers, 100 media people, 53 wagons, and 1200 horses and riders took part.  2000 people were at the nightly camp.

Not all the cattle were used to people and pens

I’m struck by the wonderful images of the horses, cattle and wagons strung out along the foothills.

Participants and cattle came from the 3 western provinces, Quebec, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and 10 U.S. states.

Were off
Were off 3
Were off 2
Hooves of History image
Hooves of History image
Coulee
Rolling Foothills
Wineglass Ranch

Not all the wagons were the stereotypical chuck; not all the riders were cowboys.

Ivan Daines wrote a song for the drive and performed at one of the nightly stops.

Bert Sheppard, one of the last 3 surviving cowboys from the Bar U participated and was recognized at a closing event. He joined the Bar U in 1922.

Can you imagine the stories?

Ten thousand people greeted the Drive on the streets of Cochrane.

Not your normal traffic jam

Ernie Isley, Minister of Agriculture and Phil Gaglardi, Mayor of Kamloops and Reg Kesler, Cowboy and stock contractor spoke very highly of the event at closing ceremonies.

I think what you people pulled off is tremendous.

Ernie Isley, Minister of Agriculture Tweet

Hooves of History closed with a livestock auction, cowboy church, invitational rodeo, beer gardens, and car show.

A second Hooves of History fund raiser was held in 2001.  Read more about it here.

Acknowledgements

  1. Canadian Rodeo Historical Association
  2. Stockmen’s Memorial Foundation
  3. Eunice Reeve for a Christmas gift in 1990 of the Hooves of History Cattle Drive VHS tape
  4. Chris Konanz, of Blue Pixel Media for the creation of the digital copy, colourizing the video, correcting the audio and sharpening the video.
  5. All the images in this blog are from Hooves of History video
  6. I read Hooves of History 1990 Cattle Drive by Dorothy Willows as a reference. 
Book Cover Author, Editor Dorothy Willows

Wild Horses

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This article by Jade Lewis appeared in the Cochrane Times.

We often tie the emergence of horses in the west to the colonial settlers, like Senator Matthew Cochrane, who imported the first Thoroughbred horse into western Canada. However, wild horses ran through this valley and were used by the indigenous people long before colonial settlers claimed Cochrane.

Contrary to popular belief, wild horses do not originate from the prehistoric North American horse, the last of which died out around 11,000 years ago. The wild horses we have today are actually escaped Spanish mustangs that were introduced to North America during the Spanish conquest. However, their previous domestication had little impact. The horses reverted to ancient behavioral patterns and evolved independently of the domestic horse.

Of course, during this time the genetic diversity of the wild horses was increased by other escaped domesticated horses. The horses in this area have intermingled with the good bloodstock of Thoroughbred, Arab and Quarter horses. This goes back to 1920 when a Ghost Forest Rancher raised 1,000 horses hoping to send them towards the war efforts. The war ended before he could send the horses, so instead, he set them loose.

The Stoney Nakoda nation has their own oral history of the wild horses on this land. The horse is a sacred animal for the Stoney people who say they were sent by the creator and accepted the responsibility of caring for the human race. It is believed that wild horses came from the water, from the lakes in the mountains. Their account describes the horses as having been first found around Kananaskis Lake.

For the Stoney people, the use of horses meant that many tasks such as hunting, trapping or traveling no longer had to be done on foot. The Stoney people traveled their territory from camp to camp and had originally used dog packs to carry supplies and the large tipi poles. Many elders recount the transition from this way of transport to the use of both the tamed wild horses and dogs to move camp.

“ The spirit of the horse is key to the survival of the first nations people; they rely on the spirit of every animal that the great spirit provided here on earth,” said Stoney knowledge holder Hank Snow. Today, the wild horses continue to roam the prairies, though their existence is threatened by decreasing habitat and looming culls. The Ghost Forest area in the most recent count has about 50 wild horses while the Central Foothills has 250. The voices of the Stoney elders echo a warning that the wild horses should be left alone in their environment, they should remain free so that they can be preserved for future generations. A living symbol of the importance of horses in this area long before homesteads.

Virtual Tour of Cochrane Historical Museum

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Great news. We’re ecstatic to announce the virtual tour of the Museum is ready.

During this unprecedented Global Pandemic,  CHAPS takes our volunteers and our visitors’ health and safety extremely seriously. As a result, we have temporarily closed our facility to help limit the transmission and to ensure everyone’s safety.

Our mission is to promote the history of our incredible community and provide interesting and exciting displays of what life was like in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. As such, we have explored some new technological options to help us ensure we can continue to provide this important service.

We have had the pleasure of working with Chris Konanz from Blue Pixel Media and he has helped us put together a 360° virtual tour. This will allow our guests to view our exhibits and interact with them in an engaging and informative way, from the comfort of their own home! You can explore each room of our museum, interact with some key pieces and learn all about how our organization works.

 We welcome you to take a tour of our space and learn about how this museum came to be, our featured exhibits on the history of Working and Sport Horses, and even a sneak peek at an upcoming unveiling next year of something we are very excited to showcase!

We thank everyone who contributed to the project including:

  • Lynn Ferguson
  • Frank Hennessey
  • Gayle Want
  • Shannon Want
  • Mike Taylor
  • Lynda Alderman
  • Gordon Davies
  • Chris Konanz of Blue Pixel Media

It was a very collaborative effort by all the volunteers to produce a professional product that we are quite proud of and we hope the public will take advantage of the opportunity to sneak preview our displays on the Role of the Horse in Cochrane and community.

Lynn Ferguson Tweet

Share your favourite family photo

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We’d like to have some fun and learn a little more of our colourful local history. Please share one of your favourite family photos on our Facebook page. Remember to include some details about why it’s an important memory.

CHAPS Facebook page

Inglis Ranch Research

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Bill Watts of Ottawa recently asked if we knew of the Inglis Ranch. Frank Hennessey did some research and found an article in Big Hill Country.

CAPTAIN AND MRS. INGLIS – by Jo Hutchinson 

William Mason Inglis, who was generally known as Captain Inglis, owned land north of Cochrane along Beaver Dam Creek. He received title to SW1/4 17-28-3-5 in 1907, the S 1/2 of section 8 in the same township in 1908, and the adjoining NW1/4 in 1912. This land is now the property of the Jansen family. It should be understood that he could have been living on his land, and possibly homesteading a part of it, a number of years before the title was registered. He received title to SW1/4 32-27-3-5 in 1910, and sold it to Ernie Bell the following year. 

SW 17 28 3 W5

Captain Inglis was a veteran of the Boer War. His army saddle, that shows the mark of bullets, is now owned by Walter Hutchinson. It may be presumed that Captain Inglis left the Cochrane area to serve in the Boer War, since he did live here before its outbreak in 1899. 

He was a prominent Thoroughbred breeder and at one time is believed to have a had a race track on his land, although it was probably only used by him, and his neighbour, R. F. Bevan. Captain Inglis took an active part in the operation of the Cochrane race track; he also entered horses in the races, and on occasion, rode in events himself, 

During World War One Captain Inglis sold a number of horses to the Canadian Army for use in cavalry regiments. He and R. F. Bevan would trail the horses to Cochrane, where they were purchased by Army representatives and shipped by train to the East. 

Records of All Saints Anglican Church, Cochrane, show that Captain Inglis was appointed to the Vestry in 1899, serving as People’s Warden. As he lived about 25 miles from Mitford, where the church was located until later that year, attendance at church would have been dependent upon a fast team on the buggy, or a good saddlehorse. Communication with the far-flung parishioners would have been difficult, too, without the benefit of telephones or automobiles. 

Captain and Mrs. Inglis had three children, Ian, Robin and Evelyn. He sold out during the early 1920s, and it is believed that the family returned to England. Attempts at locating the family have proved unsuccessful. 

The Inglis family are remembered north of Cochrane; when a Post Office was opened at McCrady’s, it was officially named Inglis. The school district that was organized in that area was also named Inglis. The site chosen for Inglis School was on land originally owned by Captain Inglis. 

ROBERT INGLIS – by Jo Hutchinson 

Robert Chalmers Inglis received title to NW14 16-28-3-5 in 1891. The title was transferred to R. F. Bevan in 1898, and the land is now the property of the Leonard Beddoes family. 

It is believed that Robert (Bob) Inglis was related to Captain Inglis, and that he was a bachelor. There may have been several members of the Inglis family living in the Calgary area around 1900, since there are seven people by that name listed in the 1907 Brand Registry, all of whose addresses were listed as either Okotoks or Calgary. 

INGLIS SCHOOL – by D. M. McDonald 

The Inglis School District was formed in 1917, after a great deal of debate between the parents of school-age children and the many local residents who had none. Ernie Bell, who had three school-age children, and the Irish Kings, also with three, were the chief advocates for the formation of a new school district, as the nearest schools to these families were Weedon, Summit Hill or Lochend. After much discussion with Alberta Government representatives, the district was formed, and was named Inglis in honor of Captain Inglis, a veteran of the Boer War, and a local resident. 

In the spring of 1917, the contract to build the school was let to Dan Fenton, and by the fall of that year the school was ready to open. It was the first of the new style of schools that was built in the Cochrane area. Most of one side of the school was windows. 

The first teacher was Miss Ruby Wood, from Calgary. She boarded with the Ernie Bells, who just lived down the hill below the school, which was located on the SW corner of the Bell’s land, the SW14 32-37-3-5. The first pupils to enroll were three of the Irish King children, three of the Bells, the two Malcolm girls, John Milligan, Eric North and Douglas McDonald. The only one of these students in the Cochrane district at the present time is John Milligan. 

The Bells moved away shortly after the school was opened. Eric North, who had been staying with the Bells, also left, so the enrollment was sharply reduced, then the Ferguson family moved into the district; they had two school-age girls who attended. There was never a large enrollment at Inglis School, and it was closed periodically owing to a lack of students. At one time it was kept open for four students.

 Miss Lila Webster from Cochrane taught at Inglis for a time. She later married Tom Cairns. Miss Collier boarded with Mr. and Mrs. Angus McDonald while she taught there; Miss Janet Smith, who was related to the McCradys, boarded with them. She married Harry Jones. Miss Eva Whittle, who later married Ernie Peppard, boarded with the Edgar Youngs. As far as is known, other teachers at Inglis, not necessarily named in order, were Mr. Millar, Miss Wilson, and Miss Catherine Zuccolo. 

Angus McDonald and Ab McCrady were among those who took an active part in the operation of the school, serving as trustees for many years. 

The Inglis School was moved to Cochrane and used as an auxiliary classroom during the late 1940s. Later it was moved to the skating rink, to be used as a dressing room for several years.

Update from Bill Watts

FYI – he’s buried at Calgary, died suddenly in 1912. He was wounded in action in the Boer War (shot in the leg).  

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/122957946/william-mason-inglis

CHM is still closed but preparations continue

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It still doesn’t seem wise to open the Museum to the public due to the pandemic. But our volunteers are using the time to better prepare our next exhibit.

Stay tuned for more details.

How did you celebrate Heritage Day?

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Heritage Day is the first Monday in August. How did you spend yours?

Some of our members chose to volunteer a few hours and did some much needed yard work around the Cochrane Historical Museum. Thanks to Shannon, Gayle and Larry who have been devoted members for approx. 20 years. They worked on weeding and seeding the berm we put up to protect the Museum from and future flooding.

Do you have a few hours a month? Why not volunteer with CHAPS and contribute to the cultural heritage of our area. We have many roles to fill.

Email us

All Saints Anglican Church

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This article originally appeared in More Big Hill Country 1999, Page 99.

In the early days in the Cochrane area, the spiritual needs of the community around the countryside were served by a visiting minister. Neighbours gathered in a local home and services were generally held by a son or a visiting minister who would arrive by horse and buggy or on horseback.

The Bow River, in the Cochrane, Mitford, Morley area were proved a bit of a disadvantage as there were no bridges to cross and everyone had to rely on certain areas that were safe enough to ford and that the river was low at the time. However, it appears that the people met regularly in various homes to worship, whether the Minister or Priest was present, or not. 

With the growing community of Mitford, it appears that people were meeting in a building or home at Mitford. It was decided to petition the Bishop of Calgary for permission to build an Anglican Church at Mitford, Rupert’s Land. 

Thus Lady Adela Cochrane (no relation to Cochrane Ranche) and other residents of the nearby district began the one hundred and fourteen-year history of All Saints Anglican Church in 1891. 

“To the Right Reverend Father in God, Cyprian, by Devine Permission, Bishop of Calgary: 

“The humble petitions of the Rev. W.F. Webb, BA, Curate-in-Charge, Thomas Cochrane, Lady Adela Cochrane, Robert Cowan, Frank White, W.D. Kerfoot and others, resident of the mission district of Mitford, Alberta, N.W.T., whose names and signatures are hereunto subscribed, for themselves, and in the name of the members of the Church of England in Rupert’s Land residing in and around Mitford … members of All Saints Congregation, within Your Lordship’s Diocese and jurisdiction showeth: 

“That a certain parcel of land containing half an acre, as fully described in deed of same, has been given absolutely and entirely by Thomas B. Cochrane and William Brabizon Lindsay Toler, Earl of Norbury, Trustees of the Canada Northwest Coal and Lumber Syndicate Limited, for purposes of a burial ground and erection of a church in connection with the Church of England in Rupert’s Land and are desirous to have it set apart from all profane and common use whatsoever. 

Your Petitioners, therefore, in their own names and the names of the constituents, do humbly beseech Almighty God to accept of this their sincere intent and purpose and do humbly pray that your Lordship will be pleased to separate the said portion of land from all profane uses and to dedicate and consecrate the same for the purposes of Christian burial in connection with the Parish of All Saints Mitford.” 

“And your petitioners will ever pray.” 

The following signatures are listed on the petition: W.F. Webb, B.A., Thomas B.H. Cochrane, Adela Cochrane, Adriana Macbean Kerfoot, W.D. Kerfoot, Ella M. Cowan, Robert W. Cowan, F. White, H.C. Hickling. 

Bishop Pinkham evidently received the petition favourably for, in 1892, All Saints Anglican Church was built at Mitford. 

Lady Adela Cochrane was instrumental in raising money for the church’s construction. She collected many funds in England and a grant of twenty pounds sterling was sent by the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge in England. A few parishioners also gave donations. 

The site chosen was on the north side of the Bow River, on a small hill, northeast of the few houses and buildings that already existed. The building was constructed of native wood from Tom Cochrane’s sawmill. The total cost was fifteen hundred dollars and most of the work was probably done by volunteer labour. Eleven pews, the altar and lectern were built by Tom Cochrane, Stephen Brisco made the motto, “Cease not to give thanks” which was hung above the altar. Some years later, the motto was carved on a piece of polished wood and hung in place of the original. 

Stained glass windows were shipped out from England and Lady Adela’s friends and relations contributed many of the furnishings. The beautifully carved Bishop’s chair was given by Mrs. King, who lived in the Beaupre district in later years. The carved seat at the back of the church was one of Lady Adela’s gifts. A purple cloth was embroidered by Mrs. John Phipps and the white Communion cloth was given by Lady Adela’s sister. Mrs. Hickling embroidered a white silk cloth. A Communion Set was given by Mrs. Carr Rayden, mother of James Rayden, who homesteaded on Horse Creek. Mrs. Rayden may also have given the pair of candlesticks. 

Like other pioneer churches in Alberta at the time, All Saints was a very simple structure. One storey, fifteen wide by thirty feet long, it is a rectangular, steeply pitched gable-roofed structure with ship-lap wood siding. The church building is distinguished by the quality of workmanship on both the exterior and the interior. A bell and tower summoned the parishioners to church. 

The new church was consecrated on All Saints Day, November 1, 1892, with Bishop Pinkham, Rev. Webb and Rev. Cooper in attendance. The churchyard was also consecrated at that time. The records show that the first baptism was held on October 23, 1892, when James William, infant son of Walter and Frances Jones was christened in the new church. Service was conducted by Rev. A.W. Cooper, Rural Dean of Calgary and his sponsors were Alfred Foster and Annie Shaw. The Parish register lists twenty-four other children baptized at All Saints, Mitford. 

The history of All Saints Church is to a great extent recorded in the minutes of meetings held since January 1, 1893. On January 1, at the closing of Divine Service, a meeting with the Rev. Cooper, Rural Dean of Calgary in the Chair, was held with the following steps taken for the purpose of the organization: the Chairman appointed Mr. Thomas B. Cochrane as Incumbent’s Warden and the parishioners elected Mr. Frank White, Merino Ranch, People’s Warden. The following were elected Vestrymen: Mr. Horace Hickling, Mr. R.W. Cowan, and Mr. S. Hambly 

The minutes of 1894 were not copied into the Minute Book and it was found impossible to hold a meeting in 1895. However, at a meeting of the parishioners on May 10, 1896, it was moved by R.W. Cowan and seconded by R. Smith that the churchyard be surveyed and laid out in a proper manner for a permanent burying ground. Again in 1897 and 1898 no minutes were entered in the minute book thus information of the church at Mitford is scant. 

Records do show however that the only Confirmation Service conducted at All Saints Mitford was held on December 1, 1895. The candidates were John Haigh, Mary Alice Haigh, Thomas Haigh, Walter George Bestwick, Laura Phipps and George Wills. The Bishop of Calgary, Right Reverend Cyprian Pinkham conducted the service. There were five marriages solemnized at all Saints Church, Mitford. The first was that of William Gray and Maggie McMullan, both of Springbank on April 23, 1893, then; Andrew Franklin Sibbald of Morley and Janet Emily Johnstone of Cochrane, on November 23, 1893; Charles Mortimer and Emily Wainwright, both of Mitford were married on June 11, 1894 and on December 26, 1893 was James Sweet Carr Rayden and Agnes Evelyn Phipps. The last couple married at All Saints Mitford was Richard Copithorne of Jumping Pound and Sophia Wills of Springbank on June 12, 1895. Rev. W.F. Webb officiated at all the services. Rev. Webb also conducted the first marriage ceremony after All Saints was moved to Cochrane when Charles Perrenoud and Laura Phipps were married on April 2, 1902. 

According to the Register of Burials, the first burial to take place at Mitford was that of Francis Bell-Irving aged three, who died on March 21, 1896. Two burial services had been conducted at all Mitford, those of Elizabeth and Clara Webb. on March 19 and May 8, 1894, respectively, but interred near the Elbow River. Reason given: no cemetery near. Mitford cemetery was used until 1910 the burial being that of Francis Coombes on Jun 22 1910. Others buried in the Mitford cemetery are:

  • William Joseph Wade, 1859 – 1896; 
  • Peter Robert Wainwright 1846-1899; 
  • Mary E. Wainwright, 1846 – 1900;
  • George Bevan, 1837 – 1901; 
  • infant McEwan, 1901: 
  • Richard Smith, 1858 – 1902,; 
  • infants Evelyn Annie and Mary Elizabeth Townsend, 1902; 
  • Frank Woodhead. 1905. 
  • James William Jones, 1892 – 1905; 
  • John William 1873 – 1909. 

The years 1890 and 1899 proved to be fateful for Mitford as a disastrous fire swept through the area destroying many buildings and causing a large number of people to leave. 

By 1896 the Cochrane’s had returned to England and the All Saints Records indicate that the Parish of All Saints almost died with the town of Mitford. Finances were low, church attendance was poor as no doubt many of the original supporters of the church had already left the area. 

At the Annual Meeting on April 2, 1899, the parishioners of All Saints decided, at the urging of their priest, the Reverend W.Eugene-Perrin, to move the church to the little village of Cochrane. 

“The Chairman then stated that since the town of Mitford was dead and All Saints Church left alone by itself, he had sounded the feeling of the people with regard to its removal to Cochrane; the Bishop had just telegraphed authority for the removal and the Cochrane Townsite Co. had presented a lot. It was next decided (for the Bishop’s approval) that the name of the Parish should be changed from All Saints Mitford to All Saints Cochrane.” 

No records remain to indicate who was involved in moving the church building however it was almost certain that it was volunteers. Twelve teams of horses were used and that the building was transported on to rollers, to what was to become, in time, the corner Second Avenue and Second Street in Cochrane.” land had formerly been designated as CPR land was donated to the Town in 1902. It was a slow arduous task as each log would have been removed from behind the building and placed in front of it as the church rolled over the logs. One observer related the difficulties involved when the church got stuck on the Big Hill Creek Bridge, west of Cochrane. This is certainly possible but not a proven fact. Various other reports suggest there

was a considerable delay and a great deal of difficulty involved in the move. Lady Adela Cochrane, then living England, is said to have refused to believe that Mitford was dead and vigorously opposed the removal of the church. 

At any rate, the records show that the first service following relocation of the church was held on April 30. just twenty-eight days after the decision to move it was made. 

From the Minute Book: 

On the fourth Sunday after Easter, April 30, 1899, His Lordship Cyprian (Right Reverend Bishop Cuprian Pinkham) Calgary, reopened the Parish of All Saints Church Cochrane, which had been moved the previous week from Mitford. The congregation numbered thirty-two. This was due to a stiff blizzard and snow which may be calculated by the fact that it took Richard Smith and George Reid four hours to come from two miles the other side of the Phipps ranch to attend the baptism of R.Smith’s son. The incumbent drove His Lordship to Calgary at 4:30 pm, the blizzard still blowing.” 

In 1899, Cochrane consisted of a few buildings scattered along main street paralleling the railway line. All Saints rested alone on the treeless, undeveloped flatland to the north of the existing buildings. 

Artist depiction of the church move in 1899  painting by Agnes Hutchinson 

Following the relocation of the church and the renaming of the parish to All Saints Cochrane, the records show many ups and downs in the finances, attendance and other affairs of the parish through the year. 

After 1905 a new trend became evident: for the first time, ladies were present, and took part in the business of the meetings. However, their presence was not officially recognized until the annual meeting of 1908 when the ladies were allowed to vote in matters of the church. 

This was long before women were allowed the vote by law. 

As the population of Cochrane grew and the church became more established, All Saints became home to a Missionary Society, a Sunday school and an Anglican Church Women’s group, known as the Ladies’ Guild. The first mention of the Ladies Guild was made in the minutes of a meeting held on July 30, 1909. 

Between 1909 and 1913, many members of the Ladies’ Guild (mostly rancher’s wives) left town. This was likely due to the fact that rural families no longer had to live in the town during the school year now that rural school districts were being established. 

Luckily, the women’s commitment to the church was strong even without representation. 

All Saints parish and the wider community of Cochran suffered many financial hardships in the years following the church’s relocation and it was largely thanks to the parish ladies that the church community was able to struggle on. Money had to be found for repairs, insurance, lighting and the priest’s stipend. 

Much of the necessary maintenance work was carried out by volunteers from the parish but many times the Ladies Guild raised funds to cover church expenses such as those needed for a stone foundation in 1905, and a much needed exterior paint job in 1911. The ladies did this, as they do now, by entertaining, holding “box socials” (where decorated lunch-boxes were auctioned off to the highest bidder), concerts and other entertainments. Later the ladies took on the extra cost of insurance premiums, incurred after electricity was installed in the church. 

The First World War took its toll, as described by the Reverend J.P. Dingle: 

“1916 was for us a year of just carrying and keeping things going. We feel the loss of familiar faces, some removed by death, others away doing their duty. Our church has been hard hit by the war in many ways.” 

Electricity was finally installed in 1914, but at times the supply was cut off “until further notice” because of unpaid bills.

After the war came the Depression and parish finances remained in very poor shape. In 1930 the Books showed a balance of $1.43. As usual, any urgent maintenance work was done by members of the Parish to save money. 

In 1921 the church was closed for six months due to lack of funds and again in 1953 after sharing a priest with Canmore and having a service every other Sunday, the church was closed for two years. Likely this was due to the difficulty of finding a priest to conduct services in Cochrane. 

The Ladies’ Guild never ceased to exist but was officially re-established at All Saints in 1954 as the Anglican Church Women. It was strong and active for many years contributing greatly to the financial and social needs of the parish.

In 1956 Cochrane became part of the parish of Exshaw and Canmore and once a month services were officiated by the Reverend O. Foster, the incumbent at Canmore. When the Reverend T.F Wright took over St. Michael’s in Canmore services in Cochrane became more frequent until he was taking regular weekly services as well as celebrating Holy Communion on All Saints days and other occasions. The Cochrane Masonic Lodge presented an organ to the church in 1958. 

By 1963, there were seventy families on the parish roll and a Sunday school had been established. The parish budget rose from $300 to $2500 and many improvements were made to the church. A new gas furnace was installed, the wood floors sanded and refinished, a carpet was laid and the exterior was repainted. 

It was not until 1966, and a decision to invest in a rectory, that the parish of All Saints Cochrane finally acquired its own incumbent priest. This was a discussion that had been ongoing since 1909. Finally, in 1966, a rectory was purchased and the Rev. Douglas Blackwell and his family moved into 110 Cochrane Crescent. Subsequent residents in the rectory were Rev. Alan Howes (1970 1972) and Canon Leonard Hill (1972-1978). In 1978, the parishioners had a mortgage burning ceremony when the rectory was fully paid for and they put a torch to the last bill. 

The Rev. David Asher followed Canon Hill in December 1978 as a deacon and then remained as a priest in charge from 1979–1981. Bishop Douglas Ford arrived in October 1981, having recently retired as Bishop of Saskatoon. He and his wife Dorothy remained in the rectory during the four years of his incumbency. 

A much-needed parish hall was built onto the original church structure in 1984 during Bishop Ford’s tenure. It was named Ford Hall in his honour. 

Succeeding Bishop Ford in 1985, the Reverend Richard Lemmon served All Saints as parish priest until 1990 when the Reverend Derek Dunwoody came to us from Ireland, via Winnipeg and Didsbury. Since he did not need the rectory it was sold and the proceedings were put into a Diocesan Trust Fund for future use. Derek Dunwoody’s focus during his incumbency was to introduce parishioners to some of the ideas of more modern Christian thinkers and to some of the ways in which the Anglican Church is evolving. 

In 1992, the members of All Saints celebrated the 100th anniversary of their church’s consecration. The celebration kicked off with a pancake community hall, followed by a wonderful special service of commemoration with soul-inspiring music. 

It was soon after this milestone that the congregation and vestry members decided to work with a consultant to help them re-examine the parish’s mission and role in the community. After exhaustive discussion, several surveys and many evening meetings at homes the congregation envisioned All Saints as “a thriving and expanding Christian community embodying God’s welcoming presence and offering healing, hope and inspiration to those who seek them.” 

In 1999. All Saint’s celebrated another centennial, anniversary of the church’s “rebirth” as the Anglican parish church of Cochrane, Alberta. Over the previous 100 years, the 15 by 30-foot building had become a focal point of downtown Cochrane, one of the oldest surviving buildings in a town whose population exceeded 10.000 people.

Although the church still served a thriving community it’s small size had become problematic, making it difficult to grow, or even celebrate those occasions such weddings and funerals that are part of the life of any church community. Many ideas to overcome the span problem were considered, including building onto the church or buying land on which to erect a new facility but nothing came of these ideas despite many attempts to reach a consensus. 

After ten years of service, Derek Dunwoody left All Saints in order to retire in 2001. Several interim priests filled in for many months and became an integral part of our parish until the current incumbent, the Reverend Greg Clark became our new priest in September 2002. 

A solution to the problem of the All Saints’ growing congregation came in 2004 when the members of Cochrane’s Roman Catholic Church, St Mary’s decided that they, too, had outgrown their church building and offered our congregation the opportunity to purchase their beautiful facility up on the hill on 5th Avenue. After making the decision to move, the parishioners of All Saints decided that, if possible, their historic little church building should stay in the community of Cochrane and continue to function as a sacred place. 

These wishes were fulfilled when representatives from Cochrane’s Bethany Care Centre expressed a need for a place of worship for the elderly residents With support from the Anglican congregation, Bethany Foundation, the Town of Cochrane and many donations from near and far, our small wooden was moved once more. Not by a team of horses this time, but by a house moving truck, to its new home on Quigley Drive and the Bethany Care Centre. It is not For from its original home at Mitford. Sitting on a small wise on the grounds, attached to the Bethany Care Centre, our church continues to serve as a cherished place of spiritual reflection for people of all faiths among residents, staff and the wider community. 

The congregation of All Saints worshiped in the gymnasium of the Holy Spirit School for three years, in anticipation of the move into our future home up on the hill. During this time of transition, the congregation has continued to reflect on the kind of church it wants to be within the thriving community of Cochrane. At the start of the new millennium, parish members came to the conclusion that people are looking for a base community to help them live more meaningfully and humanely in their families or household units, as well as within the larger society. 

After having their services for three years in the school auditorium, they finally moved to their new home on the hill, formerly St. Mary’s Catholic Church. They had their first service in the “new” All Saints Anglican Church on March 25, 2007. How delighted they were! some changes, painting and upkeep were made. They the pleased that a Daycare for Cochrane will be opened in the former Rectory soon. They plan to continue to embrace and serve their community. 

They welcome newcomers to their church. 

Cochrane Ranche 1977 Photo

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George Teply provided this photo of the current Cochrane Ranche site from Cochrane Heights from 1977. You can see the Gilbert Ranch buildings as well as what I believe is the brickyard pit in the background.

Here is an article from by Noel Edey in Cochrane Now about the current archeological dig and future construction of the intersection.

A Day at the Track

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This article was written by Tim Collard and appears in the Cochrane Times. Photos courtesy of Glenbow Archives.

On a mild May 14th, 1930, the Town of Cochrane bustled with excitement. Though it was a Wednesday, most businesses in town closed at noon, as this was the first day of the Spring Meet of the Southern Alberta Turf Association. The crowd, many travelling from Calgary by train or automobile, buzzed with anticipation as the horses for the second race shifted restlessly, awaiting the starters pistol. A purse of $250 awaited the winners, nearly $4,000 in 2019 dollars, the bets placed using the newly popular Pari-Mutual betting system reached even higher. The Cochrane Races held in 1930, a four-day event with professional jockeys and horses from across Western Canada, were a far cry from the early days of horse racing in Cochrane.

The first recorded horse race in Cochrane took place in 1891. I was a match race between W.D. Kerfoot, former manager of the Cochrane Ranche, and his brother-in-law, William Bell-Irving, an early settler in the Grand Valley. Kerfoot’s horse, “the Dude” one the race by a nose, this was the first of many victories for W.D. Kerfoot in Cochrane races. In 1893 at the Mitford and Cochrane Races, Kerfoot’s cream and old gold racing silks occupied the winners circle after every race. In 1895, Kerfoot continued his dominance, this time on “Dixie Land”, a horse that went on to win races in Calgary, Winnipeg, San Francisco, and Australia.

By 1910, the Cochrane Races had become the premier social event in Cochrane. The CPR ran a special train to bring spectators from Calgary and the Cochrane Racing Association had built a brand-new track, including a grandstand and stables, on land purchased from Robert Howard. This new grass track was the only one-mile grass track in Western Canada which the Calgary Herald referred to in 1927 as “the mecca of a summer throng, keen for the bangtails.” During this period, the big names in Cochrane racing included D.P. MacDonald, Clem Gardner, E. Howard Abell, and Walter Hutchinson. While racing looked to be taking off in Cochrane, the outbreak of World War I hindered this development. Race meets were still held during the war, but attendance was reduced and the field of horses and riders was diminished due to the demands of the war.

 

The Rhodes Brothers

In 1924, the Rhodes brothers, know familiarly as “Dusty” and “Bumpy”, undertook to revive the Cochrane track.

They established the Southern Alberta Turf Association and expanded the meets to four days, attracting professionals from across the Prairie West. Initially, this proved to be a great success, with the races in 1927 and 1928 attracting huge crowds from Calgary and establishing Cochrane as the lead-off event on the Canadian racing calendar. It was this new-found prestige that brought two young, aspiring jockeys to the Cochrane race track in May of 1930.

Crowd in front of Pari-Mutual Betting Buidling

Red Pollard & Johnny Longden

As the starters pistol sounded, “Billy Wisp” and “Prodigal” shot off the line and barrelled down the course, their jockeys spurring them on. At the finish, “Prodigal” nosed ahead to cross the line first, giving jockey Johnny Longden an important win. Close behind, “Billy Wisp” placed with jockey Red Pollard on board.

Red Pollard would go on to become a successful jockey, most notably as “Seabiscuit’s” jockey through most of that famed horse’s career. Johnny Longden went on to become one of the most successful jockeys in the history of racing, with a Triple Crown and over 6,000 victories to his name.

Unfortunately, the future of the Cochrane racetrack was not as bright. The onset of the Great Depression brought the Rhodes’ dream to an abrupt end, with the final race meet held at the Cochrane track in 1931. While the memory has faded, Cochrane was once one of the premier racing venues in Western Canada.

To learn more about the Cochrane racetrack, be sure to visit the Cochrane Historical Museum.

Creameries in the Cochrane Area

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Many of the stories this month have been of short term businesses. I want to finish off the month with a story about a long time land mark and successful business the Cochrane Creamery. But did you know, there was a another earlier Creamery in the area.

An 80 Year Industry By Jo Hutchinson 

The availability of a steady income, however small, was one of the greatest problems faced by pioneer settlers. Frequently the shortage of cash forced men into off-farm employment, sometimes at a distance from home. This could cause great hardships for his wife and family, and often resulted in the neglect of the farm they were trying to develop. 

When D.M. Ratcliffe built a creamery at the present location of Big Hill Springs Provincial Park in the 1890s, an important industry was begun in the Cochrane area. Settlers were able to eke out a steady income from milking cows and selling cream. There was a growing demand for butter, in railroad construction camps and in towns that were being established. 

Difficult access to Ratcliffe’s, later Brealey’s creamery, due to the steep surrounding hills, was probably the reason for its closure, and the establishment of a creamery in Cochrane about the year 1910. 

The Cochrane Creamery Association was formed by a number of farmer-shareholders. At first the creamery was on the present site of the Shell Service Station. In about 1921 it was moved west to a location on the banks of Big Hill Creek, immediately north of the 1A Highway. 

It is believed that Jim Loughery was hired as manager of the Creamery when it opened. He had previously managed a cheese factory, and later a creamery, at Bottrel; presumably it closed when Cochrane’s facility was started. Mr. Loughery had a brick house built in 1910 near the west end of Main Street. Legend has it that he used to walk to Bottrel on weekends to visit his fiancée, Irene Atkinson. They lived all their married life in this house, which is still standing and has undergone renovation.

During the 1930s, the Lougherys purchased the Creamery from its shareholders. The business served a wide area; for years Mrs. Loughery’s brother, Sam Atkhinson, hauled cream from farms as far away as Bottrel and Dog Pound, while other farmers delivered it directly. There was a big stack of cream cans on the platform outside the Creamery door; each shipper had two or more cans with their name and the letters CCA painted on. When they delivered cream, they found their empty on the stack and took it home for refilling. 

Most farms had poor facilities for keeping the daily accumulation of cream; some cans were hung down the well, while the odd farm was lucky enough to have a spring near the house which could be utilized for keeping the cream cool. In other cases, it just soured, in which case the grade was reduced and it was priced lower. Butter makers at most creameries had numerous anecdotes about what was found at the bottom of cream cans. However, health regulations were scanty and dubious additives such as mice or the odd lost dishcloth just added to the flavour of the ensuing butter. Regardless of occasional disturbing “finds”, the Cochrane Creamery took many awards over the years for its butter.

For a number of years, the buttermilk was sold to Beynon and Davies, who had a dairy and hog operation near the present site of the Cochrane Ranche House. 

Jim Loughery died in 1938 and in 1939, Sam Peverell, a nephew of Irene Loughery, became the manager of the Creamery. He purchased it from his aunt in 1954. Sam and his wife Muriel were Cochrane residents until the Creamery was closed and sold in 1975. The last churning took place in December 1974. By then there were few area farmers who wished to ship cream, as agriculture had changed direction. Small mixed farms were no longer a means of making a living, and ranching, hay or grain operations had taken over. Another chapter in the history of the development of Alberta closed. 

An interesting anecdote regarding the parking area at the Creamery is the fact that it was often filled with unlicensed vehicles during the Depression years. Farmers would bring their cream in and leave their vehicles at the Creamery while they walked into Cochrane for groceries. Apparently, the police turned a blind eye to illegally driven vehicles outside the village limits! 

Cochrane Creamery Limited

The First Creamery in Big Hill Country By Jon Hutchison Reprinted from Bill Hill Country 

In the early 1890s, D. M. Ratcliffe established a creamery straddling the line between the NW and the NE Sec 29 Twp 26 Range 3 W5M, beside the spring-fed creek which flows into Big Hill Creek. This site is in the present Big Hills Springs Provincial Park. This creamery is believed to be the first to produce butter in what is now the Province of Alberta. 

The Ratcliffe children attended school at Mitford. It is not known how long Ratcliffe operated the creamery or to what extent he built it up before selling to Brealey (Breeley) and moved to the Red Deer, Alberta area. From the records at Land Titles office, it is apparent that neither Ratcliffe nor Brealey held title to the land. The first registered owner was D. P. McDonald in 1919.

No record remains of how long Brealey operated the creamery but it must have been quite a few years, as the creek generally came to be known as Brealey Springs. It was not until years later that the name “Big Hill Springs” was substituted. 

Brealey had a complete set of farm buildings and corrals as well as the creamery. A part of the stream was channelled along the hillside in a ditch to the mouth of the coulee and then down a flume to the Pelton wheel, which supplied the power for churning the butter. The clear cold water was also the refrigerant for the cream and butter. Some local help was employed. 

First Creamery 1890

During the time the creamery was in operation, there was no road down the Big Hill Creek valley. The butter was hauled by wagon or democrat across Big Hill Creek through a shallow rocky ford, then south and east along the lower slope of the main valley and then up a narrow dry coulee to the east. From there it was hauled to Calgary, or possibly Mitford, and later Cochrane. Almost no trace of the old trail remains. 

From the northwest there was a trail of sorts that curved steeply down the point of the hill There is a story of one farmer, bringing his cans of cream by team and democrat down the tricky trail, who had the misfortune to have his rig tip over. One can imagine the unfortunate driver, himself dumped down the hill, still clinging to the lines, and trying to keep the spooked team from running away with what was left of his democrat, while his hard-earned cream went spilling down the hill. 

Until the mid-1940s, some evidence of the old creamery was still in existence. Part of the old ditch and parts of old building foundations could still be seen. Some of the sandstone slabs, part of the barn floor, were also visible. 

It seems a shame that the old name “Brealey Springs” was dropped. The name “Big Hill Springs” is not really correct. It is located 5 or 6 miles from the Big Hill. Big Hill Creek got its name from the fact that it enters the Bow Valley at the foot of the Big Hill. 

First Creamery built 1890

The Cochrane Creamery Association and The Cochrane Creamery By James Whittle 

On Saturday, March 13, 1909, Mr. C. Marker, the provincial Dairy Commissioner, held a meeting in Cochrane to provide information about the establishment of a creamery. However, it was not until late in 1910 that things got started in earnest. At that time, the firm of Marlatt & Clark of Fort Atkinson Wisconsin was building a creamery at Cardston. At the invitation of the Cochrane Board of Trade, the firm surveyed farmers and dairymen of the Cochrane district in December 1910 and determined that there was sufficient interest, shareholders willing to put up capital for construction, and farmers with cows to supply the milk. A site was to secured at the west edge of town, at what is now the northwest corner of 1st Street and 5th Avenue. A well was dug, and on Monday, March 20, 1911, construction began. The completed building was opened for inspection i on Monday, May 8, 1911. Meanwhile, The Cochrane I Creamery Association was organized under the provisions of the provincial Dairymen’s Act, the necessary declaration having been filed on April 20, 1911. The first Board was elected at a meeting of the shareholders on May 22, 1911. It consisted of J. Cook, President, N. Phelps, Vice-President, J. A. Campbell, Treasurer, G. A. Stringer, Secretary, and J. C. Craig, W. Steel, W. Milligan, and S. Spicer, Directors. 

The Board had difficulty in arranging for operating funds, with the result that the Creamery did not open for business until the middle of April 1912. By that time, a new Board of Directors was in control, having been elected at the annual meeting of shareholders on February 10. 1912: J.G. Tweed. Earle Whittle. J. A Campbell, J. Cook (President), G. Claxton, D. McEcheren, and S. Spicer. The Creamery was briefly under the management of Mr. L. Pilon, but on May 23 The Cochrane Advocate announced that Mr. J. W. Loughery had taken over. Despite a promising start, the first season was a disaster. A major customer, The Alberta Ice Cream Co., went bankrupt, some produce shipments were not paid for, and some patrons went unpaid for cream delivered. The Creamery closed for the winter at the end of September and did not open for business in 1913. 

In 1914, a fresh start was made. The annual meeting of shareholders on Tuesday, February 3, 1914, elected a Board consisting of Earle H. Whittle, President, J. Campbell, Vice-President, J. Cook, Secretary, and J. Elder and D. Morrison, Directors. Patrons agreed to accept 50 cents on the dollar in settlement of outstanding accounts, and the Creamery opened for business on 

May 18, 1914. The manager for the 1914 and 1915 seasons (the Creamery closed in the winter of 1914-15) was George Neilson, apparently a capable, conscientious creamery man who placed the operation on a solid footing. He aimed to create a steady market by giving the consumer a better grade of butter than they could obtain elsewhere. His high standards raised questions and complaints from local cream producers, but in the issue of September 8, 1915. The Cochrane Advocate reported that Cochrane Creamery butter had won first prize and a gold medal at the Brandon fair. 

Two significant events took place in the fall of 1915. At the beginning of October, George Neilson resigned and Jim Loughery returned, beginning his 20-year tenure as manager. And the Creamery commenced year-round operation, remaining open throughout the winter of 1915-16, and continuously thereafter. A cheque to Sam Spicer dated February 20, 1919, reproduced in Big Hill Country, representing his “2nd Creamery Dividend and Bonus,” indicates that by that time the operation was financially secure. 

The supply of water at the Creamery site soon proved inadequate, and a second well, drilled in February 1917, didn’t solve the problem. So it was decided to move the Creamery to a site west of town, on the east bank of Big Hill Creek. Big Hill Country records that this was Bob Beynon’s “first big carpenter’s job” after he came to Canada in 1920. The move probably took place in the winter of 1920-21, for, at a meeting of the Cochrane Social and Athletic Club on September 14, 1921, the Creamery Association was able to offer the use of the old Creamery site” for the building of a skating rink. 

During the Great Depression in the 1930s, the steady income from the Creamery was sustaining for many farm families in the area. But many shareholders saw better use for their money and sold out to Jim Loughery. Earle Whittle, still the president of the Cochrane Creamery Association, died on November 8, 1936, and Jim Loughery died about the same time. Loughery’s widow Irene emerged as the sole owner of the Creamery. The Association passed from the scene, and the Creamery operated from that point onward as a private business under the name Cochrane Creamery Limited. 

Sydney Reed had joined the staff of the Creamery in 1935 as a butter maker, working with Jim Loughery. When Loughery died, his widow Irene first engaged her brother Sam Atkinson as manager. But Atkinson wished to return to his farm at Bottrel, so, in 1939, Sam and Muriel Peverell moved to Cochrane, and Sam Peverell replaced Sam Atkinson as manager. Sam Peverell was Irene’s nephew, the son of her sister Elizabeth. Peverell and Reed operated the business through the war years and after. When it became apparent that Peverell planned to take over the Creamery (which he did in 1954, purchasing it from his Aunt Irene) Reed moved in 1953 to the creamery in Okotoks, where he worked as butter maker until his death in 1958. 

Sam continued to operate the creamery with his son Brian and they collected many awards for their butter, known quite widely. CCC Butter was the consumer’s choice. 

The churns of the Cochrane Creamery ceased to turn around 1970, and Peverell developed a domestic milk supply and delivery business. In December 1974, he sold the building and business to Mel Roland, who in turn sold out to the provincial government, to round out the boundaries of the Cochrane Ranche Provincial Historic Site, which opened in May 1979. 

The Creamery building was demolished to make way for the Park. But the Cochrane Legacy Statue unveiled on June 17, 2003, the one-hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of the town, includes a reproduction of a Cochrane Creamery Association cream can to serve as an enduring reminder of an institution that for sixty years contributed in an important way to the economy of the Cochrane District.  

Cochrane Creamery

Graham’s Pharmacy

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We hope you’ve enjoyed this months daily dose of history. We have a couple more to tell before month end. Then, we’ll be out enjoying the spring.

This article about Graham’s Pharmacy from “More Big Hill Country” is one of the best stories of small town Cochrane. 

“Big Hill Country” was published in 2009. The story is presented here as it was printed.

In 1955 Bob and Alice Graham sold their home and furnishings in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, packed up their wedding presents, their two red cats and headed to Calgary. They had no idea what the future would hold for them. 

Bob was a pharmacist and Alice was a Registered Nurse. 

The Graham’s purchased Hart’s Drug Store in Cochrane, Alberta, a small town in cattle ranching country, located fifteen miles west of Calgary, Alberta on what was then the number 1 Highway. The pharmacy proved to be the closest thing to a first aid station or emergency ward for the people of Cochrane. The nearest doctors and hospitals were located in Calgary. 

When the new Trans-Canada highway was constructed in 1958 it was a blow to the Town of Cochrane as it would bypass all the communities until it joined the 1A Highway four miles outside of Banff, Alberta. 

The Graham’s chose to remain in Cochrane. They reduced the long hours they had been open from 9 am to 10 pm every day of the week, from 10 am to 6 pm and closed on Sundays and Wednesday afternoons. Most all of the businesses in Cochrane were closed on Wednesday afternoons at that time. 

Ice cream sales, which had been so brisk during the Hart’s time, decreased significantly and a big day for prescriptions never exceeded six to ten. Two-digit figures on the cash register were an everyday occurrence for nearly three years. Although business wasn’t booming their medical knowledge was being tested to the limit. 

The Graham’s had met Dewey Blaney when he was an employee of the Gordon Callaway. Dewey had at one time been a part-time policeman for the village. His job, as the Graham’s knew him, was the official town gravedigger. Periodically the job was too heavy for him so he hired Bert Lancons to help. Bert was never very good on his feet and one morning he fell into a grave, gashing his head. The grave had to be dug on time as Dewey was dedicated to his job. He packed newspapers on Bert’s head to soak up the blood and covered it tightly with a plastic vegetable bag, the only supplies available for such an emergency in Dewey’s tool shed at the cemetery. At noon they finished digging and walked the mile and a half into town to the pharmacy. 

When Alice carefully removed Bert’s skullcap, she was shocked to see another skullcap at least a half-inch thick of congealed blood with the classified section beautifully stamped on it. Underneath that layer was an exposed pumping bleeder. Bert was becoming quite pale so Alice replaced the dressing with pressure and moved them to the back yard, She served them lunch and coffee. They had to wait until 1 p.m. for Dr. John D. Milne to arrive. Dr. Milne did a good job of suturing and they all decided that printer’s ink was an excellent disinfectant! 

It was not unusual for Alice to be kept busy giving injections. The Graham’s boiled many needles and syringes for those who needed their services.

They also took blood pressures as many veterans preferred to stay rather than spend time at home rather than at the  Colonel Belcher Hospital in Calgary. 

The door-to-door and area gratis nursing, when they were called upon, was a challenge and fun but there were a few tragedies as well. 

The Graham’s also worked closely with the Cochrane RCMP. Early one morning Alice was lowered into a small gully near a small bridge in order to recover one local who had fallen asleep at the wheel of his car. He and his wife were returning from British Columbia when the accident occurred. The grateful gentleman and his wife supplied the Graham’s with fresh vegetables from their garden for many years to come. Alice was also paid for small favours with gifts of cream, eggs, chickens, preserves, cakes and plants. She said, “There is no amount of money could replace these gifts.” 

Cochrane’s two-man RCMP Detachment was also a two-bedroom home for Cpl. Len Clevette, his wife and their three children. 

In those days there was no mixed drinking allowed in Calgary bars so people travelled to Cochrane to the local hotel. Many ladies in distress were left on the streets of Cochrane by their companions. When the inebriated ladies passed out in the streets, Len would remove them with the help of passers-by either to the Graham’s living room or to the one cell which had been the third bedroom in the Clevette’s home. One time they picked up one girl, sobered her up in Graham’s living room and Len, in all good faith drove the girl to the city limits and let her out. Two days later in the “Albertan” newspaper Court News, the same lady’s name appeared. To the embarrassment of Len, she stated: “that the Cochrane people and the RCMP were much nicer to her than the City Police.” 

Over a period of two years, tabletop surgery was done in Graham’s home as Dr. Bill Prowse and Dr. Milne carried on many services. One evening a lad was brought in from a pipeline crew. His foot was severed from his leg. The foot was on the floor of the truck. Alice cleaned and bandaged the foot in place while waiting for the ambulance. They also notified the neral Hospital in Calgary. It was a sensational piece of surgery performed by a tremendous group of surgeons. The foot was saved! The patient walked into the store months later with a perfectly good foot. He had only lost two toes. 

Mount St. Francis also experienced Alice’s nursing skills. They made many emergency trips to the Munt. Brother David scalded his legs and feet badly when he was scalding butchered pigs in the fall. Alice did the dressings for him for 8 months.

Free deliveries were also the order of the day. One night the Graham’s were called out at 1 am during a storm to deliver a breach baby girl in the back seat of a car. This was Bob’s first experience at being a nurse’s assistant. There were no streetlights on the side of their premises to aid them in the delivery. The next delivery occurred at 10 am on Main Street. An Indian lady had just left Morley when nature produced a baby across the street from the pharmacy. The little papoose was named Alice by her mother. All went well except that a Chartered Greyhound bus of forty people was parked directly opposite them and all the people watched the entire performance. “Good nursing was a challenge in Cochrane”, said Alice. 

The Graham’s loved animals and many were abandoned on their doorstep. They managed to find homes for most of them but when they built their new pharmacy, they moved the cats into their new quarters which were especially designed for their nine extra permanent pets

 

CHAPS possesses Graham's sign

The new store, Graham’s Pharmacy Ltd. was unlike any other modern-day building. It was a two-storey cement block building; the second storey was the living quarters but it was the pharmacy itself that intrigued customers. It was as large as many chain stores but it had a pleasant mixture of antiques, Indian handicrafts and present-day inventory. 

Cliff and Ben Henry, bachelor brothers who ranched in the Bottrel area, raising Black Aberdeen Angus cattle, were good friends of Bob and Alice. The Henry Brothers knew that the Graham’s were planning on building a new and larger store. Alice and Bob had to promise them that they would build their new store to look old in order to make sure that the farmers would always feel welcome in their work clothes. In addition to this, they suggested that Graham’s preserve some of the artifacts of this district, which they did. 

When we moved into the new store in October 1962 Cliff and Ben arrived carrying two beautiful old framed pictures of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert which their parents had brought to Alberta from the Maritimes in the 1880s. They also brought along an old English Enfield Rifle. The two portraits and the rifle graced the entrance of the pharmacy. Customers were encouraged to enjoy the casual atmosphere which prevailed. Stools and chairs were located near the counter and people enjoyed free cups of coffee and a short visit while their prescriptions and purchases are made. 

When health studies produced data in 1971 that smoking could be dangerous to their health, the Graham’s butted out. They also stopped carrying all tobacco products but their customers could still enjoy their own cigarettes while sipping their coffee. Bob maintained they never lost any business because of their decision. He always said “You can’t be curing them in the dispensary and poisoning them in the other end. It appears that Graham’s Pharmacy was somewhat ahead of its time in 1971. 

Due to health problems, Graham’s Pharmacy closed in 1989. Bob passed away but Alice still lives in her home with her beloved cats.

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Early Livery Stables and Garages

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“More Big Hill Country” has lots of stories of early businesses.

There was a time when most homes in Cochrane had a barn for the horses. There were also several Livery stables in town.

Murphy’s Livery Stable 

The Murphy Livery stable was built next to the Murphy Brothers Hotel in 1898. It appears that the Murphy brothers leased the Livery Stable out to others to operate it. Beynon, Davies and Hewitt are recorded as running the business and in 1910, it was leased to the Quigley Brothers. In 1911, Beynon was operating the Livery and George Raby and Son operated it for a couple of years when Benton Denny took over in 1917. W. Crowe took over in 1918 and ran the business until 1922. As the motorcar began to take over the Livery Stable’s use diminished and the Murphy Livery Stable was torn down and some of the lumber was used to construct the Nelson Cabins. 

Cochrane Livery Stable

This business was located on First Avenue West, today the site of the present Telus Building. Charles Burnham operated here followed by W. Tempany in 1909. Charlie Mickle took over and then in 1913 George Bevan ran the livery stable. In 1915, H. Johnson was running it and it later became the site of Sibbald Motors. This was also the site of C. Linds Barbershop and Pool Room. 

R.A Webster Livery Stable 

Webster’s Livery Stable was situated north of the Cochrane Hotel and was added to the Feed and Flour Mill. 

Cochrane Taxi

 When cars were first introduced into Cochrane you could hire a car and driver from one of the Livery Stables to go to Calgary. In the 1950s Harold Callaway had a taxi service that he operated out of Hart’s Drug Store. Later in 1972, Bob Standen started a taxi service. Les Wigemyr took over the business and ran it for fourteen years and in 1999 Raymond and Donna MacDonald bought the business and ran it until 1994. In 2007, Cochrane Taxi is owned by Ken Wilson and at least two other taxi companies have started up. 

Harness Repair

 Though most livery stables did some repair to harness and other equipment, Mr. Fisher offered repairs in the early days and then in 1924, Nick Cosis, the shoemaker also did harness repairs until the 1950s. Roy Fenton has done a lot of harness work and repair when needed into the 1980s. 

Blacksmith Shops 

George Pitter opened his Blacksmith before moving to Bottrel to operate a Webster owned a Blacksmith Shop in Milne was the “Smithy” also S. Christi from the Morley area where he had a blacksmith shop and bought a shop in Cochrane in 1911. Some of the men who worked for him over the years Fenton, Scotty Allen, George Hope and Geo George “Geordie” Hope then bought the shop from Mr. Christianson in 1916 and operated it until he George Bunney in 1919. Geordie bought the business back in 1922 and ran it until 1928. Dave bought and ran the business until he sold it in 1952. Bob Cudmore operated Pioneer Blacksmith out of the old Murray building. Blacksmith shops have given way to welding shops. Today the only blacksmith work being done is by a farrier or individual farmers or ranchers doing their own. 

Welding

 An original welding shop existed in the old Murphy Brothers livery stable owned by Scotty McConachie. In 1955, S. Wilkinson purchased a portable welder and had a mobile business. O’Neill’s Welding was also in existence in the 1960s. Oatway’s Welding was located across the railway tracks and southeast of the Texas Gate Restaurant. Also, the 1970s saw Town & Country Welding come into town. Garney Baker and his dad started EGB after he had worked for Spray Lake Sawmills. They now service all the welding needs of their customers. 

Automobiles and Repairs 

 Henry Ford and his Model T started a business that allowed nearly everyone to own a car. Cochrane was no exception as Tom Quigley opened a Ford dealership and repair garage on Pope Avenue which was built by  Chapman Brothers in 1911. This replaced the horse and buggy days, which even featured a stagecoach from Cochrane to Bottrel and by George Raby and son William. This usually involved hauling the mail.

 In 1918, Chapman Bros. built their own garage on Main Street, operated by Robert Chapman. He sold Chevrolet vehicles. This business was sold to Marshal Baptie in 1935. Baptie Motors, owned and operated by Marshall Baptie was located on Main Street between 3rd and 4th Avenue. Marshall continued to sell Chevrolet vehicles and later sold Dodge vehicles with BA Gas. In 1950, he was also the dealer for Case Farm Machinery. He operated this garage until the 1960’s when he sold it to his nephew Bob Baptie. Later this business was sold to Bill Thomas and renamed Big Sky Service. The building still exists on 1st Street West and houses Cochrane Valley Automotive. 

 

Bert Sibbald Garage

Bert Sibbald Garage

 In the 1920s Quigley’s Garage was moved to Mountain Street which formed part of the main highway through town. C.E. “Bert” Sibbald operated this service garage called the Regal Service Station. It was sold in 1938 to Clem Colgan. Soon after Imperial Oil, along with Colgan, built across the street on the site of the present Royal Bank. Robbie Webb and John Milligan bought this station in 1940. They sold Esso Gas and Ford cars, Ford Tractors and Farm Machinery to compliment their business. The first car wash was built ” the corner named “The Car Wash” and was a real novelty for the customers. Most residents of the time washed their cars at home using their garden hose and a bucket. Today, times have changed as it is against the law as the dirty water drains into the Town’s sewer system contaminating the rivers, streams and aquifers that supply our freshwater to our homes and businesses. Currently, there are two car washes in town, one of which has a Dog Wash attached. Webb and Milligan sold their Service Station and Garage to Wayne Hilland and Mel Holland in 1966 and they operated it for many years as Bow Ridge Motors. Wayne and Mel switched to selling Datsun (Nissan) cars. A few years later, Ski-doos, Polaris Quads and other recreational vehicles and services were offered until the land was sold to the Royal Bank. Bow Ridge Motors Limited relocated to River Avenue and Griffin Road where it currently operates Bow River Motors and Bow River Sports. 

 

Texaco

In 1930, Texaco built a service station at the west end of Main Street which was operated by Alvin and Maggie Nelson until 1934. Graeme Broatch arrived from Saskatchewan to manage the station and eventually bought it. He operated under the name Cochrane Auto. 

Service and sold Plymouth, Dodge and Fargo Vehicles. Graeme also operated full mechanic services for over 40 years. In 1939, Graeme added tourist cabins to his business. 

Imperial Oil had an Esso Bulk Plant operated by Charles Grayson in the 1940s. In 1946, Charles sold to Ed Raby, who operated the business until about 1958. Ed sold the business to Lorne Helmig and he operated it delivering bulk fuel to the many farms and ranches in the Big Hill Country. 

Whittle Implements had been selling International Trucks as far back as the 1940s, including the four-wheel-drive Scout. This business closed in 1978. Eventually, the car dealers separated from the gas stations and Tire Shops, Autobody Repair, paint shops, repair garages and gas bars with convenience stores emerged. 

Restaurants and Cafes

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Restaurants and Cafes narrated by Gordon Davies

Elite Café 

George A. Bevan built this building and ran a confectionery and fruit store. Jack Beynon took over the building, made it longer and started a restaurant, serving meals but also maintaining the confectionary. Jack’s wife Annie did the cooking. Jack left to join the war efforts in 1915. There is mention of a Cochrane Restaurant in 1918 operated by Charley Sing and in 1924 there was a Club Café. These may have been in the same building as Jack Beynon’s restaurant. The Braucht family came to Cochrane in 1925 and they were operating the Elite Café when the Fisher Block burned down and almost took the café with it. This family also mentions they had the Rose Café in Cochrane after 1930. In the 1930s the Kwongs ran the Elite Café and in 1946 it was purchased by Bill Sinclair. The Elite Café was a family affair advertising “the Biggest Ice Cream Cones in Town, Take-out Fried Chicken Dinners and Deluxe Hamburgers.” The building was then sold to Gordon Hinther and run as a Chinese Restaurant “Seven Stars”. In the late 1960’s R.E. Moore purchased the café and old butcher shop, demolished them and added an addition to his Modern Supermarket. 

Elite Cafe

White Café 

Stanley and Ruth Waters came from Calgary to Cochrane in 1920. They rented a business section in the Chester Block (Howard Block) and started the White Café. Ruth stated, “We were busy from the first day.” They also enjoyed the Cochrane Races and ran a refreshment booth there. 

Mrs. Allan’s Tea Room 

In 1924, Sam and Marion (Minnie) Allan took over the Tea Room and Confectionary from Ruth Webster that was located in the Cochrane Hotel and later they moved the Tea Room to a Building right next store and to the west of the Hotel. (presently the Hotel Parking Lot). They advertised “Lunches Put Up For Tourists”. They operated Mrs. Allan’s Tea Room until 1942 when they sold it to Enid Gammon. She sold the business to the McCurdy’s in 1949 who in turn sold it to the Steinmetz family in 1955. The Steinetz’s renamed Allan’s Tea Room, the “Chinook Café – Home of Fine Foods.” They also made the café larger when Mr. Brodie sold them his barbershop space that was in their half of the building. The Chinook Café was then run by Ellen Bryant in the late 1950s. 

Range Grill 

This café was located behind the Cochrane Hotel and the building is still standing. It was built by Eustace Bowhay and he sold it to the Sailors in 1945. Later Laura Kells purchased the business and ran the Coffee Bar. Yvonne (Blow) Callaway worked for Laura and in 1952 Yvonne’s mother Mabel Blow ran the business while renting the building. Laura returned to operate the business in 1958 and renamed it the Range Grill. It was a popular place for teenagers and Laura was a wonderful mentor to them. Then the Fraser family ran the café for a short while. Laura sold the business to Gus Graff in 1966, who in turn sold it in 1967 to the Veselic Family and the restaurant was renamed the “Ponderosa”. 

Cochrane Café 

“Charlie’s” Café was located on Main Street on the west side of the Kerfoot and Downs Hardware and in the 1960s – 1980s it was a very busy place. Charlie Quon and his family operated this café until the early 1980s. Their son Harvey graduated from Cochrane High School. Later it was sold and expanded to the west and is presently called Cochrane Café. 

 

 

Cochrane Cafe

Kissin Kuzzin’s 

When the Cochrane Valley Centre was built in the late 1970s a lovely restaurant called the Kissin Kuzzins was located on the top floor. It had a lovely view and Banquet Rooms. It was a different kind of restaurant for Cochrane and much enjoyed by all. It remained for quite a few years and then was sold and became the Pheasant Plucker Restaurant. In the 1990’s it was closed and the area became the Cochrane Fitness Business. 

The Home Quarter Restaurant 

In the former Foodmaster Store Joan and Clarence Longeway opened the Home Quarter Restaurant on 1st Street. It was a great asset to the dining experience in Cochrane. It welcomed families with children, the day time coffee clubs and the afternoon tea crowd as well as opening early in the morning and catching the breakfast crowd. In about 1991, Joan and Clarence renovated the Home Quarter and added a Fine Dining Area to their already very popular restaurant. Saturday night roast beef and their great homemade pies were a favourite. The Dining Room was also booked for many weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions. This restaurant is now HQ Coffee Emporium. 

With the increase of people moving to Cochrane due to the Jumping Pound, Petro Fina gas Plants and Spray Lakes Sawmills, the town of Cochrane businesses expanded. The 4th Avenue Mall added a new Drug Store and Dry Cleaners among other needed businesses and the Cochrane Valley Shopping Centre held a new supermarket the IGA, a Dress Shop and many other permanent businesses so that much of the shopping in the Town and surrounding districts could be done in Cochrane. 

A1 Drive Inn 

The first Drive In to come to Cochrane, the A1 Drive-In was opened in 1968 by Irene and Bill Hawes. It was a great novelty for the high school kids to leave campus at noon and go down and get a hamburger for lunch or even stop in after school. Take out was a new thing for the residents of Cochrane and area and very popular. The Hawes’ operated the Drive-In for a short time before selling it to Joan Wong in the early 1970s. Joan is still operating in 2008 on 6th Avenue and the highway, across from the IGA. Today there are numerous places to get a fast-food fix. A&W, Dairy Queen, Tim Hortons and most Gas Stations have food to go. 

Alfred Callaway Family of Brushy Ridge

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Fred Callaway recently contacted CHAPS about 2 family histories and a history of Cochrane.  This is Harry Johnson’s recollections of the Callaway and Johnson families. 

The photos are from CHAPS archives of the Brushy Ridge area. Mr. Johnsons history was typed in upper case on very thin paper. We’ve converted it to an electronic format but left the case as we found it. The feature image is of the Brushy Ridge school in 1940.

It’s a great story of the hardships and joys of homesteading in the area.

THE ALFRED CALLAWAY FAMILY

ALFRED ERNEST CALLAWAY WAS BORN AT BRUSHY RIDGE IN 1908, THE YOUNGEST SON OF E.J. CALLAWAY. HE LIVED ON THE “HOME PLACE” UNTIL AFTER HIS FATHER’S DEATH. IN 1932 HE MOVED TO THE NE Sec. 15 AND SET Sec. 22. THE FOLLOWING YEAR HE MARRIED MIRIAM JOHNSON WHO WAS TEACHING AT BRUSHY RIDGE SCHOOL AT THAT TIME. IN 1938 A DAUGHTER, LOIS, WAS BORN AND THE NEXT YEAR A SON, FRED, ARRIVED. LOIS ATTENDED BRUSHY RIDGE SCHOOL FOR ONE YEAR WHILE MURRAY CARMACK WAS TEACHER THERE. BECAUSE OF THE SHORTAGE OF TEACHERS, MIRIAM HAD TO RETURN TO TEACHING

IN 1944 WHEN FRED WAS READY TO START SCHOOL. BRUSHY RIDGE SCHOOL WAS CLOSED AND ALL HAD TO ATTEND LITTLE JUMPING POUND SCHOOL. THE FOLLOWING VEAR LITTLE JUMPING POUND SCHOOL WAS CLOSED AND ALL ATTENDED BRUSHY RIDGE SCHOOL FROM BOTH JUMPING POUND AND BRUSHY RIDGE. IN 1946 MARIAM WENT TO TEACH IN COCHRANE AND TOOK LOIS AND FRED TO ATTEND SCHOOL THERE.

Brushy Ridge 1947

IN 1948, BECAUSE OF ILL HEALTH, ALFRED WAS FORCED TO LEAVE THE FARM.

HE SOLD THE PLACE TO LAURIE EDGE AND MOVED TO COCHRANE, WHERE HE WORKED FOR WILLIAM ANDISON, GENERAL MERCHANT. IN 1951 ALFRED AND HIS FAMILY MOVED TO CALGARY WHERE HE WORKED FOR UNIVERSAL MOTORS AND OWNED THE “WARDROBE” DRY GOODS STORE. IN 1952, BECAUSE OF ILL HEALTH, THE STORE HAD TO BE SOLD. MARIAM CALLAWAY B.ED. BEGAN TEACHING IN CALGARY WHERE SHE TAUGHT UNTIL HER RETIREMENT IN 1974.

LOIS CALLAWAY B.ED., A.R.C.T., A.T.C.M., A.W. BD. IS NOW ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL IN CALGARY, WHILE FRED CALLAWAY C.A. IS MANAGER OF THE SPECIAL PROJECTS  DEPARTMENT FOR HUDSON’S BAY OIL AND GAS.

LOIS MARRIED DOUGLAS W. BROWN B.ED., M.A., AN INSTRUCTOR AL S.A.I.T.  THEY HAVE TWO CHILDREN DOUGLAS STEVEN AND KRISTA ANNE.  FRED MARRIED ELIZABETH PATRICIA CHIVERS. THEY HAVE TWO BOYS PATRICK BOYD AND MICHAEL DEAN.

THE JOHNSON’S AT BRUSHY RIDGE

COMING TO COCHRANE IN 1920 IT MIGHT BE SAID THAT THE JOHNSON’S WERE SOME  THING OF “JOHNNIE COME LATELIES” TO THE DISTRICT BUT MEMBERS OF OUR FAMILY WERE AMONG THE EARLY PIONEERS IN ALBERTA.

THE FIRST INTERESTS OF THE FAMILY IN CANADA I SUPPOSE WERE AROUSED WHEN WILLIAM AND REBECCA PECK (DISTANT RELATIVES) LEFT KNOTTINGLEY, YORKSHIRE ABOUT 1880 FOR THE GREAT WEST. THEIR JOURNEY OVER THE OCEAN AND BY WAGON ACROSS CANADA TOOK THEM THREE MONTHS.

THEY EVENTUALLY HOMESTEADED IN THE DIDSBURY DISTRICT JUST 1/2 MILE NORTH OF WHERE THE TOWN IS NOW.

MRS. PECKS BROTHER SYKES TAYLOR WITH HIS 14 YEAR OLD SON SYKES FOLLOWED THEM IN 1883 REACHING CALGARY JUST AFTER THE RAILROAD HAD BEEN COMPLETED TO THE OUTPOST

HIS WIFE MARIA WHO WAS MY MOTHER’S AUNT, AND INCIDENTALLY OUR REAL CONNECTION WITH THE NEW WORLD, FOLLOWED HIM IN 1984 WITH THEIR FIVE OTHER CHILDREN, WHICH MUST HAVE BEEN QUITE AN UNDERTAKING FOR A WOMAN ALONE IN THOSE DAYS.

THEY HOMESTEADED ON THE NORTH HILL WHERE 16TH AVENUE IS TODAY BUT LATER GAVE THAT LAND UP.

In 1885 SYKES TAYLOR SENIOR DIED AND WAS THE FIRST MAN BURIED IN BURNSLAND CEMETERY, THERE BEING JUST ONE LITTLE GIRL BURIED THERE BEFORE HIM.

AFTER THE FUNERAL AUNT MARIA TAYLOR WAS IN THE OLD ALBERTA HOTEL AND MR. NI BLOCK, A C.P.R. OFFICIAL, SEEING THAT SHE WAS IN DISTRESS ENQUIRED WHAT HER TROUBLE WAS AND FINDING THAT SHE WAS WIDOWED, OFFERED HER A JOB COOKING FOR THE SECTION GANG AT MORLEY, MR. TOM BATEMAN OF JUMPING POUND TOLD ME THAT ALL THE COWBOYS WOULD HEAD FOR MRS. TAYLORS TO GET A GOOD MEAL WHEN THEY WERE IN THE AREA.

LATER, HER SON SYKES HOMESTEADED AT BRUSHY RIDGE AND IN 1908 MY UNCLE, HERBERT RHODES, CAME OUT FROM YORKSHIRE TO WORK FOR HIS COUSIN SYKES AND HOME ON THE HILL ON SECTION 18.

IN 1915 HE GAVE THE QUARTER SECTION TO HIS BROTHER CHARLES, JOINED THE ARMY AND WAS KILLED IN FRANCE IN 1916. HIS BROTHER TOM CAME IN 1910 AND THE REST OF THE FAMILY IN 1912.

MY FATHER, MOTHER, MY SISTER MIRIAM AND I CAME TO CANADA IN 1920.

DAD GOT A JOB AT W.H. CUSHING’S FACTORY IN EAST CALGARY AND STAYED THERE FOR OVER 10 YRS.

MY FIRST JOB IN THE DISTRICT WAS HAVING ON PHIL KASTER’S PLACE ON SECTION 13. LATER I STACKED GREEN FEED FOR MR. R. COPITHORNE. THAT FALL WE  THRESHED KASTER’S AND RHODE’S CROP WITH AN OLD SEPARATOR POWERED FROM A POWER TAKE OFF FROM AN OLD MODEL T FORD CAR.

BILLY VOWERS LIVED WITH HIS FATHER ON NW 10. MR. VOWELS WAS VERY SICK AND DIED SHORTLY AFTER WE ARRIVED. JERGEN MESSER WENT TO COCHRANE FOR THE CASKET WITH A DEMOCRAT. THE ROAD ACROSS COCHRANE FLAT WAS NOTHING BUT BIG BOULDERS AND WHEN HE HOT BACK HOME THE BOTTOM OF THE CASKET HAD FALLEN OUT AND THEY HAD TO DO A REPAIR JOB. IN THOSE DAYS THE BRIDGE OVER THE BOW WAS DIRECTLY SOUTH OF COCHRANE TOUCHING THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE RIVER BETWEEN GEORGE BUNNY’S AND GEORGE RATRAY’S PLACES.

IN 1921 I HIRED OUT TO SYKES TAYLOR FOR A YEAR FOR $300.00 THEN AFTER WORKING IN DIFFERENT PLACES DAD AND I, IN 1927 BOUGHT THE SW OF SECTION 16 FROM MR. ISAAC HUGHES, HE HAVING HOMESTEADED IN 1904. MR. HUGHES LIVED IN COCHRANE BUT DIED SHORTLY AFTER FROM GAS FUMES HE INHALED WHILE SOLDERING THE FURNACE PIPES IN BILLY ANDISONS NEW STORE.

I BATCHED FOR A WHILE THEN MOTHER CAME OUT TO THE FARM AND MIRIAM STAYED IN CALGARY TO TOOK FOR DAD AND CONTINUE HER SCHOOLING. WE CONTINUED THIS ARRANGEMENT FOR THREE OR FOUR YEARS THEN DAD CAME TO THE FARM WHEN THE DEPRESSION HIT CALGARY AND CUSHING’S MILL WAS FORCED TO CLOSE.

1927 WAS THE YEAR OF THE GREAT HAIL STORM AND THE ONLY YEAR WE WERE EVER HAILED OUT.

IT IS THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH THAT THERE WERE HAIL STONES AS BIG AND THE SHAPE OF QUART SEALERS, JUST CHUNKS OF ICE. WE WERE JUST ON THE EASTERN EDGE OF THE STORM. ALEX CALLAWAY, ON THE NEXT QUARTER EAST, GOT VERY LITTLE BUT FURTHER WEST THERE WERE SEVERAL CATTLE KILLED BY THE STONES. DAVE LAWSON AND FRANK SYBALD WERE CAUGHT IN IT AND HAD TO TAKE SHELTER UNDER A STACKER BUT ONE STONE HIT DAVE ON THE FOOT AND BROKE BONES.

TED HARRISON’S SHACK NOT ONLY HAD THE SHINGLES BROKEN OFF BUT SEVERAL OF THE ROOF BOARDS WERE BROKEN BY THE STONES. BUCK COPE PICKED UP FIVE WHICH FILLED A WASHBASIN.

WE LOST ABOUT FIFTY CHICKENS AND SOME OF THE COWS HAD THEIR HIDE BROKEN.

WE HAD A DANDY CROP OF BARLEY ABOUT 4 FEET HIGH AND IT DISAPPEARED INTO THE GROUND.

THIS STORM OCCURRED IN JULY, TWO DAYS AFTER THE GRAND VALLEY DISTRICT HAD A BAD STORM.

IN 1929 I GOT YOUNG TREES AND CUTTINGS FROM THE GOVERNMENT STATION AT INDIAN HEAD AND PLANTED A WIND BREAK WEST OF THE BUILDINGS. THEY DID WELL AND MADE A GREAT SHELTER.

IN 1929 THE DEPRESSION HIT OUR AREA ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE COUNTRY. PRICES FOR OUR PRODUCTS DROPPED DRASTICALLY. BUTTERFAT WENT DOWN TO 12 CENTS A POUND, EGGS FETCHED FIVE CENTS A DOZEN AND WE HAULED HOGS TO CALGARY FOR AS LOW AS TWO CENTS A POUND.

ON TOP OF THESE LOW PRICES THE AREA WAS SUFFERING FROM A SERIES OF DRY YEARS WHICH LASTED UNTIL 1937.

IN 1932 A GROUP OF TABLE CREAM SHIPPERS GOT TOGETHER AND FORMED THE COCHRANE AND DISTRICT TABLE CREAM PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION.

TED CALLAWAY WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT AND I WAS SECRETARY OUR FIRST OBJECTIVE WAS TO TRY TO BE RELIEVED FROM THE BARN IMPROVEMENT REGULATIONS WHICH WERE BEING FORCED UPON MILK PRODUCERS BY THE CALGARY CITY HEALTH BOARD.

LOUIS NICOLL AND MYSELF APPEARED BEFORE THE COUNCIL AND RECEIVED A FAVOURABLE HEARING BUT THE CHIEF HEALTH OFFICER, A DR. GOW, PUT A MONKEY WRENCH INTO THE WORKS AND EVERY ONE HAD TO COMPLY OR QUIT SHIPPING TO THE TABLE CREAMTRADE.

ALL FLOORS HAD TO BE CEMENTED AND THERE HAD TO BE 8 FEET FROM THE FLOOR TO THE CEILING AND 2 SQUARE FEET OF WINDOW FOR EVERY ANIMAL. MANY OF THE BARNS HAD ONLY 7 OR 7 FEET OF SPACE AND THE LOFT FLOORS HAD TO BE RAISED TO COMPLY WITH THE REGULATIONS.

THIS CAUSED A LOT OF EXPENSE TO THE DAIRYMEN AT A TIME WHEN THERE WAS NO MONEY TO SPEND.

IN 1933 THE CALGARY MILK PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION MADE APPLICATION TO HAVE THEIR PRODUCT PUT UNDER PUBLIC UTILITY CONTROL. WE HEARD WHAT WAS AFOOT AND ARRANGED TO JOIN FORCES WITH THAT GROUP. WE MET IN A ROOM IN THE CALGARY PUBLIC LIBRARY AND FORMED THE CALGARY AND DISTRICT MILK AND INSPECTED CREAM PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION. I MIGHT JUST MENTION HERE THAT THE RENT FOR THE HALL WAS TWO DOLLARS AND THOUGH THE PLACE WAS FULL THE HAT HAD TO BE PASSED AROUND TWICE BEFORE THEY COULD GET ENOUGH TO COVER THE RENT, MONEY WAS SO SCARCE.

TED CALLAWAY AND I WERE ELECTED TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND BOTH OF US SERVED FOR OVER 10 YEARS. THE TIME FOR THE HEARING BEFORE THE ALBERTA SUPREME COURT FOR OUR PETITION EVENTUALLY ARRIVED AND THE DISTRIBUTORS BATTLED US TOOTH AND NAIL FOR EIGHT DAYS BUT IN THE END, WE WON OUR CASE AND SAVED THE PRODUCERS FROM THE MONOPOLISTIC GRIP OF THE DISTRIBUTORS.

FOLLOWING SEVERAL APPLICATIONS TO THE COMMISSION FOR INCREASES IN PRICE  OF MILK AND TABLE CREAM BASED ON OUR COST OF PRODUCTION, WE SUCCEEDED IN HAVING THE PRICE OF MILK RAISED TO $2.60 PER 100 LBS. AND TABLE CREAM TO 40 CENTS PER LB. BUTTERFAT.

AFTER THE WAR STARTED IN 1939 CONDITIONS IMPROVED IN CALGARY AND MOST OF THE TABLE CREAM PRODUCERS IN OUR AREA STARTED SHIPPING WHOLE MILK TO THE CITY.

MIRIAM AND ALFRED CALLAWAY WERE MARRIED IN CALGARY APRIL 17, 1933 AND THE NIGHT BEFORE WE HAD A TREMENDOUS SNOWSTORM. 17 TOOK US EIGHT HOURS TO GET TO CALGARY.

IN JULY 1934 I WAS BADLY GORED BY A BULL, RECEIVING INJURIES WHICH EVENTUALLY FORCED ME IN 1947 TO LEAVE THE FARM AND SEEK LIGHT WORK.

I WAS PUTTING UP HAY ON JOHN PARK’S PLACE AT THE TIME AND THE NEIGHBOURS FORMED A BEE AND FINISHED THE HAYING FOR ME.

1936 WAS THE DRIEST YEAR WE EVER EXPERIENCED. ALL THE CROPS HAD TO BE CUT WITH A MOWER AND EVERYBODY SCRAPED A BIT OF HAY WHERE EVER THEY COULD, THEN ON NOVEMBER 19 A FIRE, WHICH HAD BEEN BURNING FOR SEVERAL DAYS IN THE FOOTHILLS, FANNED BY A 90 MILE AN HOUR WIND BROKE OUT INTO THE OPEN COUNTRY. BY THE TIME IT GOT TO THE BRUSHY RIDGE DISTRICT IT WAS NEARLY SIX MILES WIDE. WATCHERS STAND ING ON COCHRANE HILL SAID THAT AFTER IT CROSSED THE JUMPING POUND CREEK IT TOOK BUT THREE MINUTES TO COVER THE FIVE MILES TO BRUSHY RIDGE SCHOOL.

ALONG WITH EVERYONE ELSE, WE LOST ALL OUR FEED. THE BARN WAS BURNT WITH 17 PUREBRED REGISTERED COWS BUT WE MANAGED TO SAVE OUR HOUSE. SEVEN HOUSES AND BARNS WERE BURNT IN THE HOLOCAUST.

WE HAD A HARD TO ME MAKING THINGS MEET THAT WINTER BUT THEN OUR LUCK CHANGED AND THINGS WENT RIGHT FOR US.

WITH 1937 THE WETTER YEARS RETURNED AND WE HAD GOOD CROPS EVERY YEAR AFTER.

FOLLOWING THE FIRE | WORKED WITH BILL BATEMAN REPLACING BURNT TELEPHONE POLES.I GOT 25 CENTS AN HOUR AND WAS GLAD TO GET IT BECAUSE MONEY WAS SO SCARCE. WE WENT HOME EVERY NIGHT AS BLACK AS COAL. THE PHONE SYSTEM AT THAT TIME BELONGED TO THE PEOPLE IN THE AREA, IT HAVING BEEN FORCED UPON THEM BY THE ABERHARDT ADMINISTRATION.

LATER ALF CALLAWAY AND I WORKED FOR A CONTRACTOR BUILDING THE NEW BRUSHY RIDGE SCHOOL. THIS BUILDING WAS LATER MOVED FROM THE DISTRICT WHEN THE GOVERNMENT INTRODUCED THE BUSSING SYSTEM.

AFTER PUTTING IN THE CROP I BUILT A NEW BARN WITH THE HELP OF SOME NEIGHBOURS AND THE EXPERTISE OF BOB CHAPMAN OF COCHRANE.

THAT SPRING A FRIEND LOANED ME SOME MONEY AND I BOUGHT FOUR REGISTERED  HOLSTIENS FROM MAURICE GIFFEN, A DEALER, AND WHEN WE SOLD OUT IN 1947 WE SOLD OVER 30 HEAD OF REGISTERED ANIMALS.

FROM 1920 TO 1947, TWENTY ODD YEARS, LIKE EVERYONE ELSE IN THOSE TIMES WE HAD LOTS OF TROUBLES AND MANY JOYS.

WE WORKED HARD, SOMETIMES FOR VERY LITTLE REWARD BUT THOSE YEARS WERE A PART OF OUR LIVES WE WOULDN’T WANT TO HAVE MISSED. WE HAD LOTS OF GOOD TIMES BOTH IN THE OLD BRUSHY RIDGE SCHOOL AND THE JUMPING POUND HALL.

WE MADE MANY TRUE FRIENDS DURING THAT TIME WHO WERE, AND STILL ARE, WILLING TO SHARE IN OUR SET BACKS AND REJOICE IN OUR GOOD FORTUNE.

I CLEARED BUSH AND BROKE SOD AND FEEL THAT IN SOME SMALL MEASURE THE JOHNSON’S HELPED TO MAKE THE AREA A SOMEWHAT BETTER PLACE WHEN WE LEFT THAN WHEN WE CAME

HARRY JOHNSON

To the Outhouse – Sondra Corff

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In 2005 Barry Thorson approached CHAPS with an idea to record stories from Cochranites. This is Sondra Corffs story of seasonal and life changes that brought her to Cochrane and her rustic home.

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The Kitchen Queen – Jo Hutchinson

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Our old cookstove was called “Kitchen Queen.” What a suitable name for the appliance that indeed reigned over our house! 

My parents bought their Queen at one of Joe Taylor’s first auction sales. She was huge, measuring about eight feet from warming ledge to the reservoir. It must have been a fair load in the wagon coming home from the sale, for she was solidly built, and I can’t think how they got her into the house. 

A temperamental lady, she had to be continually fed with firewood. Not too damp, or would smoke sulkily; not too dry, lest she flares up and threatens to set fire to accumulated soot in the chimney. She disdained green poplar wood, requiring that it be dried in her oven before it was offered to her for consumption

 Unlike the Quebec heater in the sitting room, whose warm smile gleamed through the mica windows in its door, day and night Queen refused to work over refused to work overtime and loathed a lump of coal. No amount of persuasion with the bellows would coax her to burn the stuff. She refused to burn even paper until her ashes were emptied, and once a week her flues had to be carefully scraped clean of soot. Not satisfied with being clean, the Queen would threaten to rust if she were not polished to a shiny black with stove blacking and plenty of elbow grease. 

My mother was the Queen’s Lady in Waiting. She learned how to coax the Queen to maintain the right oven temperature; the correct size, shape and type of firewood was her only thermostat. Mother persuaded her to simmer a pot of beans, or keep a meal hot in the warming closet, or warm a pan of curds for cottage cheese on a little shelf between the top of the stove and the warming closet. A pan of bread dough, or cold toes, were gently warmed on the Queen’s ledge above the ash box. With Mother’s patient handling she turned out the most delicious food, from delicate eclairs to sturdy stews. 

I often used to think that the Queen liked to torment me on hot summer days. She seemed quite willing to keep the irons almost red hot, as long as I stayed alongside her to also keep red hot while I did the ironing. 

Our Queen’s reservoir was versatile; if kept replenished, it could provide boiling water on the baking day or ice cubes on a winter morning. Once it sprung a leak; that was a major catastrophe and the Queen seemed to remind us of her importance in our lives every time we heated water in a wash boiler on her lids. 

Yes, our Kitchen Queen was important.” pungent aroma of a wood stove and the delicious flavour it imparted to food cooked on its top or the oven, are part of my cherished memory of the past.

Gathering wood

Chinook

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The feature image is the familiar view of the chinook arch as seen from Big Hill Country.

THE CHINOOK – by Margaret Maw 

There is a mannerism peculiar to the people who live in Southern Alberta, which consists of a sudden jerk of the head as they scan the southwestern horizon. This is caused by a phobia called “Chinookitis,” and it’s very noticeable on a frosty day. These people don’t cringe into their coat collars, or frown at the icy road, for they are intent on detecting that lovely belt of sky-blue light which is the forerunner of a warm Chinook wind. 

A great deal of Alberta folklore centres around the Chinook. An Indian legend runs that Chinook was a beautiful maiden who wandered from the tribe, and was lost in the mountains of the southwest. The bravest warriors searched for her without avail, but one day a soft and gentle wind blew from the west. The Indians gazed at each other and whispered, “It is the breath of our beautiful Chinook.” The tales of the pioneers lack this poetic whimsy. For instance, one of them claims he was running a dog team into Calgary on a cold day. A chinook started to blow and while the lead dogs were plunging through deep snow, those behind were smothered in dust. Then there was a man who tied his team to a post sticking up; in came the  Chinook, and in the morning his horses were dangling from a church steeple!.   These tall tales illustrate in their own way, the rapidity with which cold and snow disappear in the path of a Chinook wind. 

These sudden warm winds which raise the temperature as much as fifty degrees in a few hours are not only peculiar to Alberta, they are also experienced in Greenland and Switzerland. The simplest explanation of a Chinook is that when a mass of warm air moves inland from the Pacific, it is forced upwards by the Rocky Mountains. Then as it drops downward towards the Alberta plains the pressure increases, since the air is denser at lower altitudes. Every one thousand feet the air descends, warms the temperature by 5.4 degrees, thus the temperature of air that is forced down ten thousand feet rises fifty-four degrees. 

Living in the banana belt isn’t always popular with the youngsters who like winter sports, and many older people blame their aches and pains on these sudden changes in temperature. Trees and shrubs too, suffer occasionally from too much June in January, but most people agree that it makes a pleasant break in the long winter season. 

The Chinook area in Alberta extends south beyond the United States border, runs north to Found Olds, and east to Medicine Hat. It’s a weather freak, a mixed blessing, but when the weather forecast is for a “warm, dry wind from the southwest” — when the sky lights up with an arch of heavenly blue, and the air becomes as spring, well – it’s pleasant weather! 

Rural Post Offices in Big Hill Country

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Feature image is of Caldbeck, located at the home of Mr. and Mrs. James Patterson, Grand Valley. 

BIG HILL COUNTRY RURAL POST OFFICES  – Big Hill Country

The early ranchers and homesteaders led an extremely lonely life. The solitude was especially hard for their wives; they seldom left the shack which was their home and often did not see another woman for months. 

Little wonder. then, that mail from “Home”. was a treasure to be read and re-read. In addition to the letters which were the only contact with loved ones and friends in the outside world”, supplies were ordered by mail long before the advent of the Eaton’s Catalogue. Yard goods, ready-made garments, furniture, household supplies, tools, machinery, often groceries and medicines, luxuries such as books or music, all were ordered by mail by early settlers in many parts of the West. 

Many settlers lived a great distance from the nearest railway and established a post office, and received their mail, perhaps, only a few times a year. Thus it was that as an area became inhabited by sufficient settlers to warrant the establishment of a local post office, the Dominion Government was petitioned for such a service. 

The period from 1890 to 1910 saw a number of rural post offices opened in Big Hill Country. They remained open either until the population for some reason did not warrant their continuation or until roads and transportation improvements allowed the residents of the area to travel to a larger center, where stores and other facilities were available, as well as a post office. In other cases, rural mail delivery was started along the main roads.

The following rural post offices were operated throughout Big Hill Country for varying periods of time: 

  • Caldbeck, located at the home of Mr. and Mrs. James Patterson, Grand Valley. 
  • Lochend, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. J. K. Laidlaw. 
  • Inglis, at A. McCrady’s house. It is rather surprising that Inglis and Lochend Post Offices were only about six miles apart, although the area was not thickly settled. 
  • Bradbourne, later moved a short distance and re-named Dog Pound. 
  • Bottrel, located in the store first opened by J. T. Boucher, and in operation until 1969. 
  • Sampsonton, re-located at Madden with the coming of the railway in 1931.
Bottrel Post Masters

Mining in Cochrane

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The feature image is of the Miner’s shacks at Mitford.

MINING IN THE COCHRANE AREA — by M. E. Spicer 

Several attempts at mining coal took place over the years in the Cochrane area. Most of the mines were abandoned within a short period of time. First ones to search for coal in the area, as far as there is any record of, were Albert McMasters, Charles Bannatyne and Walter Elliot. No doubt others searched for it prior to the railway coming through. In 1885 several efforts were made to establish coal mines in the area, and one gentleman by the name of Chaffey, purchased mining rights in what was known as the “Big Hill” location and he formed the Bow River Mining Company. The Big Hill location was the name given to a promising coal site on the south side of the Bow River, opposite the mouth of Coal Creek. A coal seam was struck a few feet below the surface. In 1886 Mr. Chaffey went into partnership with Mr. Merrill and a short time later Mr. Chaffey dropped out of the Company. The mine was not a success and late in 1886 it flooded.

 In January 1887, Merrill removed the machinery and abandoned the mine. The location was sold to J. W. Vaughan who tried mining some coal from it but, late in 1887, he abandoned the mine also. He started prospecting on the north side of the river around the mouth of Coal Creek and soon found a promising seam just east of the creek about three-quarters of a mile above its mouth. A shaft was sunk but Mr. Vaughan was faced with the problem of transporting the coal from the mine to the railway. 

The Betsy Rail Line passed a short distance north of the mine and this seemed the obvious solution to the transportation problem. In June 1888, Tom Cochrane and Algernon St. Maur purchased two-thirds interest in the mine and constructed a spur line from the mine to the sawmill track.

In 1890 W. Vaughan evidently sold out his interest in the mine because records show that at a later date the mine was leased to J. H. McNeil. The mine was abandoned in 1890. The slag pile from this mine can still be seen from the 1A Highway west of Cochrane, at Coal Creek. 

In 1908 a mine was opened up on Section 13-26 5-5, by Mitford Collieries Ltd. This mine was known as the Valerie Mine. J. Russell and D. Gray were the mine managers and the mine surveyor was F. Bell. The mine was shut down in 1915 with a total production of 20,532 tons. 

In 1917 a mine was opened on 17-26-5-5, known as the Radnor mine. The owner was H. E. Lyon with manager J. C. Greenwood. It was abandoned in April 1919, as the water broke into the mine. The total production was 150 tons.

Phillips and Company Ltd. opened a mine on 18-26-5-5 in 1917. The mine manager was John Robertson. It was closed down September 1918, with a total production of 25 tons. 

Bonnie Brae Coal Company opened a mine on 6-26-4-5 in October 1911. The mine manager was S. D. McCorkindale; 283 tons were mined and it was shut down in 1912 because the machinery needed replacing and there was a shortage of funds to continue operation. The same mine was reopened in 1924 by W. M. McGlashing. He took out 227 tons. The mine flooded and funds to operate it ran out so it was closed down. 

In 1932 Western General Agencies opened a mine on 19-25-4-5. The manager was C. C. Walker. This location was on the Jumping Pound. There is no record of any coal being mined and it was abandoned in 1933. 

Duncan Shelly operated the stone quarries north of Cochrane. He tested a number of outcroppings and in 1908 he opened up a stone quarry. The outcroppings were along the northwest side of the valley of Big Hill Creek. The formation of stone mined from the quarries yielded the finest of building stone. The stone was buff in type, but there were variations in grain and colour. The workings were about one and a half miles north of Cochrane at a considerable elevation above the creek. Desirable stone was only found in the upper zone. Considerable overburden and a lot of stone that was of no value, plus the steepness of the banks, restricted development to numerous small openings in the escarpment.

The offices and the cutting plant were located in Calgary. Mr. Shelly advertised in England for stone cutters and masons but he also hired local men to work in the quarry. In the summers of 1911, 1912, and 1913, three quarries were in operation and two hundred men were employed. 

Transportation of the stone to the railway was a big problem. The stone had to be hauled to Cochrane and loaded on cars to go into Calgary to the cutting plant. A large number of buildings in Alberta were built using stone from the Shelly Quarries; among some of the buildings are several schools in Calgary. Some of the sandstone buildings have been torn down but there are still some left in the City, for people to admire. The quarries started closing down in 1918 and by the early twenties were completely closed down. 

Water Wells and Witching for Water

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WATER WELLS AND WITCHING FOR WATER  – Big Hill Country

The early settlers arriving in Big Hill Country found it very important to find a good source of water near which to build. The water supply and its source played a very important part in the settlers’ choice of land because the amount of water available determined the number of stock they could own. They tried to settle close to a spring or creek, if possible. As more homesteaders moved into the area, other sources of water had to be found, so wells were dug. This was hard work and generally required two persons; one was down the hole digging and filling a bucket, which was then hauled to the surface by his partner, using a rope or a windlass. Often the settler’s wife was the person hauling up the dirt. In many areas the wells were over a hundred feet deep and required cribbing as they were dug, to prevent cave-ins. Once the water was found, the well had to be cribbed regardless of depth. Flat rocks, rails or planks were used. The wells had to be covered to prevent accidents, and a pump installed if the settler could afford one. Otherwise, a rope and windlass system was used. 

The art of witching or dowsing for water is a very interesting subject. There are many people who do not believe in it, hence the probable origin of the name “witching”, but if those same people have to have a well drilled, the first thing they do is to start looking for a well-witcher. One witcher in the Cochrane district witched over twenty wells in the area in 1976. 

Some water witchers use a forked willow branch and by gripping the two forks firmly, the willow rod will move up and down when placed over and underground current of water. Some people use two metal rods called divining rods or even wire. Sometimes when the willow rods are held tight, and the pull from the underground stream is strong, the witcher’s hands will strip the bark off the willow. The witcher generally tries to find the intersection of two streams of water as a suitable place to drill for water. He can tell how deep the stream is, and how many gallons of water per minute a well can be expected to produce. 

Witching does not work for everyone, but when the wrists of an unsuccessful person are held by a witcher, the rod will turn to indicate an underground stream. 

An encyclopedia states, “Persons using this device are sometimes successful only because they have a common-sense idea of where water is usually found.” This statement has not always been true; the ability to witch for water seems to be inherited. 

Some people call witching magic; others, voodoo; it is even suggested that it is a form of extra-sensory perception. In any case, many of the wells dug or drilled in the Cochrane area through the years have had their location chosen by a water witcher. 



Morleyville Detachment N.W.M.P.

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This Article was written in 1977 for Big Hill Country. It seems fitting today to include an interpretation of the history of Policing in Canada particularly in our area.

THE MORLEY DETACHMENT OF N.W.M.P. – by Jean L. Johnson 

The first connection between the North West Mounted Police and Morleyville came about when Lieutenant-Governor Morris, the first to hold this office in the N.W.T.. requested Rev. George McDougall to proceed on a mission to the Blackfoot and other Indian tribes and explain to them why the Queen was sending a police force to the North West Territories. The McDougalls were very successful in this venture and justified the high opinion in which they were held by both red man and white. 

In 1875 the N.W.M.P. had assembled at Tail Creek on the lower crossing of the Red Deer River to await the arrival of General Selby Smyth. One part of the troop was moved to the upper crossing of the Red Deer and ordered to the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers where a fort was to be established. They struck off on a well-marked trail which led them to the Ghost River and on to Morleyville. They then struck east down the Bow River and arrived at the site of their fort. The fact that they were at Morleyville before going on to the chosen location was not an error on their part; this was the regular trail. Other travellers have preferred this route although it was longer than going straight south to Calgary. 

On September 22, 1877, the Stoney Indians signed Treaty Number 7, the Chiefs who signed being John Cheneka, Bear’s Paw and Jacob Ki chi-pwot, while among the Stoney Councillors who signed were the familiar names of James Dixon and George Crawler. They received their first treaty payment in 1880. This money was paid out to the Stoney Indians by Inspector Francis Dickens of the N.W.M.P. He was a son of the famous English novelist, Charles Dickens. 

The first serious crime from the Morleyville centre occurred in September 1881. Rev. McDougall reported that a large band of horses had been stolen from Morleyville, presumably by Indians from farther south. Investigation showed that the horses had been driven southward towards Fort Macleod, and the word was sent to Supt. Crozier to keep a sharp lookout for them. A small party of N.W.M.P. members was dispatched at once and soon 23 stolen horses were recovered and three Indians arrested. One miscreant turned out to be Jingle Bells who had killed a Cree Indian at the Blackfoot Crossing and had escaped custody at Fort Macleod in the summer of 1880. Another was Marrow Bones, an accomplice of the former and a well-known trouble maker; the third was a youth named The Only-Wood. 

When the three were placed on trial for horse stealing they were all found guilty by Magistrate Macleod who was the recently retired N.W.M.P. Commissioner. Jingle Bells was sentenced to three years in Stony Mountain Penitentiary, Manitoba. Marrow Bones drew 18 months in jail at Macleod while The-Only-Wood was given one year.

In 1883 the first actual N.W.M.P. detachment was established at Morleyville. The Post was a log cabin on the north side of the Bow River just north of the Mission down beside Jacob Creek. The main reason for the detachment was the grading and tracking of the C.P.R. as it pushed its way from Calgary. Constant patrolling was kept up along the line with a view to preventing prairie and forest fires. The contractors took little care to keep fires from spreading and much valuable timber was destroyed. Innumerable fires were put out by the Mounties and a large number of arrests made but in most cases, it was impossible to obtain conviction due to lack of evidence. 

As the grading went on into the mountains the necessity for further maintaining the detachment at Morleyville disappeared and the non commissioned officers and men from there were moved to the detachment at Padınore, eighteen miles west of Morleyville. 

In the distribution sheets for “E” Division, Calgary, in 1888, Morley is shown as a detachment with a strength of two constables and two horses. It is only presumed that when this detachment was re-opened this year, its location was the same as in 1883. There is no definite information on this point. The detachment remained active until 1907, at which time it was closed. 

Morley Detachment was re-opened in 1912 with one constable and one horse on strength. The buildings for this Detachment were built on the flat on the south side of the Bow River and the first Mountie there was Constable Barber. On March 1, 1917, the Province of Alberta relieved the Force of police duties and formed the Alberta Provincial Police. 

In 1932 the Force absorbed the Alberta Provincial Police and re-opened a detachment in Morley. One corporal and one horse were on strength at the establishment. This posting was lowered to a constable position in 1935. Constable Solway was the last man to patrol from that detachment, mounted. The last R.C.M.P. there was Constable Brian Wright who was in charge of training and handling a Police dog. That was in 1945. In 1946 there were no men at this detachment and only one vehicle on strength. In 1947 the detachment was closed. 

In 1935 the old log N.W.M.P. post was moved to Victoria Park in Calgary. 

In 1905 the name of the force was changed to Royal North West Mounted Police (R.N.W.M.P.). 

In 1920 it became Royal Canadian Mounted Police (R.C.M.P.)

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